Spanish streamer Filmin is set to launch its latest original series, “Autodefensa,” a semi-autobiographical show about two young women in Barcelona living a wild and care-free life while also struggling with the conflicts and frustrations faced by Generation Z.
Co-created by Miguel Ángel Blanca (“Magaluf Ghost Town”) and stars Berta Prieto and Belén Barenys, “Autodefensa” is a documentary-like work about two friends in their 20s described as a mash of Lena Dunham’s “Girls,” Larry Clark’s “Kids” and the works of Lars von Trier.
Blanca, who also produced and directed the series, was selected by PvNew last year as one of Spain’s 10 rising talents and has enjoyed success with his own recent award-winning documentary, “Magaluf Ghost Town.”
Up-and-coming talents Prieto and Barenys also boast growing popularity: Prieto is an author and playwright, while Barenys, who also goes by the stage name Memé, is an actress and singer with the Spanish musical act Rigoberta Bandini.
Premiering on Filmin in November, “Autodefensa” is made up of 10 self-contained episodes ranging in length from 10 to 20 minutes, each shot and edited in its own particular style.
The series, filmed in Barcelona earlier this year, was conceived at the end of the pandemic, when Prieto and Barenys were “partying like crazy, anxious that they might lock us up again. It seemed that at that time everyone we knew was finding their place in the world; there was enthusiasm, opportunities and love. We, on the other hand, only had a recurring thought: ‘everyone is an asshole.’”
Prieto and Barenys vented their feelings and thoughts in a video posted on social media that was eventually seen by Blanca, who contacted the duo. They had no idea who Blanca was, but when they found out he was a filmmaker and the singer of band (Manos de Topo), they decided to meet over beers.
Immediately captivated, Blanca suggested they create what would eventually become “Autodefensa,” a semi-autobiographical show about the conflicts of centennials and about two friends having a good time without asking anyone’s permission.
In addition to its modern, cutting-edge original series, Filmin remains a crucial platform for classic film.
The streamer just added to its vast catalog film collections from Hungarian director Béla Tarr and U.S. documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman.
Acquired from Luxbox and spanning three decades, from 1979 to 2011, Filmin’s Tarr selection includes “Family Nest,” “The Outsider,” “Damnation,” “Satantango,” “Werckmeister Harmonies,” “The Man from London” and “The Turin Horse.”
The 18-title Wiseman bundle, from The Party Film Sales, spans such early works as 1967’s “Titicut Follies,” “Law and Order” (1969) and “Juvenile Court” (1973) to more recent titles like 2001’s “Domestic Violence,” 2009’s “La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet,” “Monrovia, Indiana” (2018) and 2020’s “City Hall.”
Filmin’s classics catalog currently includes 35 remastered films, among them Hal Ashby’s “Harold and Maude”; Andrei Tarkovsky’s “The Steamroller and the Violin”; Ingmar Bergman’s “Hour of the Wolf”; Jindřich Polák’s “Ikarie XB-1”; Jean Eustache’s “The Mother and the Whore” and Eiichi Yamamoto’s “Belladonna of Sadness.”
