Madrid market pitches 16 books for film and TV adaptation
Sixteen books will be pitched as potential films and series in Madrid this week.
Iberseries & Platino Industria holds its sixth edition from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The market, which brings together Spanish- and Portuguese-language film and television, is adding a new strand this year: the Literary Works Pitch for Audiovisual Adaptation.
The pitch is a live presentation where rights holders try to secure a screen deal. This one was developed with the Federation of Publishers Guilds of Spain (FGEE). The aim is to connect publishers and literary agencies directly with production companies, streamers, studios and television networks hunting for new intellectual property, meaning stories and characters that can be turned into shows or films.
Organisers picked 16 titles from an open call for submissions. Fourteen come from Spain and Mexico, with one each from Germany and Argentina.
Among them is Alguien como tú by Xavier Bosch, represented by Agencia Literaria Antonia Kerrigan of Spain. It centres on an affair between a married woman from Barcelona and an art gallery owner from Paris, with the woman’s daughter later piecing together the romance. The same agency represents Cuando te atrevas a sentir by Tamara Molina.
Genre fare is strongly present. Alka I. La mujer del infinito by Yaiza Nicolás is described as a thriller-like adventure across three generations of women travelling through time in search of a substance that prolongs youth. Cuando vi a la muerte prestar su sombrero by Rodrigo Unda, represented by Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial of Mexico, is a fantasy novel about the Fates who guide souls to the afterlife, where one injured Fate starts to feel human emotions.
Other selections lean into history and true crime. Las esposas del régimen by Miguel Ángel San Juan, represented by Alt Autores of Spain, pairs a modern mystery with a historical story about women resisting the patriarchal dictatorship of General Franco. Masacre en el comedor by Ceferino Reato, represented by Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial of Mexico, investigates the 1970s bombing by the Montoneros guerrilla group at a Federal Police building during Argentina’s military dictatorship. Así en la tierra como debajo de la tierra by Ana Paula Maia, represented by Scenic Rights of Spain, is set in a fading penal colony in a remote part of Brazil where the warden releases inmates each full moon to be hunted with weapons.
The list also includes El sueño de las Mariposas by Cristina Atienza and Mentira by Care Santos, associated with Scenic Rights.
What makes this stand out for viewers is the range on one slate. Romance, fantasy, thriller, historical drama and prison horror will be presented side by side to the same room of producers and buyers. For fans, this means the next adaptation may come from well outside the usual bestseller charts.
The book pitches sit within a wider programme of Pro Pitch sessions and workshops at Matadero Madrid, the venue for the 2026 edition.
