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Featuring famed directors such as Argentina’s Ariel Rotter and Spain’s Benito Zambrano, who have not only played but won at Berlin and San Sebastian respectively, Malaga’s 19-pic out of competition strand is a testament to the buyer-driven pulling power of Malaga , thanks to its significant market.

Multiple other name auteurs pack out the selection, which also includes a far stronger line is broad audience comedies than most festivals would risk.

This is certainly territory for discoveries and breakouts – a healthy Málaga tradition.

A brief drill down on titles:

“La Bandera”

Director: Martín Cuervo

“La Bandera,” produced by Álamo Producciones Audiovisuales and Idesia Films, humorously unfolds a family’s inheritance dispute, in the sense that sons, Aitor Luna and Miquel Fernández, aren’t getting what they expected from their father played by Spanish veteran actor Imanol Arias.

“A Blue Bird”

Director: Ariel Rotter

Respected Argentine auteur Rotter returns...

Phenomena is a movie directed by Carlos Therón starringr Belén Rueda, Gracia Olayo and Toni Acosta.

Starting this Friday on Netflix.

Nice within its pretensions, and with the grace of letting us appreciate Belén Rueda in a horror film after having seen her in so many horror films… way more serious than this one.

Very curated in the photography… but in the rest, an entertainment that “goes to the point” and, without leaving its light tone, manages to entertain for a while and be forgotten very quickly.

Movie Review

It will not go down in history, but it leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth, without pretensions, without wanting to be anything other than what it is, without seeking to find the original and, with a tone of self-conscious parody, just aiming at entertaining without looking for absolutely nothing else.

Deeply Spanish, with that humor that succeeds in the Spain that consumes national production that,...

April is Halfway-to-Halloween, and this month embraces horror offerings accordingly. While The Pope’s Exorcist, Beau is Afraid, Renfield, and Evil Dead Rise ensure a robust theatrical slate for horror in April, the TV premieres get even more extensive. Of course, it doesn’t stop there. The new releases coming to streaming this month keep the Halloween spirit alive and well.

Here are ten noteworthy horror titles available for streaming in April 2023 on some of the most popular streaming services, along with when/where you can watch them.

Chupa – Netflix (April 7)

Chupa. Evan Whitten as Alex in Chupa. Cr: Netflix © 2023

The vampiric Chupacabra gets re-envisioned in Netflix’s fantasy film Chupa. The Nun’s Demián Bichir stars in this family adventure that sees a teen boy discover an adorable Chupacabra cub. Christian Slater also stars. Chupa is directed by Jonás Cuarón (Desierto), son of acclaimed filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón.

Holy Spider...

Based on the graphic novel, the new 6-episode Spain-produced action-adventure spy series "Garcia!" is now streaming on HBO Max:

".... based on the graphic novel by Santiago García and Luis Bustos, published by Astiberri Ediciones, the action-adventure spy series 'Garcia!'...

"...follows 'Antonia' (Veki Velilla), a young reporter who quickly becomes embroiled in an elaborate political conspiracy after accidentally defrosting a cryogenically frozen secret agent from the 1960's.

"Now finding himself thrust into a fractured modern world, Garcia (Francisco Ortiz), a former pawn in Francisco Franco’s regime...

"...must rely on Antonia’s help to fit in – and decide where his loyalties lie amid a conspiracy to upend the Spanish government..."

Cast also includes Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, Francisco Reyes, Nico Romero, Helio Pedregal, Mario Pardo, Miki Molina, Marina Gatell, Pepe Ocio and Silvia Abascal.

Click the images to enlarge...

With all the different streaming services in operation these days, there’s an awful lot of TV out there, so much so that plenty of shows can easily slip your notice. If you’re hungry for a fast-paced, action series featuring cryogenically frozen secret agents, political conspiracies, and Spain’s fascist dictator Francisco Franco, then you should check out the trailer for Garcia!, a six-episode series streaming on HBO Max.

Garcia! is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Santiago García and Luis Bustos and spans six decades in Spain’s tumultuous political history, seamlessly blending satire and suspense for a genre-bending adventure of epic proportions. The series follows “Antonia (Veki Velilla), a young reporter who quickly becomes embroiled in an elaborate political conspiracy after accidentally defrosting a cryogenically frozen secret agent from the 1960s. Finding himself thrust into a fractured modern world, Garcia (Francisco Ortiz), a...

A producer on one of the highest-grossing of Spanish films in the last decade, Alex de la Iglesia’s “Perfect Strangers,” Madrid-based Nadie es Perfecto is ramping up production as it rebrands and, following the hire of ex-Netflix exec Juan Mayne, focuses on broadening its bridges with Mexico and Latin America.

In one move, Christopher Hool at Mexico’s Sdb Films has boarded two upcoming Nep titles, “La Navidad está en sus manos,” from Joaquín Mazón, and Kike Maillo’s”Locomía.”

Nep also adapted Mexican hit series “El Juego de la Llaves,” a property of Corazón Films, for Spain, producing with Warner Bros. and local broadcaster Atresmedia.

As a sign of its expanded ambitions, the company is now rebranding as Nadie es Perfecto+.

“We aim to make more films, be present in more series and open up to other formats, and we’re already advancing on a brace of titles,...

"The past is what it is, we can't change it." HBO Max has revealed a new US trailer for a streaming series from Spain titled ¡García!, or just Garcia! in the US. How is this for a pitch: what if someone decided to remake that 90s film Forever Young, but turn it into an action adventure thriller series set in Madrid, Spain instead?? Garcia is a Spanish mini-series for HBO Max about a cryogenically frozen super spy from the '60s who is thrust into modern-day Madrid when he is re-awakened. Set in a version of current-day Spain at the verge of societal collapse, the series follows Antonia, a reporter who accidentally unravels a decades-old plot concerning a super-agent created in the 1950s by the Francoist secret services. Starring Francisco Ortiz as Garcia and Veki Velilla as Atonia, with a series cast including Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, Francisco Reyes, Nico Romero,...

