The cast also features Pedro Casablanc, Mirela Balić, Rocío Muñoz Cobo, Juan Pablo Fuentes, Marta Aledo, Eva Martín, Diego Niski, Carlos Suárez, Itziar Manero and Clara Sans
The film will be shot in various locations in the Basque Country
Filming is underway in in the Basque Country of ‘El talento’, the new film produced by Reposado P.C. and THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, and directed by Polo Menárguez, who also penned the screenplay with León de Aranoa, producer of the film along with Patricia de Muns, Laura Fdez. Espeso and Javier Mendez.
Leading the cast are Ester Expósito ('Perdidos en la noche', 'Venus', for which she won the Fotogramas de Plata award for Best Actress), in the role of Elsa, and Pedro Casablanc ('Los Farad', 'B’, for which he won multiple awards, including the Actors’ Union Award for Best Actor, the Sant Jordi Award, and a Goya nomination in the category of Best Leading Actor) , who plays Ignacio, the father of Elsa's best friend.
Based on the Arthur Schnitzler novel 'Miss Elsa', ‘El talento’ tells the story of Elsa (Ester Expósito), a promising cello student who is enjoying the exclusive birthday party of her friend Idoia (Mirela Balić) – providing a window into the world of the well-to-do – when she receives an unexpected call from her mother. What her mother asks of her will force Elsa to choose between her future and her dignity.
Expósito and Casablanc are backed by a young and extensive cast featuring names such as Mirela Balić ('Elite', 'Zorras'), Juan Pablo Fuentes ('Bandits', 'Isla brava'), Carlos Suárez ('The Promise', 'Walkers'), Itziar Manero ('Itxaso', 'Días Mejores’), Clara Sans ('Cardo', 'Celeste') and the Uruguayan actor Diego Niski, along with screen veterans such as Rocío Muñoz Cobo ('May God Save Us', '‘Vestidas de azul’), Marta Aledo ('Vis a vis' '4 estrellas’) and Eva Martín ('Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake’, ‘La Promesa’), among others.
Polo Menárguez: “While we were the screenplay, we talked a lot about Schnitzler and how the major themes his novel addresses are still as relevant a century later. It seemed as simple as swapping telegrams for cellphone chats. Adopting a strong point of view, almost in real time, ‘El talento’ turns a high society party into a boiling pressure cooker. We draw on an iconic look and use the kind of visuals that leave images burnt onto viewers’ retinas. We have the perfect cast to make that night the best party, and also the worst nightmare.”
Fernando León de Aranoa: “This project arose from a desire to promote, as a producer and as a screenwriter, a Polo Menárguez project, and from the conviction that his talent and sensitivity as a storyteller make him the ideal person to find the delicate balance between lightness, darkness, and sophistication, that lies at the heart of this story, where everything falls on the shoulders of a young woman who sees her life transformed in seconds, in the course of a party.”
Laura Fdez. Espeso, CEO of THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO: “‘El talento’ deals with absolutely current issues. Polo Menárguez and Fernando León de Aranoa have, with great subtlety, transferred to the present day a story about power and manipulation that will leave no viewer indifferent. Luis San Narciso has assembled an outstanding cast led by Pedro Casablanc and Ester Expósito. From the moment we read the script, we wanted to produce this film. We have total trust in the director's vision and this is our sixth film with Reposado, the best possible partners on such a journey."
Filming of ‘El talento’ is now taking place across various locations in the Basque Country.
‘El talento’ represents Polo Menárguez's third feature film as director. A graduate in Audiovisual Communication from the Carlos III University of Madrid, Polo Menárguez is both a film and TV director and screenwriter. His film ‘El Plan' premiered in the official section at Seminci in 2019 and earned two Goya nominations. He has directed episodes for TV shows such as Los Farad (Prime Video) and HIT (RTVE), and most recently Las Abogadas (RTVE). He is also the creator and director of the podcast La Esfera (Podium Podcast), winner of two Ondas Awards in 2022 and nominated for four Ondas Awards in 2024.
Fernando León de Aranoa and Patricia de Muns are the film’s producers from Reposado P.C., along with Laura Fernández Espeso and Javier Méndez from THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO.
