Iberseries & Platino Industria Directors Discuss Growth, Hollywood

Spanish- and Portuguese-language content creators and executives from Europe, Latin America and beyond are gearing up for four days of screenings, panels, keynotes, market meetings and social events at Iberseries & Platino Industria in Madrid.

The fourth edition of the industry gathering in the Spanish capital — organized by the Secuoya Foundation, Spain’s largest rights collection agency EGEDA, and the Ibero-American Federation FIPCA — runs Tuesday through Friday and kicked off with a keynote appearance by Spanish actress and director Paz Vega.

Among the offerings elsewhere are the Ibero-­American Audiovisual Market (MAI), a co-production and financing forum, supported by ICEX Trade and Investment, a part of Spain’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business, pitching sessions and more.

Iberseries & Platino Industria co-directors Samuel Castro, head of Iberseries, and Juan Alía, head of Platino Industria, talked to THR about the event’s growth, Hollywood’s presence, the global appeal of Spanish- and Portuguese-language content and the event’s outlook.

How do you feel about the evolution of Iberseries & Platino Industria as an event since merging its two predecessors?

CASTRO We have created a good atmosphere for people and companies to [go after] the opportunities that are open right now for the audiovisual industry in the Spanish and Portuguese language over the last four years. Around that time or before that, countries like Spain came into fashion with content like Money Heist [on Netflix]. This was one of the first opportunities to show to the world that amazing content can be shot in Spain, but that it could also be something that can become international. That was the first step.

So we decided that we have to create a special event to put the focus on the talent, the capacity and the financial opportunities to produce in Spain and in Latin America because we understood that with the right kinds of products, we can compete in a global way.

At the same time, the model has changed. With the idea of originals and the streamers’ strategy [and financial focus] changing, they started asking for production companies to add other partners to fill these kinds of gaps. And this is the area where we are working. We know that there are not only creators and producers looking to get a contract from streamers. We know that at the same time, they are looking for possible co-production with Colombia, with Spain, with Mexico, or even with the United States to try to offer more solid content.

Yes, I have heard people mention their interest in co-production deals several times here at panels and sessions already …

CASTRO This is the same kind of successful formula that has worked for feature films for a long time. So I think this is the point where both TV and film are closer to each other. TV series used to be closer to traditional TV models. But right now, TV series are managing huge budgets, and it’s closer to feature films. I think that both models are going in the same direction for the first time in history.

Movistar has announced Los años nuevos, a new TV series from Rodrigo Sorogoyen. And figures like Rodrigo come from feature films but at the same time also have experience with TV series.

I have noticed speakers from Hollywood, such as former Lionsgate executive Paul Presburger and Jacobo Aparicio from Anonymous Content, speaking at this year’s edition. Anything important you would like to tell people in Hollywood about Iberseries & Platino Industria?

ALÍA Iberseries & Platino Industria has firmly established itself as the leading market for Ibero-American content, a fact we take great pride in. There is nothing more rewarding for us than the prospect of seeing projects come to fruition in the years to come, thanks to the support and connections made through our market.

Looking at this year’s edition, I have noticed that you also have star power, for example in the form of Paz Vega who helped kick off the event. Is that a new focus for you?

CASTRO We have opened our ears about what has happened in the industry, and we detected two things. One, talent, I mean actors and actresses, are becoming screenwriters, producers and directors of their work. So, Paz Vega talked about becoming a writer and director in addition to being a star.

At the same time, we are detecting that the U.S. players are looking for talent in Spain and in Latin America. You just have to look at, for example, what Netflix is doing with Pedro Páramo [with the film adaptation, directed by Rodrigo Prieto, of Mexican author Juan Rulfo’s famous novel about a literal ghost town set to hit the streamer in November].

There are classic novels from the ’50s and the ’60s in Latin America, and they are taking these IPs because they know they are good stories. These amazing, magical stories already written in books are being discovered right now to make adaptations for TV series. So it’s a great moment for Spanish and Spanish-language creators

What trends of this year’s edition are you particularly happy about?

ALÍA We are especially proud of the event’s growing international reach. This year, we welcomed over 2,500 accredited participants, 45 percent of whom traveled from abroad specifically to close deals here. We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of U.S. professionals attending our dedicated U.S. Day, focused on U.S. Hispanic content.

Furthermore, countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, the Dominican Republic and Peru have a strong presence, contributing to a robust representation in the marketplace.

What’s driving the continuing growth of attendance?

ALÍA The exceptional quality of our program, with 220 speakers participating in 56 panels, combined with the attendance of the 170 most prominent buyers in the industry, has made this an unmissable event for professionals. This year, we are proud to host more than 1,000 international companies, further driving engagement and attendance.

CASTRO We have also tried to focus on attracting executives and producers from the States to show them the capacities of production companies in Spain and in countries in South America. My intention is also to bring in more representatives from film funds so they can explain to our audience how they work in the States.

Importantly, the profile of registered professionals is different. There are actors and actresses, directors, screenwriters and also production companies. This is what we want because this is an event for doing business — making a pitch at the production and finance forum if you have a project idea or trying to sell your movie or TV series if you have already produced it and you want to find a second window outside of Spain. The idea is to allow people to do business.