Spanish indie production shingle Nadie es Perfecto, producer of Alex de la Iglesia’s hit comedy “Perfectos Desconocidos,” has tapped former Netflix exec Juan Mayne to join the company as it revs up its slate with a slew of new projects.

These include two pics in pre-production: “La navidad en sus manos,” in co-production with Bowfinger and Esto También Pasará, directed by Joaquín Mazón, starring Ernesto Sevilla and with a special collaboration from actor-filmmaker Santiago Segura, who has worked with de la Iglesia and Guillermo del Toro; and “Locomía,” directed by Kike Maillo, starring Jaime Lorente and Alberto Ammann.

Mayne’s 20 plus years of experience in the entertainment industry includes stints at Warner Bros. and Disney before heading the film division of Netflix in Spain. Said Mayne: “I am tremendously excited to begin this new role as an independent producer in a company that has spent two decades telling the best stories,...

Streaming

HBO Max has revealed the first teaser for Max original “García!” (6 x 60′), which will have its world premiere at Austin’s Fantastic Fest in September and European premiere at Sitges.

Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Santiago García and Luis Bustos, the series is set in a present-day Spain, which is divided and on the brink of political chaos. It follows an inquisitive millennial investigative reporter Antonia (Veki Velilla) who stumbles on a decades-old conspiracy: the existence of a cryogenically frozen super-agent, García (Francisco Ortiz), created in a laboratory in the 1950s by General Franco’s fascist secret services. After sixty years in deep sleep, this perfect soldier with incredible physical strength, programmed to obey orders without question, is woken by Antonia. García finds himself disoriented and confused in a Spain that has changed beyond recognition. The old-world collides with the new as García and...

Valdimar Jóhannsson’s Icelandic-Swedish-Polish drama “Lamb,” starring Noomi Rapace was awarded best film and actress for Rapace at the 54th edition of Sitges’ International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, which wrapped Sunday.

The prizes add to an Originality Prize which the film received when competing at July’s Cannes Un Certain Regard.

“Lamb,” a horror-comedy combo, follows protagonist Maria, played by Rapace, a woman living with her husband in the total loneliness of the Icelandic countryside. According to a Variety review, “creepy-funny-weird-sad ‘Lamb’ proves just how far disbelief can be suspended if you’re in the hands of a director — and a cast, and a SFX/puppetry department — who really commit to the bit.” Lamb is produced by Go to Sheep, Black Spark Film & TV and Madants with New Europe Film Sales and A24 attached.

Rapace shared best actress honors with Susanne Jensen in Peter Brunner’s “Luzifer.” Justin Kurzel...

Set to launch in Europe later this year, HBO Max has bolstered its originals pipeline with the announcement of “García!” a new series to be produced in Spain based on the popular graphic novel of the same name by authors Santiago García and Luis Bustos.

Miguel Salvat, Steve Matthews and Antony Root, the trio behind HBO España’s fan-favorite horror thriller “30 Coins” from Spanish maestro Alex de la Iglesia, are teaming once again as executive producers on the six-hour series.

“’García!’ is a project with enormous narrative and epic visual ambition. The tiniest details combine to become an action-packed adventure series, sometimes honoring the great genre traditions, but sometimes blowing them up. In ‘García!’ whilst we see a Spain that has changed somewhat in the last few decades, some elements remain the same,” said Salvat.

Set in modern-day Spain, the novel, published by Astiberri Ediciones, plays on cultural and...

Madrid — Freddie Highmore, star of ABC’s “The Good Doctor,” the top exported U.S. scripted series last year, has been joined on bank heist thriller “Way Down” by Liam Cunningham, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey and Sam Riley.

Cunningham plays Sir Davos Seaworth in “Game of Thrones”; Astrid Bergès-Frisbey embodied mermaid Syrena in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”; Riley portrayed Ian Curtis in “Control,” and Diaval in Disney‘s “Maleficent,” alongside Angelina Jolie.

Directed by Jaume Balagueró, the ambitious English-language heist thriller partners two of Europe’s biggest media corporations, Spain’s Mediaset España and France’s TF1 Group. Ghislain Barrois and Álvaro Augustín, at Telecinco Cinema, Mediaset España’s film arm, are producing with El Tesoro de Drake Aie, Ciudadano Ciskul (Francisco Sánchez) and Think Studio (Eneko Lizarraga), in collaboration with Mediaset España and TF1 Group.

Highmore himself will take a producer credit. “Way Down” will be sold at...

This is the Pure Movies review of Neruda, directed by Pablo Larraín, and starring Gael García Bernal, Luis Gnecco, Mercedes Morán, Emilio Gutiérrez Caba and Diego Muñoz. Written by Camilla Brown. Pablo Neruda was a prominent advocate of communist dogma and when the newly appointed President González Videla outlawed communism in 1948 an order was issued for his arrest. Underground, removed from his former society life, Neruda experienced a transformative creative period – resulting in his 1950 masterpiece Canto General, an epic celebration of Latin America and its people. Two decades later, when receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature, Neruda declared that it was as a fugitive that he learnt the true meaning of fraternity. He recalled receiving acts of kindness from everyday people as he evaded the right wing government, and eventually escaped across the Argentinean border. Reflecting on his exile, Neruda professed he was uncertain as to whether he lived it,...