‘El talento’ will be distributed in Spain by Tripictures. The film was made in association with RTVE, Movistar Plus+ and 3Cat.
The competition will be broadcast in 4K HDR quality for the first time, taking advantage of GRUP MEDIAPRO’s relevant expertise
As the facilitator of the on-shore production, GRUP MEDIAPRO, a leading group in the European audiovisual sector, plays a central role in the production of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Barcelona, the world’s oldest international trophy, which is being held in Barcelona from August 22nd to October 27th.
For the first time in its history, the competition is being broadcast in 4K HDR - technology that improves image quality by optimizing adjustment of brightness, contrast and color. The group's expertise in harnessing 4K HDR in the production of sporting events has facilitated the use of this innovative technology.
The organizer of this legendary sporting event, America's Cup Events, has selected GRUP MEDIAPRO as its partner due to its extensive experience in the production of major sporting events. With a portfolio of over 20,000 events each year across the world, the group draws on extensive experience in its production of three hours of content every day of the two-month competition.
GRUP MEDIAPRO has prepared a comprehensive deployment of technical resources, including a team of over 70 broadcast professionals, a control room, two audio control rooms, replay capability, camera control and an editing suite in order to produce daily highlights summaries and create social media content, and will also provide a mobile unit and crew to produce the opening ceremony preceding the final preliminary regatta. The group is also supplying the technical resources for the competition's umpiring system.
GRUP MEDIAPRO receives the feeds from the on-water and airborne cameras covering the competition – 64 of which are strategically placed onboard the boats and at various points of the course – and generates the international broadcast feed. Additionally, the group is providing six cameras following day-to-day life onshore. One camera offers a panoramic view of the race course and a second captures the scene inside the umpire booth. Two fixed cameras, one Steadicam and one GRUP MEDIAPRO crane cam are broadcasting from the village, where activities are taking place every day throughout the competition.
GRUP MEDIAPRO has collaborated closely with America's Cup Media in the audiovisual production of this edition of the legendary sporting event and also took part in the production of the international feed for the preliminary regattas held in 2023 in Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona) and in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). For these productions, the group deployed extensive human and technical resources to send the broadcast feed to rights holders around the world. With its participation in the America's Cup, GRUP MEDIAPRO adds a new milestone to its extensive production portfolio of major sporting events, with the European Games, the Pan American and Parapan American Games and the Mediterranean Games among those that stand out.
With a 173-year history, the America's Cup is considered the oldest and most important sailing competition in the world. This edition will comprise several events, with one of the foremost being the Louis Vuitton Cup which will decide the challenger to race against Emirates Team New Zealand in the America's Cup Match.
GRUP MEDIAPRO and CHINA MEDIA GROUP will jointly promote collaborative projects in the field of audiovisual services, content co-production, media rights and immersive experiences. The framework agreement signed between GRUP MEDIAPRO and CMG establishes the international activity of the Chinese media giant as preferential areas of cooperation. CHINA MEDIA GROUP was founded in 2018 through the fusion of all Chinese state-holding media enterprises. One of the first joint projects will be the creation of an exhibition space in Lima on the occasion of the APEC (Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit 2024.
CMG operates an extensive broadcast network covering 51 television channels, 9 of which broadcast internationally; 22 radio frequencies aimed at a national audience, programming in 80 languages for global broadcast, and three national news websites. The CMG Group's media platforms and their app versions have a large and constantly growing number of customers and users and the media conglomerate’s global news gathering and editing network has a presence in 69 countries and regions around the world, with a global international news publication rate that places it among the world's leading media outlets. Its international video news agency operates with a network of clients in 151 countries and regions and provides video news services to more than 4,700 radio, television and mobile internet platforms.
GRUP MEDIAPRO opened its first office in Shanghai in 2019 from where it has developed projects related to LALIGA's international expansion, audiovisual production and e-sports. The group leads the European audiovisual sector thanks to its transversal nature and constant innovation. With more than 30 years’ experience, the group covers all the activity linked to the audiovisual sector, innovating across all projects and through its five business areas, creates, designs, produces and distributes every conceivable type of audiovisual and experiential content.
