Now marking its fourth edition over Oct. 1 – 4 in Madrid, Spain’s annual Iberseries & Platino Industria confab has leapt to must-attend status for Ibero-American audiovisual industry professionals.
Iberseries co-director Samuel Castro, who covers the TV industry while co-director Juan Alía handles film, said: “We hope that in this fourth edition, we will at least maintain the 2,500 accredited participants from last year,” he said, adding: “Our goal is not just to grow in the number of accredited participants but also in the professional profiles attending Iberseries & Platino Industria. We aim for executives with decision-making power to identify this event as the place to do business, present projects and discuss joint strategies around Spanish-language audiovisual content.”
Based on early data collected – with a lot of accreditations still to come – according to the profiles of delegates who has signed up, Iberseries had 647 accredited professionals from Spain, 121 from Mexico, 96 from Colombia, 83 from the USA and 42 from Chile, said Castro, adding that of the European countries, Portugal, France, and Italy have the strongest presence with Spain ostensibly dominating.
Major players operating in Spain and Latin America are participating in the conference program of the event, led by Disney+ (Spain and LatAm), HBO Max, Prime Video, Movistar Plus+, NBC Universal, RTVE, Atresplayer and Caracol.
Channels, streamers, and production companies taking part in the Ad Hoc Pitching Sessions include Warner Bros, Telemundo Studios, Sony, Paramount, Gaumont, Dopamine and Secuoya Studios, among others.
Among the TV trends he has observed, Castro sees that multilateral co-productions have become more popular financing models and that there is a growing interest among investment funds in Spain’s industry. There are also more efforts to promote Hispanic-American IP as a strong source of inspiration for major new projects, he noticed.
In the film industry, Alía, has noted more collaborations among Ibero-American countries and other regions, allowing for larger budgets and broader distribution reach.
There also seems to be more focus on local stories with global appeal: “There is a clear focus on narratives rooted in specific cultural contexts but with universal themes that resonate internationally. In addition to auteur cinema, there has been a growing interest in genres such as thriller, horror, and comedy, all adapted to local sensibilities,” he told Variety, adding that more female and diverse voices are prevailing.
Alía also pointed to a stronger commitment to social, political and environmental themes with more projects addressing contemporary social issues such as inequality, migration, and corruption, and a renewed interest in exploring and recovering historical events and their repercussions today.
He has also observed the adaptation of new financing models: “Alternative avenues such as crowdfunding and private investment are being explored to complement public funds,” he said.
But multiple challenges remain, among them digital piracy, environmental sustainability during shoots, content saturation, competition with short forms of entertainment like TikTok, YouTube etc.
“Financing and profitability, especially for independent productions and films from countries with less developed film industries, securing funding and achieving profitability remain difficult,” Alía warned.
Castro listed the projects selected for the event’s Co-Production and Financing Forum as a snapshot of trends where the dramedy seems to dominate, especially among the series:
Series
“Ana del Raval” (Spain) Social dramedy, La Charito Films, Angeli Pictures
“Banda de bufones” (Spain), Drama, Thriller, Dark Comedy, Plano a Plano
“Daddy Issues” (Spain, Colombia), Dramedy, Transmedia / fake documentary, ECTV Media, Alibi Films
“Duarte, Evita detrás del balcón” (Argentina, Spain), Drama, Kapow
“El abogado de Mattos. David contra Goliat” (Colombia), Thriller, True Crime, Rhayuela Films, Punta Fina
“El peligro de quererte” (Chile), Action, romance, LGBTIQ+, Parox
“Once hermanos” (Mexico, U.S., Peru, Argentina, Spain), Dramedy, Caponeto
“Yo y punto” (Spain), Dramedy, La Maldita
“Pocos, buenos y seguros” (Spain), Thriller, action, drama, based on real events, Bixagu Entertainment
“Una serie de gente” (Spain), Dramedy, Nanouk Films
“Cómo Grinchi y La Sra. Claus ensangrentaron la Navidad” (Spain, Argentina),Fantasy, Dramedy, Dark Comedy, La Villana, ATM, Flixxo
Films
“Bendita María” (Spain), Dramedy, TV ON Producciones, Admirable Films
“Guerras invisibles” (Mexico, Brazil, Ukraine, Japan, Lithuania, U.S.), Documentary, Gefilte Films, Club
“Justino” (Brazil, Portugal), Drama, True Crime, Mercado Filmes, SPi
“La imagen de un crimen” (Spain), Thriller, neo noir, satire, Bixagu Entertainment
“Mamá (Im)perfecta” (Colombia, Argentina), Drama, Laberinto, Ganas Producciones, Tarea Fina
“Mi otro verano” (Spain, Uruguay), Romantic drama, D’Sierto Films, Link-up, 39Escalones Films, Mother Superior
“Mi pequeña liga de la justicia” (Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina), Dramedy, Lavorágine Films, Tres Mundos, Lagarto Cine
“Reina del bosque” (Argentina, Spain, U.S.), Drama, thriller, Libre Cine, Non Stop Studios, Bosco Entertainment
“Salvajes” (Peru, Chile), Crime, romance, El Árbol Azul, La Family Story House
“Un lugar lejano” (Argentina, Spain, Chile), Drama, Twins Latin Films, Filmakers Monkeys, Rizoma Producciones
Source Agencies
