Mind the Gap picks 11 series for Barcelona co-production pitch
Eleven new drama ideas from Galicia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Mexico and Portugal will pitch for international partners in Barcelona on Oct. 21.
The lineup forms the second edition of Mind the Gap, an international pitch for series co-productions, meaning shows made and paid for by partners in more than one country. It sits inside Serielizados Pro, the industry strand of the Barcelona Series Festival, which runs Oct. 21-24, according to Variety.
Eight projects were picked from open calls. Three more were invited in by partner events Seriencamp, ECAM Forum and Iberseries, bringing the total to 11. The live pitch takes place at the SGAE headquarters in Catalonia.
The projects will present to a jury of buyers and distributors. The panel includes Ben Driscoll from streamer Mubi, Susanna Herreras from Spanish pay-TV platform Movistar Plus+, Peter Lohner from Germany’s Beta Film, Susanne Frank from ZDF Studios and Virginie Béjot from France’s Arte France.
Money is on the table. The best project prize is €5,500 ($6,300). A separate €2,000 ($2,300) Konga Music Agency Award will go to the best Spanish project.
Two Spanish titles show the range on offer. “Act of Faith” is the first TV show created by filmmaker Carlos Marques-Marcet, and his first job as showrunner, the writer in charge of a series from script to screen. It focuses not on real cases of undercover police who infiltrated social movements in Spain, but on the victims, friends and lovers left feeling betrayed.
“Callback” was co-written by sisters Mireia Vilapuig and Joana Vilapuig with Diego Vega. The wider selection draws creators from across Spain and beyond, with entries linked to Galicia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Mexico and Portugal.
For viewers, this matters long before anything reaches a screen. Mind the Gap is designed to help co-productions close the final stage of their financing while giving them visibility with platforms and sales companies, according to festival materials. A pitch win can keep a writers’ room open and a crew of more than a hundred in work.
Serielizados first announced the second edition on July 16. This year’s festival is presented as the 13th Barcelona Series Festival.