The Mediapro Studio is the content creation, production and distribution factory of GRUP MEDIAPRO responsible for the implementation of high-quality global projects, developed in association with renowned talent of national and international prestige. Broadcast Media Services, the group’s audiovisual services division, has one of the largest fleets of Outside Broadcast units in the world delivering more than 20,000 productions per year worldwide. Its 16 production sites located on 4 continents are equipped with the most advanced technology. Through Mediapro Xperiences, the group designs, produces and manages experiential spaces in all types of formats and with the most innovative technology. The Rights division has established itself as one of the leading media rights management agencies in the sector and through the Channels and OTT unit, the group produces and manages up to 15 of its own channels as well as those for major operators such as ESPN, LALIGA and Movistar.
More than 7,000 professionals in the 52 offices on four continents make GRUP MEDIAPRO's purpose a reality every day: creating courageously and with a commitment to the community.
The movie narrates the day-to-day life of a London family and explores themes such as family relations, grieving and mental health
‘Hard Truths’ is a THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO and THIN MAN FILMS co-production
As announced today by the San Sebastian International Film Festival, 'hard Truths', the new film written and directed by Mike Leigh, co-produced by THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO and Thin Man Films in association with Film4 and Creativity Media, will participate in the event’s Official Competition Section.
The film is the twenty-third in the British filmmaker's career, shot on location in the British capital throughout 2023 and portrays the day-to-day life of a London family, exploring themes such as family relationships, grief and mental health.
The film's producer is Georgina Lowe, and co-producers are Laura Fernández Espeso for THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO and Henry Woolley for Thin Man Films.
For Pansy, life is a constant struggle, plagued with both physical and mental pain, her way of relating to the world is through anger and confrontation: she argues with her family, her dentist, doctor, and even supermarket check-out staff. For a long time, her husband Curtley, has been at a loss as to how to relate to her and her son Moses lives immersed in a world of his own, barely exchanging a word with her and who spends his days roaming aimlessly around the city. Only her loving sister Chantelle truly understands her plight and is able to reach her.
On the heels of 'Mr. Turner' and 'Peterloo', 'Hard Truths' marks Leigh's return to the contemporary world through a tough but intimate study of family and also represents the reunion 28 years later between the writer and director and leading lady Marianne Jean-Baptiste, nominated for an Oscar in 1996 for her role in 'Secrets & Lies'; also written and directed by Leigh. Michele Austin, who also featured among the cast in the 90’s hit film, returns in 'Hard Truths' along with Tuwaine Barrett.
Throughout his career, Mike Leigh has been nominated seven times for the Oscars and has won two Bafta awards from the British Film Academy. His work has also been recognized up to five times at the Cannes Film Festival (including the Palme d'Or for ‘Secrets & Lies’ which also won him the Best Director award) and also boasts to his credit a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival where ‘The Secret of Vera Drake’ won Best Film.
On the filming of 'Hard Truths', Leigh is accompanied behind the cameras by many members of his usual crew, including producer Georgina Lowe, cinematographer Dick Pope, costume designer Jacqueline Durran, production designer Suzie Davis, composer Gary Yershon and casting director Nina Gold. Joining Leigh’s crew on this title are editor Tania Reddin (‘This England’) and hair and makeup designer Nora Robertson (‘Scrapper’).
Bleecker Street will release the film in US cinemas later this year and StudioCanal is managing the UK release, while Cornerstone Films will handle international sales and BTEAM Pictures are in charge of distribution in Spain.
This new acquisition will create significant synergies with other areas of GRUP MEDIAPRO
THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, the international content creation, production, and distribution company of GRUP MEDIAPRO, announced today the acquisition of FRESCO FILM, a leading production service company in the fiction market, aiming to enhance its provision of production services for large international projects.
Founded in 1972, FRESCO FILM has specialized in providing production services for high-budget international fiction projects. Their portfolio includes globally successful series such as 'Game of Thrones,' 'House of the Dragon,' 'Westworld,' 'The Blacklist,' 'Killing Eve,' and 'Narcos: Mexico,' as well as films like 'Uncharted,' 'Terminator: Dark Fate,' 'Spider-Man: Far From Home,' and Guy Ritchie's latest film, 'The Covenant,' among many other titles. They also offer services for documentaries and commercials.
