Strange mechanical worlds, stolen children, 1300 witches or armed uprisings. The projects that will compete in the event’s international co-production pitch in September are an interesting snapshot of the stories that are being developed in LatAm and Europe.
This Thursday marked the end the first phase of Conecta Fiction 5, which was held this week in online format, and which served as an appetizer for the face-to-face phase (with virtual extension), which will take place at the Baluarte de Pamplona, Navarra (Spain) from September 13 to 17, 2021.
In the opening ceremony, the event announced the projects selected for five of the six Pitching sessions to be held this year.
The Pitch Copro Series is Conecta Fiction’s star contest. It selects projects from Latin America, the US Hispanic or Europe that seek international co-production as a way to materialize. Therefore, their stories tend to be more ambitious and their budgets larger in scale.
From the first edition of this Pitch, held in 2017, the series Inés del alma mía emerged, a co-production between Chile (Chilevisión) and Spain (RTVE and Boomerang) released in 2020 by Amazon Prime Video in Spain, Latin America (except Chile) and the US Hispanic, and later on TVE and Chilevisión.
That is why it is worth taking a look at the 10 projects that will be presented to production companies, platforms, networks and other attendees in the co-production market in September.
Regarding the countries of origin, in this fifth edition only two projects come from the eastern Atlantic, both from Chile. Spain, meanwhile, leads the ranking with four, and the rest originate from France, Portugal, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
By genre, the trend of drama as the best vehicle to transcend borders is confirmed: no comedy series made the cut.
And, as a subgenre, the thriller seems to continue to prove its effectiveness, taking over half of the projects. Of course, with nuances: historical, medical, supernatural…
There’s also a growing supply of science fiction or supernatural stories, with a total of three projects in this Pitch. One of them also brings a young-adult face, another of the great trends of the last year.
Another interesting conclusion is that, although they are all projects designed to be co-produced between two or more countries, fewer and fewer stories are seen that explicitly include those territories. For an international co-production to work, this literal justification is no longer a requirement, but rather to find relevant, good, solid stories.
Next, the 10 stories selected, what they are about and who is behind them:
Antonio (Chile)
Sci-Fi / Juvenile
Screenwriters: Enrique Videla, Paula Del Fierro
Production companies: Zumbastico Studios, Pipeline Studios
Antonio (13) can repair anything, except what he cares about most: his mother. Upon entering a strange mechanical world, he will have the opportunity to carry out the most difficult repair of his life.
Black Times (France)
Historical drama
Screenwriters: Alexandre Manneville, Sabrina Amerell, Georgi Milenov Angelov with the collaboration of David Elkaïm and Vincent Poymiro
Production Companies: Perpetual Soup
1347. An avant-garde French doctor, divided between science and God, fights against the Black Death. Meanwhile, in Italy, a young “witch” whose blood seems to cure the plague tries to go unnoticed …
Camping Santafé (Spain)
Supernatural thriller
Screenwriters: Humbert Aparicio, Fernando Cajaraville
Production companies: Mr. Miyagi Films
A beggar who claims to see the future warns the owners of a luxury campsite of an impending tragedy. The family’s skepticism fades the moment their youngest son is abducted and mysteriously disappears.
Costa (UK)
Drama / Romance / Crime
Screenwriters: Gaby Chiappe, Alex Perrin
Production companies: BlackBox Multimedia, Lionsgate
When Cathy and her children escape to the Costa del Sol, the Casa de Salamandras seems to be a perfect sanctuary. However, a violent and disturbing spirit still lingers within its walls.
Error 404 (Portugal)
Drama / Sci-Fi
Screenwriters: Alexandre Borges, Joana Jorge, Patricia Sequeira
Production Companies: Santa Rita Filmes
A woman tries to find happiness through a mobile app and risks losing everything she had in her life that she took for granted.
Hunting Evil (Spain)
Thriller / Drama
Screenwriters: Moisés Menezes
Production Companies: Here and There Films
Thriller about the plan of the only survivor of a massacre in Poland: to hunt down the cruellest Nazi who murdered his family during the Second World War.
Niños de contrabando (Chile)
Family drama
Screenwriters: Camila Villagrán, María de la Luz Urriola
Production companies: María Wood Producciones and Megamedia
Aga learns that her adopted son was stolen at birth. Together they search for the truth and discover a network that traffics Chilean children to foreign couples, which will shake the family foundations.
Olvida mi nombre (Spain)
Drama / Thriller
Screenwriters: Jesica Aran, Juan Lombardi
Production companies: Avi Films
A veteran of the Spanish Intelligence Center is diagnosed with terminal cancer and must find a replacement. The prospects don’t convince her, until she finds a brilliant young thief.
The O’Neill (Ireland)
Historical / Action-drama / Thriller
Writers: Tim Loane
Production companies: Revolution, Subótica
Raised as an English lord, Hugh O’Neill is of Gaelic royal blood and will have to decide who he is, what will be his fate and the fate of his hometown.
Vida (Spain)
Medical thriller
Screenwriters: Nicolás Romero, Caridad Fernández
Production Companies: Mediacrest Entertainment, White Lion Films, Mediawan
A brutal traffic accident. Several dead. His organs can save many lives. Five doctors at a personal crossroads. Three hospitals: Barcelona, Paris, Pamplona. 24 hours against the clock.
