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Warner Bros Discovery left Spain out of its clampdown on European original programs for HBO Max, and has now doubled down on the country by ordering a soccer comedy there.

Production is underway in Madrid on Playing Dirty (Monos con Pistola) The seven-part series comes from Jorge Valdano Sáenz and Pablo Tébar and is based on an idea from Carolina Bang and Álex de la Iglesia, whose drama 30 Coins is one HBO Max Europe’s most high-profile originals. The series is produced by Bang and de la Iglesia’s Pokeepsie Films, which is part of Banijay Iberia.

Playing Dirty follows the life of soccer agent Alberto Martín Ruiz, otherwise known as ‘Beto,’ as he leaves the comfortable life of working at a large soccer agency to go it alone and start his own venture. Navigating between his daily delirious struggle with soccer players and his stressful family life, his only solace is his girlfriend,...

Available today on DVD and Digital, we have an exclusive clip and character posters from Shadow of the Cat!

"Gato lives on a remote farm with his teenage daughter Emma where without even basic communications tools they’re entirely cut off from the outside world. But once Emma comes into possession of a phone, she’s contacted by a party claiming to be working on behalf of her mother, who her father claimed abandoned her at birth. Infuriated, Emma heads off on a journey of self-discovery to reconnect with her mother, all the while Gato and his best pal Sombra (Danny Trejo) race to rescue her from the grim fate she’s unknowingly heading towards.

Directed by Jose Maria Cicala and written by Cicala, Griselda Sanchez and Gustavo Lencina, Shadow of the Cat also boasts a supporting cast of Latinx talent, including Lanata, Zapata, Rita Cortese, Mónica Antonópulos, Miguel Ángel Solá,...

Spain has two films in this year’s main competition at the Berlinale, and a record haul of films participating across all sections. Similarly, the country boasts an impressive list of productions looking for buyers at the festival’s EFM. Below, a list of standouts from Spain looking to make moves on the global market.

“Prison 77” (Alberto Rodríguez)

A potential jewel in Spanish cinema’s 2022 crown, “Modelo 77” is produced by Spanish pay TV-vod giant Movistar Plus and Madrid-based Atípica Films, Rodríguez’s career-long producer. S.A. Film Factory

“Alcarràs” (Carla Simón)

In Berlin’s main competition, the much anticipated follow up to Simón’s “Summer 1993,” “Alcarrás” tracks the final harvest at a multi-generational family farm. Co-produced with Italy. S.A. MK2 Films

“The Beast” (Rodrigo Sorogoyen)

A Galicia-set thriller from Oscar-nominee Sorogoyen (“Mother”) and his regular co-scribe Esther Peña.

“Beyond the Summit” (Ibon Cormenzana)

Javier Rey and Patricia Lopez...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide rights to Lance Kawas’ thriller Good Thief, also claiming North American rights to Sonny Mallhi’s Hurt and Phil Harding’s The Reunion. The Red Arrow Studios company will release the first title on Tvod and digital platforms on November 30, with the second debuting in select theaters and on internet, cable, and satellite platforms on December 10, and the third arriving on all Tvod and digital platforms in February.

Good Thief follows a pair of thieves (played by Peter Donahue and newcomer Shomari Giles) on the outskirts of Detroit who rob a neighborhood pawnbroker (Jimmy Doom) of his valuable baseball card collection, only to find out they’ve unleashed something far more sinister. Aaron Sizemore penned the script for the film, which also stars Melanie Mahanna and Bobby Laenen. Kawas produced with Hicham Benkirane’s company, Hbk F.C. Myriad Pictures is handling international sales.

Sebastián Schindel wrote and directed story of mother desperate to save accused son.

Netflix has picked up worldwide rights from FilmSharks to Argentinian thriller Crímenes de Familia starring double Goya winner Cecilia Roth.

Sebastián Schindel, whose previous drama The Son is a Netflix Original, wrote and directed the film about Alicia, a woman who will go to any lengths to protect her son Daniel after he is charged with the attempted murder of his ex-wife.

Roth stars as Alicia and her credits include Pedro Almodovar’s All About My Mother, Natalia Meta’s 2020 Berlinale selection and Argentinian thriller The Intruder.