Laura Fernández Espeso, CEO of THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, emphasized "the prestige and recognition that FRESCO FILM has achieved among major global production companies. Their experience and professionalism have established them as a benchmark in the international industry, and their integration into THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO is excellent news, especially following the recent acquisition of CIMARRON."
"For us, it is an honour to become part of GRUP MEDIAPRO. There are many synergies that, by joining forces, enable us to create an even greater offering in terms of production quality and, above all, human quality. Joining forces with GRUP MEDIAPRO is a dream come true, representing a logistical, creative, professional, and human expansion," commented Peter Welter, CEO of FRESCO FILM.
Under Welter's leadership and supported by a team of professionals, FRESCO FILM has become an international reference in the content industry. They collaborate with major studios, producers, and streaming platforms such as Max, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, SkyShowtime, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. Discovery, BBC Studios, Paramount Pictures, Hulu, NBC, Peacock, Fremantle, and leading European audiovisual companies like Sky Atlantic, ZDF, ARD, and ITV Studios, among many others.
FRESCO FILM provides all necessary services for a production, with special attention to location scouting, including outdoor spaces, historical sites, specific locations, and sets. They also handle the hiring of experienced technical professionals and local acting talent, provide high-tech equipment, and manage tax benefits.
FRESCO FILM is a pioneer in sustainability. Since 2018, they have maintained a dedicated department that oversees each project and shoot to ensure sustainability through environmental calculators and green suppliers. The company's prestige has also grown due to international recognitions and awards, such as those from the Location Managers Guild International (LMGI), an organization that gathers location professionals from the audiovisual industry. They have won these awards three times for their work on 'Game of Thrones' (in 2015 and 2018) and for 'Killing Eve' (2020).
THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO presents the OFFICIAL TRAILER of the film 'EL 47', set to hit theaters on SEPTEMBER 6 distributed by A CONTRACORRIENTE.
Directed by Marcel Barrena (Mediterráneo, winner of three Goya awards; 100 metros, winner of two Gaudí awards, and Mòn Petit, nominated for the Best Documentary Goya) and written by Barrena together with Alberto Marini (The Stranger, While You Sleep), the film stars Eduard Fernández (winner of three Goya awards, a Silver Shell at the San Sebastian Festival and three Silver Biznagas at the Malaga Festival), along with Clara Segura (Goya nominee for Creature), Zoe Bonafonte (Scandal. Story of an Obsession, Amar es para siempre), Salva Reina (Iron Reign, Marshland), Carlos Cuevas (Merlí: Sapere aude, Smiley), Oscar de la Fuente (La Casa, The Good Boss) and Vicente Romero (Intemperie, Express) Betsy Túrnez (One for All, The One-Eyed King) and Aimar Vega (Los pequeños amores, Prison 77), and featuring a special appearance by David Verdaguer, winner of two Goya awards for Summer 1993 and Jokes & Cigarettes.
Fed up with Barcelona City Council claiming that public transport couldn’t reach the Torre Baró district because the streets were too narrow and unsafe, Manolo Vital, a local resident and bus driver for the city’s public transport service, set out to show, from behind the wheel of the route 47 bus – "El 47" – that the authorities were wrong. 'El 47' is the inspirational true story of a man, a bus and the fate of a neighborhood.
The film narrates the story of the Barcelona neighborhood of Torre Baró, but this is also the story of many other neighborhoods that were formed in the 1950’s with the influx of emigrants who settled on the outskirts of big cities all across Spain. In many cases, in houses built by their own hands after having had to abandon their land to carve out a future far from home. Years later, in the 1970’s, many of these neighborhoods were still not even considered part of the city and often lacked basic amenities such as running water, electricity, or other basic services.
Many residents of Torre Baró also took part in the filming as extras. Salustiano, Desideria, José Manuel... many of whom were direct witnesses to Vital’s challenge to the authorities in 1978, or direct relatives of those who lived through it, as an example of struggle and dignity of a united neighborhood. Their presence takes on a special prominence as reflected in the official poster, inspired by the very spirit of the film itself.
'EL 47' was made in association with Movistar Plus+, with support from the ICEC, the participation of RTVE and 3Cat, as well as the involvement of Triodos Bank and with ICO financing. THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO Distribution is responsible for international sales.