Buzzy new TV projects from Spain’s Funicular Films (“This is Not Sweden”), Federation Spain (“Dancing on Glass”), Minoría Absoluta (“Smiley”), Belgium’s Playtime Films (“Public Enemy”) and Swedish showrunner Oskar Söderlund (“Snabba Cash”) have made the cut at the first Mind the Gap series co-production pitch, organized by Barcelona’s international TV festival Serielizados.
The 10 scripted projects to be pitched Nov. 6 will vie for a €5,500 ($6,500) prize to be handed out by jury members Susanne Frank (ZDF), Sonja Hermele (SVT), Jarmo Lampela (YLE), Peter Lohner (Beta Film), Virginie Padilla (ARTE) and Diego del Pozo (Atresplayer) who will also provide feedback to each creative team. Seven of the projects were picked by Serielizados via an open call, and three of them – “Dark Water,” “Colorblind” and “The Man Who Replied to a Nigerian Letter” – through collaborations with Madrid’s ECAM Forum Series Market, Germany’s Seriencamp and Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival’s TV Drama Vision.
As underscored by Serielizados’ co-founder, programmer and head of industry Victor Sala, the slate runs the gamut from international thrillers such as Federation Spain’s “Dark Waters,” co-penned by Goya winner Amèlia Mora (“Undercover”), to the young adult comedy show “Precarity Fair” shephered by “Sinjar” creator Anna M. Bofarull, and talent transfers from theatre to TV drama – Nao Albet and Marcel Borras, with the comedy heist “Robbery, Beating and Death”.
Also selected are a handful of premium shows from “established production companies with recent hits,” said Sala referring to an untitled-Ferran Adrià bio project” from Minoria Absoluta (“The Teacher Who Promised the Sea”), “Robbery, Beating and Death” from Funicular Films (“’This is Not Sweden”), “Fortune Cookie” from Kubik Films (“See You in Another Life”), and “Colorblind” from Belgium’s Playtime Films (“Public Enemy”).
For the industry honcho, the inaugural Mind the Gap reflects Serielizados’ broadening from an audience-oriented series festival to include an industry showcase for series creators and producers tracking distribution deals and promotional ops, both in Spain and internationally, in an overcrowded market. “Nowadays, in order to get a series greenlit, the path of co-production, collaboration and acquisitions is needed. We therefore created ‘Mind the Gap’ to help producers showcase their projects and pitch in front of sales agents, commissioning editors and other relevant media figures,” he said.
Sala also stressed the quintessential role of strategic collaborations with similar European series festivals, writing labs and B2B conferences such as Seriencamp and ECAM with which Serielizados shares series exchange programs.
“At Seriencamp, we are very happy to strengthen our long-standing partnership with Serializados through the Mind the Gap initiative and to showcase a reciprocal project at Seriencamp’s Story Exchange next June in Cologne,” said Artistic Director and Head of Conference Gerhard Maier. “As co-productions gain importance not only for large-scale productions but also for mid-tier and smaller series projects, pan-European exchanges like Serializados’ initiative are becoming increasingly essential.”
Added Laura Matías, talent coordinator at Madrid ECAM film school’s industry section: “Taking part in Serielizados’ new co-production initiative is a fantastic opportunity, especially with a standout project like “Black Water,” a double ECAM Forum winner. The festival is known for bringing in top European industry experts and hosting masterclasses with world-class talent, making it an inspiring space for professionals and students alike.”
Indeed, inspiring industry sessions lined up during Serielizados Pro (Nov 5-7) will delve into Public European Funding for Series: MEDIA and Eurimages, and the making of landmark European series with case studies dedicated to HBO Max’s Barcelona-set thriller “Ravalejar” produced by Oscar-nominated Arcadia Motion Pictures (“Robot Dreams”), and the Icelandic-French series “The Danish Woman,” selected for the festival’s international competition.
Meanwhile three senior Spanish executives from Filmin (Jaume Ripoll, co-founder and editorial director), Atresmedia (Diego del Pozo, fiction manager) and Basque pubcaster’s EITB (Joselu Blanco, director of programming) will unveil their respective strategies at the Meet the Commissioners session.
Elsewhere, The Making of by DAMA session will focus on 3Cat thriller series “Delta,” by David Gonzàlez. Further titles, guests and sessions will soon be announced.
Serielizados’ Mind the Gap is supported by the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies (ICEC, part of the Catalan Government) and the SGAE Foundation, through the Territorial Council of the SGAE in Catalonia, together with Madrid’s ECAM film school, Seriencamp, the Göteborg Film Festival, the Swedish Institute, and the Embassy of Sweden in Spain. The Serielizados TV festival will run over Nov. 3-12.
