Euro-Atlantic Co-Pro Pitch Program Launches in Madrid With Nine TV Projects
The Euro-Atlantic Series Co-Pro Pitch Program has launched at Iberseries & Platino Industria in Madrid with a slate of mainly European TV projects. The new effort connects series in development with partners who can fund, make and share them.
“This is a different initiative from [Iberseries’] Coproduction & Financing Forum, but it maintains the same essence: connecting projects with key partners and accelerating the financing, production and distribution processes of projects in development,” said general coordinator Rodrigo Ros.
The First Edition
The first edition brings together projects from Spain, Belgium, France, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Canada and Uruguay. Two invited projects join through agreements with the Göteborg Film Festival and Seriencamp, two of Europe’s leading series events.
A group of seasoned industry figures chose the projects. The group includes Laura Miñarro, VP of international business and coproduction at Buendía Estudios; Diego del Pozo, head of fiction at Atresmedia Televisión; José Fragoso, programming head at RTP1 and RTP Internacional; and Georges Huercano, development and co-productions manager at RTL.
“The first edition will bring together projects from Spain, Belgium, France, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Canada and Uruguay, along with two invited projects thanks to collaboration agreements established with two of Europe’s leading markets and events specializing in series,” Ros noted.
Eight of the Nine Projects
The selected series span drama, comedy, thriller and documentary forms. Eight of the nine are detailed here.
- “Callback” — a festival scandal drama from Spain’s Funicular Films and Left Tackle Films
- “Heartbeats” — a sports documentary series following eight elite female athletes
- “In Memoriam – Season 2” — a thriller about six young engineers and a hazing ritual
- “The Invisible Ink” — a political thriller from Belgium and Uruguay
- “King of Hearts” — a historical coming-of-age drama about King Baudouin
- “Las Palmas My Love” — a romantic comedy set in the Canary Islands
- “Listen to My Lips” — a drama about an actress with progressive hearing loss
- “Sangria” — a comedy from Sweden, Finland and Spain
“Callback” and “Heartbeats”
“Callback” follows director Fran, who accuses her lead actor and producer Roman of abuse at the premiere of her debut feature. Joana Vilapuig, Mirela Vilapuig and Diego Vega wrote the series. Marta Baldó produces.
“Heartbeats” comes from Malvalanda and producer María del Puy Alvarado. Her company has earned seven Goya nominations and two Oscar nominations. The creators describe motherhood in elite sport as “a novelty and a feat.”
“In Memoriam” and “The Invisible Ink”
“In Memoriam – Season 2” follows six young engineers whose hazing ritual resurfaces when a former colleague’s will summons them to Spain. Cineflix Rights handles distribution. Season 1 was Crave’s #1 launch series and won Best Drama Series at the Berlin TV Series Festival.
“The Invisible Ink” follows an exiled revolutionary forced to return to Uruguay. Belgian company Need Productions and Uruguay’s Guay Films back the project, with Cimarrón Uruguay in advanced talks to join. Its producers call it “a rare bridge between two regions.”
Meetings and Public Presentation
The one-to-one and one-to-many meetings run all day Tuesday, Sept. 29. A public presentation follows the next day at the Cineteca Matadero.
| Event | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-to-one and one-to-many meetings | Tuesday, Sept. 29 | All day | Madrid |
| Public presentation | Wednesday, Sept. 30 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. | Cineteca Matadero |
The Iberseries & Platino Industria runs Sept. 29–Oct. 2 in Madrid this year.
Producers on Their Projects
Gilles De Schryver produces “King of Hearts” through De Wereldvrede. The series follows King Baudouin’s early years on the throne amid Belgium’s political crisis and Congo’s independence. VRT has joined as a development co-producer, with script funding from VAF.
De Schryver describes the series as “by nature an international story,” designed as a prestige drama with global appeal. The series spans Brussels, Leopoldville, Rome and Madrid.
“Las Palmas My Love” is a French-Spanish co-production between Quad Drama and Secuoya Studios. Iris Bucher produces, with ZDF already committed. The story follows a French pop star who assumes a new identity in the Canary Islands and falls for a widowed chef.
Bucher describes it as a “Romeo and Juliet situation,” combining romance, comedy and emotional twists with strong international appeal.
“Listen to My Lips”
“Listen to My Lips” follows Vera, a 29-year-old actress whose progressive hearing loss forces her to confront a life spent in her director boyfriend’s shadow. Creator-actress Sofia Mirpuri plays the lead. The project is seeking writers’ room financing, international co-production partners and a broadcaster, streamer, sales agent or distributor.
The program’s first edition is backed by prominent production companies. Ros said the initiative maintains the essence of connecting projects with key partners.
The meetings begin Tuesday.
Source: variety.com
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.