1. Libertarias, a new Lean-like epic about the Spanish Civil War"
. La Celestina, an erotic, violent take on corruption and lust in the Spanish Renaissance.
When Ele Juarez, director of film/TV at Spanish major PRISA, is asked whether the company´s aim is to become the biggest film force in the Spanish-speaking world, he replies with a brief "That´s correct".
And it´s no hype.
Latin-American giants Globo and Televisa far outweigh PRISA in their core broadcasters' bulk. But by the end of 1996, it is unlikely that any other Hispanic company will be able to match PRISA´s across-the-board strength in film, whether production (some 25 films a year, powered by a pact with indie Andres Vicente Gomez), distribution (in Spain), or exhibition (an announcement about international partnerships for multiplexing in Spain is expected this month).
PRISA´s next moves include US production pacts for film and TV (sitcoms and US movies), and the launch of a cable/satellite channel for Latin America.
No media group has entered Spanish film and TV with such force as Spanish conglomerate PRISA.
Already the owners of the most-read daily newspaper in Spain, El País, and its biggest independent radio circuit, Cadena Ser, in 1990 PRISA joined forces with Canal + in France to create a pay-TV network, Canal + España, and founded a right-broking company and a film production arm, Sogetel. An international sales arm Sogepaq International. followed in 1992.
Ploughing into all-rights acquisition, Sogepaq and PolyGram co-launched a Spanish theatrical distribution joint-venture, Sogepaq Distribución in 1994. In the same year, Sogetel inked a groundbreaking pact with Spain´s leading indie producer Andres Vicente to co-produce eight to ten pictures a year in 1994-1997. Since last October, two films produced by Gomez, Fernando Trueba´s Two Much and El día de la bestia have together grossed more than $15 million domestically in Spain.
Having signed similar, although smaller deals with Spanish indie production outfits CPA and Boca a Boca Producciones, Sogetel plans to pump up its own film production operations, developing, financing and exec producing up to six films a year. First up has ben the Spanish/Mexican co-production, Edipo alcalde. Two more Mexican projects may follow. With Santiago Roldán moving over to PRISA's cable interest in Barcelona, Cablevisión, a new managing director at Sogetel "with a lot of international experience" will be announced this March.
Sogepaq comes to the AFM firing on all barrells. Ele Juarez, and Sogepaq president Jose Vicuña have been in Los Angeles to further discussions on PRISA´s US production gameplan.
Ana Amigo, Sogepaq´s head of international acquisitions, will be looking to feed its Spanish distribution channels, including Sogepaq Distribución, with Lauren and Aurum, the biggest indie acquisition forces in Spain.
Sogepaq Distribución´s annual shopping list for Spain, she says, includes “two-to-three big, $20 million plus titles, such as Showgirls, Mulholland Falls or Lolita, films in a 'second' $15-20 million bracket, and a 'surprise' title,” low-budget or quirkier fare, says Amigo.
Powered by Kevin Williams, head of sales, Sogepaq International, now a Sogepaq (51%)/ Andrés Vicente Gómez (49%), joint venture, will be seeking to capitalise on the blockbuster success in Spain of the Gomez-produced Two Much by pushing its next raft of English-language projects.
To manage a now burgeoning back catalogue and a swathe of new titles, Sogepaq International has appointed Silvia Lovosevic, former head of sales to Spanish broadcasters at Sogepaq, as director of international TV sales, Angela Bosch, director of marketing, and Giles Bones, marketing executive.
First up of English-language projects are the over-the-wall sci-fi comedy, The Killer Tongue, starring Robert Englund, now in post-production; and the $7 million Perdita Durango, toplining Victoria Abril and a name US actor and to be directed by Alex de la Iglesia. His spoof horror comedy, El día de la bestia (The Day of the Beast), about a bat-brained priest who seeks to thwart the birth of a new Antichrist over Christmas in Madrid, is one of the hottest titles on Sogepaq International´s sales slate, having gleaned great trade-press crits and sales to date to the UK, Japan and Latin America.
Kevin Williams will also be seeking to close remaining sales on screwball sex comedy, Boca a Boca (Mouth to Mouth), a Miramax pick-up for the US, and capitalize on the break-through success at Berlin of Panorama player Tesis (Thesis), a movie which stars Ana Torrent who investigates a snuff-movie plot on a university campus. One of the buzz market tickets at Berlin, the debut feature of 23-year-old Alejandro Amenabar sold at the European Film Market to Germany, Japan, France, Korea, Scandinavia, Australia, Croatia/Slovenia and Hungary.
Williams will also screen promo reels of Vicente Aranda's Civil War epic Libertarias and La Celestina, a violent Renaissance-set tail of love, lust and betrayal, toplining Penelope Cruz.
And spare a thought for Julio Medem's psychological drama Tierra (Earth). It´s not at the AFM but is tipped for Cannes.
John Hopewell