The Sitges Pitchbox program, a horror-fantasy-sci-fi showcase at the festival, took place last Friday. The upcoming Spanish language miniseries El Pulpo Negro (The Black Octopus) participated in the program and yesterday they released to the public the first teaser for the series.   Set in a dimly lit examination room the body of a woman (Abrakadabra's María Eugenia Rigón) is examined by Gustavo Pardi. Miguel Ángel Solá narrates as Pardi cuts into her and discovers something inside her corpse.    As is most often the case, cadavers are quite naked when an autopsy is performed, and this is also true in this teaser. It is a dark and moody trailer but consider it Nsfw due to nudity.   I am very much a fan of...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

A Polish-born Holocaust survivor decides to travel from Buenos Aires to Lodz to fulfill a promise he made nearly 70 years earlier in Argentine writer-director Pablo Solarz’s touching, albeit occasionally heavy-handed, drama “The Last Suit.” Thankfully, this late-life road movie also boasts plenty of poignant and humorous moments that will play well with older viewers and those seeking Jewish-interest content. After reaping numerous audience awards on the festival circuit, the film begins a U.S. theatrical run in New York on Sept. 21, before expanding to Los Angeles on Sept. 28 and later the hinterlands via small but enterprising distribution outfit Outsider Pictures.

Despite a bum right leg that he nicknames “tzuris” because of the aggravation it gives him, stubborn, 88-year-old retired tailor Abraham Bursztein still has plenty of fight and flair left in him. Unfortunately, his family refuses to recognize it. Bursztein, like some latter-day King Lear, has already foolishly divided his property among his daughters,...

The Seattle International Film Festival closed a 25-day run June 10, culminating in its 2018 Golden Space Needle Audience and Competition Awards. This, the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States, began May 17 and featured over 400 films. Seattle welcomed nearly 400 filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals as guests of the festival. This year’s films came from over 90 countries, included 35 world premieres and over 750 screenings and events. The Golden Space Needle Award, Siff’s top honor, went to Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade.” The A24 film, which debuted back in January at the Sundance Film Festival and will premiere widely July 13, stars Elsie Fisher, who also took home the festival’s Best Actress honor. Miguel Ángel Solá” took home the Best Actor prize for “The Last Suit.” Meanwhile, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” took home the Golden Space Needle Award in the documentary category. Oscar winner Morgan Neville’s film,...

The Seattle International Film Festival announced its award winners this afternoon across a range of categories, with notable honors going to the narrative features Eighth Grade and The Reports on Sarah and Saleem.

Eighth Grade captured Best Film honors in the audience-determined Golden Space Needle Awards, with star Elsie Fisher also taking home Best Actress. Reports, which is directed by Muayad Alayan, won the jury prize in the main narrative competition.

The festival bills itself as the largest and most highly attended U.S. fest. This year’s 25-day edition began May 17. It featured more than 400 films representing 90 countries.

The annual “Best of Siff” lineup will be announced later today and the festival’s five cinema screens will resume daily service on Friday with a mix of Best of Siff titles and other screenings.

Here is the full list of winners in the Golden Space Needle rankings determined by 80,000 audience ballots,...

The 44th Seattle International Film Festival announced its winners at the festival’s concluding ceremony Sunday, with Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade” taking home prizes for best film and best actress for star Elsie Fisher. Mister Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” which has drawn attention since the release of its nostalgic trailer, won the best documentary prize for director Morgan Neville.

See the full list of winners below.

Best Film

“Eighth Grade,” directed by Bo Burnham (USA 2018)

Best Documentary

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” directed by Morgan Neville (USA 2018)

Best Director

Gustav Möller, “The Guilty” (Denmark 2018)

Best Actor

Miguel Ángel Solá, “The Last Suit” (Argentina/Poland/Spain/France/Germany 2017)

Best Actress

Elsie Fisher, “Eighth Grade” (USA 2018)

Best Short Film

“Emergency,” directed by Carey Williams (USA 2017)

Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision

Presented by Women in Film – Seattle

Dana Nachman, “Pick of the Litter” (USA 2017)

Siff...

Gustav Möller wins best director for The Guilty.

Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade won the 44th Seattle International Film festival’s Golden Space Needle audience award for best film and Morgan Neville’s current Us release Won’t You Be My Neighbor? won best documentary as the festival came to a close at the weekend.

In other key awards, grand jury honours went to The Reports On Sarah And Saleem, Dead Pigs, Rust, Inventing Tomorrow, and Thunder Road.

Elsie Fisher of Eighth Grade was named best actress while Miguel Ángel Solá of The Last Suit won the best actor prize.

Gustav Möller wins best director for The Guilty.

Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade won the 44th Seattle International Film festival’s Golden Space Needle audience award for best film and Morgan Neville’s current US release Won’t You Be My Neighbor? won best documentary as the festival came to a close at the weekend.

In other key awards, grand jury honours went to The Reports On Sarah And Saleem, Dead Pigs, Rust, Inventing Tomorrow, and Thunder Road.

Elsie Fisher of Eighth Grade was named best actress while Miguel Ángel Solá of The Last Suit won the best actor prize.