Series from Atresmedia TV, RTVE, Movistar Plus+, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (“La Mesías”), Zeta Studios (“Elite”) and director Carlota Pereda and Morena Films (behind Sundance hit “Piggy”) will unspool or be unveiled at the Berlinale. They underscore the breadth and depth of Spanish TV output:
“Death to Love,” (“Que muera el amor,” Morena Films, Buendía Estudios)
Carlota Pereda dazzled at Sundance with first feature, “Piggy.” Now, Pereda’s at the Berlinale Co-Pro Series on Feb. 20 with her debut series, “Death to Love,” in which afemale vampire struggles over centuries to end a toxic relationship with her vampire female lover and culminates in a modern-day climax. “A visceral and romantic proposition,” Pereda says.
“Dressed in Blue: Veneno Season 2,” (Atresmedia TV, Suma Content )
The Sundance world premiere “La Mesías” sealed the standing of Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi as most probably the coolest creative duo in Spain. This time around, they produce, with Mikel Rueda, a director on “Veneno,” and Claudia Costafreda and Ian de la Rosa, both writers on the series, taking the helm. Sequel “Dressed in Blue” begins two years after “Veneno.”
“Executioners,” (“Verdugos,” Vertice 360, Dexiderius Producciones)
The Basque Pyrenees, 1996. Four kids in search of adventure find a kidnapped businessman held in an abandoned mine, and events quickly accelerate. Written by the Rodrigo Martín Antoranz, head writer on “Aida,” and Pedro García Rios, writer-executive producer on “Compañeros,” series is produced by Vertice 360, an energetic European co-producer, and is Series Mania Forum’s guest project at the Co-Pro Series.
“The Law of the Sea,” (“La ley del mar,” RTVE, À Punt)
“Law” is based on the real-life story of José Dura, skipper of a Spanish trawler, who rescues 51 immigrants adrift in the Mediterranean. Arriving at Valetta, Malta, his boat is barred entry, sparking a full- blown EU diplomatic crisis. “A calculated risk,” says RTVE’s José Pastor of “The Law of the
Sea,” which shot over 18 days at sea and cast movie actors Luis Tosar and Blanca (both stars in Icíar Bollaín’s “Maixabel”). “If you want a series to look like cinema, you have to cast film actors,” Pastor says. Created by Enrique “Flipy” Pérez Vergara, at Studio 60, the miniseries, broadcast in its entirety on Sunday primetime, Jan. 21, hit a 13.1% share, RTVE’s best fiction result in nearly a year.
“Marbella,” (Movistar Plus+, Buendía Estudios)
A sweet-talking defense attorney, Cesar defends mobsters, who live happily enough side by side in Marbella, “the U.N. of organized crime,” he says. But in Cesar’s efforts to land the biggest new contract in town, he crosses the line, beginning to commit criminal acts and endangering all that’s dear. A deep dive into the sybaritic criminal classes of Costa del Sol, it’s written by Alberto Marini and shot in kinetic style by Dani de la Torre, re-teaming after “La Unidad.” “The tone is fiction, artificial and highly entertaining, but the background is painstakingly researched,” says exec producer Fran Araujo.
“Red Flags,” (Atresmedia TV, Zeta Studios)
“You see porn and you imitate it,” Luna’s best friend Alba tutors her before Luna loses her virginity to boyfriend Jorge. “Red Flags” is a portrait of the often-painful sexual and emotional awakening of four Gen Z teens: macho gay Toni; Erika, with an eating disorder; Luna, riled by Jorge’s budding embrace of the patriarchy; and Walter, pushing back at peer pressure to be one of the boys. Together they create an online network to navigate their issues. Written by novelist-playwright Nando López and produced by Atresmedia TV and “Elite” creator Zeta Studios, the series “promises a fresh take on teen drama,” says Atresmedia TV’s José Antonio Salso.
“Show Yourself,” (“Déjate Ver,” Alvaro Carmona, Atresmedia TV)
Ana, a self-effacing assistant to Bassil, a Banksy-style artist, though she’s really his creative partner, has become so self-effacing that she begins literally to disappear, starting with her second little toe. Is there a short-term solution? she asks a doctor. “Socks,” he answers. From Carmona, who earned a short-format International Emmy nomination in 2019 for “People Talking,” new series is a dramedy of the absurd set in a modern world where every- body is searching for visibility. “When you center on something, everything else disappears,” Ana’s brother, a small-time TV host, tells her. Ana just wants a sense of identity. Selected for Berlinale Series Market Selects and Series Mania’s International Panorama.
“Tramps,” (“Zorras,” Atresmedia TV, Morena Films)
Girls just want to have fun, and in “Tramps,” they want to have lots of sex. The young women in this series create the Sex Friends Club to score their sexual fantasies. This adaptation of Noemi Casquet’s novel is another Atresmedia TV Berlinale Market Selects title, produced by Morena Films (“Death to Love”).