A closer look at Mind the Gap titles:
“Agua Negra,” (6×45’, Spain)
Selected from the ECAM Forum Series Market
Genre: crime thriller
Written by Javier Mariscal Crevoisier
First pitched at Madrid’s ECAM Forum where it nabbed the Series Mania and Serielizados best pitch awards and a ticket for each market, the crime thriller turns on Ana Ferrer (52), who works in the port of Valencia. When she finds a container full of dead African women and refuses to cover it up, her son gets kidnapped. “No crime thriller of this kind has been made in Spain that includes the issue of migration in its plot, and since this is a current issue and a chronic problem in this country, it provides us with a great window of opportunity and the chance to approach it from a different perspective through fiction,” said Peruvian-born writer Javier Mariscal Crevoisier about his series debut.
“Colorblind,” (“Jours noirs,” 6X52’, Belgium)
Genre: legal drama
Written by Amel Benaïssa, Gilles De Voghel, Matthieu Frances, Singo Elanga, Diane Ntahimpera
Produced by Playtime Films, Belgium for RTBF
Selected for Seriencamp’s Story Exchange among nearly 300 submissions and now by Serielizados as part of a collaboration with the German drama showcase, “Colorblind” is described by Seriencamp’s Gerhard Maier as a “bold and powerful project about police brutality that shines a light on some of the deep fault lines in our societies.” The story turns on Mindie Bakanga (45) who finds out that her son Trésor (18) died as a result to police misconduct. She decides to press charges against the police officers, with the help of her lawyer. “While the series is deeply anchored in Belgian reality and inspired by authentic events, its themes carry a clear international resonance,” said producer Bertrand Willems from Playtime Films behind the successful crime show “Public Enemy.” “BXL”’s Ish Ait Hamou and Monir Ait Hamou direct.
“Connected,” (“Conectados,”6X30’, Spain)
Genre: drama/emotional thriller
Written by Carolina González
Produced by La Maldita, Spain with Jotax Producciones, Argentina
“When Cecilia mysteriously disappears, she connects two strangers from opposite sides of the Atlantic: Elena in Buenos Aires and Pablo in Madrid. United by memories and digital clues, they embark on a desperate search through social media that reveals a secret that will challenge everything they thought they knew,” reads the logline. “It’s a story about love and unexpected bonds and also a critical and sensitive reflection on how we build and distort our identities in the digital world,” said exec producer and La Maldita founder Lucas Mirvois.
“Dark Waters,” (“Aigües de foscor,” 6×50’, Spain)
Genre: drama/mystery/mythology
Written by Amèlia Mora and Héctor Manteca
Produced by Federation Spain, Lastor Media
First Spain-Iceland co-development, between Federation Spain, Barcelona’s Lastor Media, Catalonia’s Federation Studios and New Media ARC in Iceland. Best pitch winner at the Sitges Fanpitch 2024 and selected for the 2025 Berlinale The Spanish Connection: 4 Series Pitches. Co-penned by Amèlia Mora (Goya winning box office smash hit “Undercover”) from an original idea by Maria Rocher. Arnau, a park ranger, finds the corpse of a woman who shares the same unusual birthmark as him and his daughter. This discovery unveils a supernatural mystery. “This is a dramatic yet hopeful series about the effects of climate change. It tells the moving story of a father who fears losing his daughter, while drawing on mythology that connects Catalonia with Iceland,” said Rocher.
“Fortune Cookie,” (8×49’, Spain)
Genre: drama thriller/sci-fi
Written and directed by Adrian Saba
Produced by Kubik Films, Spain
Best known for the features “The Erection of Toribio Bardelli” (2023) and “The Cleaner” (2012) that repped Peru in the Oscars race, Adrian Saba has set his first series in Madrid’s Chinatown, in the Usera district. The story takes us from the Yantai Wok restaurant in Usera to another Chinese eatery in Mexico City’s Chinatown, both connected via a secret door. The portal is used to smuggle drugs into Spain. Things go south when a young Uber Eats delivery girl, Genesis, accidentally enters the Yantai Wok portal, with her mother determined to find her missing child. “It’s a show about family ties, misunderstood children and mothers on the rescue, where everyone is linked by the secret of the door that fortunately and unfortunately are now part of their destiny,” said Saba. From the cultural clash and interconnection of small local stories “comes the humor, the suspense, the thrill and above all, the drama that gives our show a universal value,” he said.
For Fernando Sánchez-Cabezudo of Newen Studios Spanish banner Kubik Films, the show stands out for its “multi-cultural perspective, rarely seen in Spanish TV series, but which is the reality of Spanish society.”
