Spanish producer and rights broker MediaPro has announced its fully-fledged entry into feature film production, with plans to produce and back between five and seven films per year.

Newly appointed film chief Juan Ruiz de Gauna, former CEO of Via Digital, said MediaPro won't "just play a financing role, we will play a creative role and develop our own projects," going directly to talent sources, seeking alliances with other producers and developing two to three films in-house annually.

Ruiz de Gauna furthermore launched an open "invitation" to Spanish distributors and exhibitors to consider partnerships with MediaPro, which he said aims to be "vertically integrated."

The first such industry announcement in weeks in Spain, MediaPro's plans sound especially ambitious considering that most producers and distributors say they are currently at a standstill due to a pullback in financing from pay TV. "There's talk of a crisis in the sector, but we see it as an adjustment [between supply and demand]", Ruiz de Gauna said.

MediaPro's 'banner film' for 2002 is director Oliver Stone's feature-length documentary Looking For Fidel, a co-production fully-financed in Spain with local outfits Pentagrama Films and Morena Films. The film, currently being sold internationally by MediaPro, could get premiered at September's San Sebastian International Film Festival, according to Ruiz de Gauna.

An established thematic channel producer and packager, production services provider and audiovisual rights broker, MediaPro's existing interests in feature film include a 12% share in Madrid-based producer Esicma and a co-production accord with Elias Querejeta, including Javier Bardem-starrer Mondays In The Sun (Los Lunes Al Sol), also scheduled for an autumn release.

Topics