Spain’s rich TV show lineup at the Berlin Film Festival also features a screening of Atresmedia’s “Red Flags,” charting the often pained sexual and emotional awakening of four Gen Z teens.
Selected titles at Berlin:
Berlinale Market Selects
“Honor,” (Atresmedia TV, Portocabo)
The Spanish remake of Israeli TV series “Kvodo,” with the often superb Dario Grandinetti (“Talk to Her”) in the Bryan Cranston role of famed Showtime re-do “Your Honor,” as a principled judge attempting to save his son after, in an accidental hit-and-run, he kills the son of a lethal drug kingpin. Portocabo (“Hierro,” “Rapa”) produces with Atresmedia TV in an intense and thought-provoking series,” says Atresmedia’s José Antonio Salso.
“Internal Affairs,” (“Asuntos Internos,” RTVE-Mediacrest)
Following a first women police inspector in Spain, a 1979-set series distinguished by strong thriller propulsion, premium production values and a novel female take on cop thrillers. It also offers a moving vision of the journey made by three women, police inspector Clara Montesinos, upper-class widow Ana and submissive maid to empowerment and a focus on essential values, an odyssey made and still being made by womanhood in Spain.
“Sanctuary,” (“Santuario,” Pokeepsie Films, Atresmedia)
Produced by Carolina Bang and Alex de la Iglesia at Pokeepsie Films, a Banijay company, and Atresmedia, a stylish climate change and AI themed dystopian thriller. Engineer Valle and heavily pregnant Pilar gang together to discover the real purpose of Sanctuary, a supposedly idyllic domed birthing retreat but whose monumentalist architecture and loudspeaker slogans hint from the get-go of more sinister purpose. Plushly directed by Rodrigo Ruíz-Gallardón and Zoe Berriatúa.
Spanish Thrillers
“Shades” (Secuoya Studios and SkyShowtime)
A star-laden whodunnit and – more importantly – fast-paced character-driven thriller, in which a celebrated psychiatrist gathers six patients at a remote winery to complete their treatment. After a fatal event, an intuitive police lieutenant plumbs the patients’ traumas. Elsa Pataky () Maxi Iglesias (“Valeria”), Enrique Arce (“Money Heist”), Hovik Keuchkerian (“Reina Roja”) and Juana Acosta (“La templanza”) star. Stellarmedia’s Sergio Cánovas (“Girls Night Out”) serves as creator-director. Beta Film has international distribution.
Spanish Connection
“Dark Waters, (“Aigües de Foscor,” Spain, Iceland)
The first Spain-Iceland co-production, from Federation Spain, Barcelona’s Lastor Media and Cataluña Federation Studios and Iceland’s New Media ARC. Arnau, a park ranger finds the corpse of a woman who has the same unusual birthmark he and his daughter share. This unveils a supernatural mystery. From an original idea by Maria Rocher, produced by Federation Spain’s Nacho Manubens and high-end Spanish producers Juan Solá and Mark Albela.
“Pink Noise,” (Spain, Chile)
A group of standout women from history, led by Marie Curie, reappears in a dystopian world ruled by human-eating cats, battling them from the clandestine depths of the deep web. “A wildly irreverent, visually striking animated series that blends historical icons with digital dystopia. Think ‘Monty Python’ meets ‘Robot Chicken,’” says co-creator Alvaro León. Co-produced by Spain’s Lamola Studio and Bernadita Ojeda at Chile’s Pájaro.
“Truth North” (Spain, Finland)
From Spain’s Aurora and Finland’s Jamedia and co-created, written and directed by Anna Blom, “True North” has Egyptian refugee Layla in southern Spain entangled with two troubled Scandinavian sisters, sparking a tense spiral of blackmail and power struggle. “The Nordic crime tradition brings suspense and the Spanish tradition brings passion,” says Blom.
“The Wheel,” (“La Roda,” Spain)
From Barcelona’s Mr. Miyagi (“The Platform,” “Isaac,” The Astronaut Lovers”), directed by Carles Torrens (“Apocalypse Z”), written by Ana Analkim and Marta Ros and showrun by Angeles Hernandez & David Matamoros. A corpse appears in a public park, made up of parts from four different bodies sewn together. Irene’s resolution of the case will convert her from victim to executioner. “We were very fascinated by such a complex character as main protagonist Irene, She embodies good but also the darkness and her guilt makes her very good at what she does,” says Matamoros.
