In a deal unveiled at Mipcom, Movistar Plus+ International, the prominent Spanish pay TV/SVOD platform’s sales division, announced a key sale to HBO Latin America of series “La Mesías,” hailed as the buzziest title at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September.
The series is written, directed and produced by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo ofSuma Content, best known for their series “Veneno,” an HBO Max U.S. pickup, as well as “Paquita Salas,” sold to Netflix.
“La Mesías” marks the return of this creative duo, three years after their last release as directors and screenwriters, according to Movistar Plus+ Int’l.
Described as the most ambitious and complex project from the creative duo, widely known as Los Javis, “La Mesías” follows a family torn apart by the matriarch’s religious fanaticism.
Across seven gripping episodes, each with a runtime of just over an hour, the story spans various time periods, shifting between 2013 and the 1980s when Enric and his younger sister Irene were children, and around 1997 when they were in their late teens. The production was entirely filmed on location, primarily at 30 rural settings in the vicinity of Barcelona. The series boasted a cast of 170 characters and included nearly 4,000 extras.
Episode 3, airing Oct. 19 on Moviestar Plus+, is set in the ‘80s when siblings Enric and Irene live a childhood marked by abandonment, isolation, religious fanaticism, and violence alongside their mother, Montserrat, her new and much older partner, Pep, and all the children that the couple keeps having.
The series counted on Gris Jordana as the director of photography, original music by Raül Refree e Hidrogenesse, editing by Alberto Gutiérrez and art direction by Roger Bellés.
“La Mesías” had its world premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September where it was deemed one of the most interesting titles at the festival, followed by its market debut Monday at Mipcom.
Los Javis have produced other series through their Madrid-based labelSuma Content, which they launched in 2021 and where they also serve as its creative directors. In June, they released the trailer to “Veneno” sequel, “Vestida de Azul” (“Veneno 2: Dressed in Blue”).
The series is its fourth production after Christmas special “Una navidad con Samantha Hudson” as well as “Cardo” and “Cardo 2.”
“Veneno” and “Cardo” were both chosen as PvNew Top International Shows of the Year.