“Past Waters,” (“Aguas Pasadas,” 8X45’, Spain/Portugal)
Genre: thriller drama
Written by João Tordo from his own novel, with Bruno Gascon and María Mínguez
Produced by TV ON Producciones, Spain and Caracol Studios, Portugal for RTP
Acclaimed Portuguese novelist and screenwriter João Tordo who shares the credit of Netflix’s “Turn on the Tide,” is adapting from his own eponymous crime novel, with Bruno Gascon (“Irreversible”) attached as director. In a rain-soaked Lisbon, deputy inspector Pilar Benamor rushes to solve the brutal murders of two teenagers with the help of an enigmatic Spanish hermit, Cícero Guzmán. Defying orders to apprehend a psychopath, she must also confront her own personal traumas. “Past Waters” is a fast-paced thriller inspired by true events, featuring complex characters and an unpredictable plot, set between Valencia, Spain, Cascais and Lisbon, Portugal,” said TV On Producciones’ Paloma Mora, most recently credited for HBO Max’s crime thriller “Favàritx.”
“Precarity Fair,” (6×30’, Spain)
Genre: comedy
Written by Elisabeth Cruz and Mika Cilindo
Produced by KaBoGa, Spain
“Precarity Fair is “a comedy about two Gen Z misfits dodging eviction, chasing dreams, flipping the finger to adulthood and to the glittering city [Barcelona] that’s leaving them behind. Its mix of sharp comedy, relatable themes, and bingeable format, built to connect with both local and international audiences,” said producer Anna M. Bofarull (“Sinjar”).
Precarity Fair
Credit: KaBoGa
“Robbery, Beating and Death,” (“El pitjor atracament de la història,” 6X40’, Spain)
Genre: comedy/heist
Written and directed by Marcel Borràs and Nao Albet
Produced by Funicular Films, Spain
Series debut of hot Catalan theatre playwrights, actors and directors Marcel Borràs and Nao Albet, produced by Funicular Films behind the mega-hit “This is Not Sweden.” In the adaptation of their own play “’Atraco, paliza y muerte en Agbanäspach,” the duo star as two inseparable friends, commissioned to write a series about a bank robbery. “Driven by the ambition for recognition they’ve never had, they faithfully follow the radical ideas of an enigmatic artist with whom they decide to take their script to the ultimate consequences: instead of shooting the series, they rob a real bank!” reads the logline.
Executive producer and “This is Not Sweden” showrunner Aina Clotet said: “Marcel and Nao will mix thriller and comedy with the most unapologetic of voices, creating a bold, visually striking series that we are sure will captivate both young audiences and international markets. Funicular Films has chosen to back this multi-awarded, hugely successful theatrical duo in Spain, confident they can connect with a much wider audience, just as Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleaba”), Richard Gadd (“Baby Reindeer)” and Michaela Coel (“I May Destroy You”) once did.
“The Man Who Replied to a Nigerian Letter,” (“Mannen som svarade på ett Nigerianbrev,” 5X45’, Sweden)
Genre: True crime
Written by Oskar Söderlund
Produced by Ivy Prodco, Sweden
On the heels of Netflix’s true crime “The Breakthrough,” hot Swedish writer and showrunner Oskar Söderlund (“Snabba Cash,” “Cry Wolf”) is turning to another case that made headlines in Sweden: the story of a Swedish IT manager, Magnus Gruvén, victim of the largest swindle ever perpetrated against a Swedish individual in modern times. Drawn into a Nigerian letter scam, he lost his savings, his home and ended up in prison in Spain. Based on the SVT podcast docu series “The Million Fraud, The Man Who Answered a Nigerian Letter,” the show is being produced by Ivy Prodo, headed by some of Scandinavia’s biggest creators of TV hits in the last two decades including “Quicksand,” “Solsidan,” “The Restaurant” and “Out of Touch.”
Untitled-Ferran Adrià Bio (6×50’, Spain)
Genre: biopic
Produced by 3Cat, Minoria Absoluta, FishCorb Media
As revealed by Variety, a six-part biopic about Catalan chef Ferran Adrià who revolutionized haute cuisine at his restaurant El Bulli, will be a riveting drama about the culinary genius and a tribute to Catalan haute foodporn and traditional cuisine, set against the region’s breathtaking landscapes. Minoria Absoluta (Netflix’s “Smiley”), FishCorb Media (“Waiting for Dalí”) and Catalan pubcaster 3Cat are producing. Netflix has pre-bought rights to Spain and Latin America.
Ferran Adria
