The inaugural South International Series Festival is occurring in Cádiz from Oct. 6-12, 2023. The festival kicked off with “La ley del mar,” a miniseries from the Spanish national broadcaster RTVE based on true events. It’s the story of how in 2006 a fishing boat, the Francisco y Catalina, rescued 51 immigrants in the Mediterranean and was stranded for 10 days, awaiting a diplomatic solution from the European Union. Following the screening, screenwriter Tatiana Rodríguez revealed the primary purpose of the project was, “We wanted to take this story very far and fiction has allowed us to delve into all aspects of the plot. The biggest challenge was not to be Manichaean or judge, but to understand all the options. Everyone on that boat was rescued.” Also playing that first night was an episode from the 4th series of Black Mirror (Mazey Day) that was filmed in Spain.
In addition to “La ley del mar,” there are 10 other series that make up the main fiction section to pay over the course of the festival, they are:
Anima Gemella “Soulmate” (Italy): A tormented doctor ready to remarry finds a medium who can get him in touch with his deceased ex-wife.
Beguinas (Spain): In the twelfth century group of women help the needy, and quickly become a force for good in Europe.
Carthago (Israel): Based on true events at a WWII internment camp in Africa, this is the story of a Palestinian comedian deported by British authorities to Carthago,
Galgos “Greyhounds” (Spain): Carmen Somarribia, co-heir of food giant Galgo which is in danger of going under, battles for the company’s control and survival.
Monstrous (South Korea): A supernatural horror-thriller that follows archaeologists who unveil a chilling mystery.
Of Money and Blood (France): Based on the novel “D’argent et de sang” by journalist Fabrice Arfi on the carbon tax fraud that happened when fictitious companies bought carbon quotas sold to other French companies.
Nolly (U.K.): Set in the world of soap operas, Helena Bonham Carter plays Noele Gordon playing hotel owner Meg Richardson in the British soap opera “Crossroads.” The real Noele Gordon starred in the real Crossroads from 1964-1981 (with two episodes in 1983).
Power Play (Norway): About Norway’s first female P.M., Gro Harlem Brundtland.
Serrines, madera de actor (Spain): An acid comedy-parody centering an actor now on the skids who has yet to win fame or critical respect.
Wrong Side of the Tracks: Season 3 “Entrevías” (Spain): A vigilante drama-thriller centering a combat veteran grandfather who launches war on a local drug cartel. The series stars José Coronado who spoke on the success of the first two seasons being due to the fact that “we talk about human beings and families in all their forms, which “has allowed us to be number one in countries as diverse as Argentina or Nigeria.”
While you can see from the opening night lineup and the fiction line up the festival has a spotlight on Spanish contributions to television, both as creators and as a service industry, there is representation from other countries across all sections, including from the UK (Nolly, The Man Who Stole the Scream, Sail GP: The Roosters Take Off, and Atlantica), South Korea (Monstrous), and Nigeria (Ololade) to name a few.
In addition to screenings, the industry program launches on the 9th boasting four industry forums, the South Lab, South Hub, Business & Action, and the Pitch & Play. Additionally, there’s a section on Unscripted: New Formats & Docs.
There are masterclasses from the Oscar-winning screening writer Armando Bo, The White Lotus composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, and BAFTA-winning director Guillem Morales. There are also preview screenings of series that are still shooting or are in post-production, like the second season of El Inmortal. And finally, there are panels that discuss things like “Serial Production in India” and “Production of Series in Saudi Arabia. International Co-Productions and Growing Strategies”. In total, the festival will have 75 activities making up its program.
The South International Series Festival in its inaugural year is making a point to celebrate television from Spain and across the world, and, while there are representatives from some of the buzziest Western shows (The Bear), it is making a point to highlight shows from other markets that have traditionally perhaps been overlooked until streaming came in. A festival in Spain is the perfect place to launch such a festival as some of the highest-watched non-English language series on Netflix are Money Heist and Elite.
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