Why Iberseries & Platino Industria is the industry’s leading Ibero American audiovisual event

The fifth edition of Iberseries & Platino Industria (September 30-October 3) brings together leading names and projects in the internationally focused Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese content sectors. The largest Ibero American showcase of the territories’ audiovisual industries is expanding its programming to include European co-production countries such as Italy and Romania that are participating in selected projects — and boost the global distribution of Spanish-language content.

Hosted at Madrid’s Matadero cultural hub, the event is organised by Spain’s largest rights collection agency EGEDA and the Secuoya Foundation, the non-profit arm of Spanish production powerhouse Secuoya Content Group. Partners include the Ibero American producers’ federation FIPCA, Madrid Film Office, Film Madrid and ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, among others.

A major highlight is the Co-Production and Financing Forum, which presents 10 feature and 10 series projects. Feature titles include thriller Cerrado Por Duelo (Argentina-Italy-Chile), crime tale La Leyenda De Don Juan Manuel (Mexico-Spain), drama Los Relatos (Spain-Romania) and thriller La Vida Infinita (Spain).

The lineup also includes animation Desechable (Colombia-Spain), documentary El Salto Al Vacío (Spain), comedy Fue Idea De Ella (Argentina-Spain), comedy No Hay Surf En Marte (Spain-Brazil), family comedy Y Ahora Qué Quiere

Mamá (Peru-Argentina) and comedy drama Tiempo Fuera (Argentina-Uruguay-Spain). Additionally, the series selection encompasses genres from black comedies to thrillers and animation to docudrama.

The event is also hosting the Showrunners Workshop. The training initiative for 12 projects is aimed at professionals in creation, writing, directing and audiovisual production interested in developing Spanish- or English-language fiction series projects. The titles taking part include Mexico’s 10 Commandments To Forget, Colombia’s Fura, Spain’s Horizonte and Chile’s Humberstone.

The workshop aims to strengthen the role of showrunners in the Ibero American industry. It is led by executive producer Enrique Darriba, director of the executive production masters course at Secuoya Studios’ The Core School.

Iberseries & Platino Industria will also feature a packed agenda of keynote speeches, spotlights and conferences, addressing topics including risk financing, project development and story­telling, digital platforms and new consumption habits, European fiction co-production, market dynamics, distribution deals and purchasing criteria of international players, in addition to pitch sessions with platforms and production companies.

Gaumont CEO Sidonie Dumas is confirmed as a speaker, alongside leading executives including Michael Monsour, CEO and co-founder of Phanes Funding Group, and Al de Azpiazu, SVP of distribution and co-productions at Fremantle.

Oscar-winning producer Hugh Welchman (short film Peter & The Wolf), Michele Zatta, commissioning editor in charge of international co-productions at Italy’s RAI Fiction, and Germany’s Robert Franke, vice president drama at ZDF Studios, are among the executives participating in the thinktank activities.

Spotlight sessions will feature strategy insights from Sofia Fabregas, Disney+ Spain’s VP of original production, and Atresmedia’s entertainment director Carmen Ferreiro and fiction director Montse Garcia among others. Further international attendees will include representatives from Japan’s AXN, Germany’s Bavaria Media, France TV, the US’s HBO Latam and Telemundo, Spain’s Rakuten, Germany’s ZDF, Brazil’s Globoplay, Hungary’s MTVA, Italy’s RAI, Switzerland’s RTS, Colombia’s RCN, Spain’s Movistar Plus+ and Japan’s Wowo, among others.

Senior talent

Industry leaders confirmed to attend include SkyShowtime’s Kai Finke, Warner Bros Discovery’s Bibiana Gonzalez, Banijay Entertainment’s Steve Matthews, Beta Film’s Moritz von Kruedener and Christian Gockel, Banijay Iberia’s Pilar Blasco, Beta Fiction Spain’s Mercedes Gamero and Pablo Nogueroles, The Mediapro Studio’s Amparo Castellano, Catalina Porto and Daniel Burman, Amazon Studios’ Alonso Aguilar, 3Pas Studios’ Leonardo Zimbron and Tower Peak Partners’ Elisa Alvares.

“Our goal is to boost international sales of Spanish-language content and open new channels to meet the growing global demand for Ibero American productions, while enhancing visibility, expanding in strategic markets and strengthening competitiveness worldwide,” says Samuel Castro, who co-heads the event alongside Juan Alia.

“[We want] to foster dialogue among industry players, building alliances and creating conditions for the international reach of Ibero America’s talent and stories,” adds Alia.