Directed by Israel del Santo, and filmed across Madrid, Seville, Amsterdam and Lisbon
Featuring testimonies from artists who have taken the stage in previous editions, including Chenoa, Soraya, Chanel and Blanca Paloma along with leading cultural commentators
Friday May 16, 22.00 CET on La 1 and RTVE Play
This coming Friday, on the eve of The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Las 1 premieres ‘Melodiva’, a 73-minute behind-the-scenes speciel produced by RTVE in collaboration with 100 Balas (THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO), which closely follows Melody, Spain’s 2025 representative, during the crucial months of preparation and promotion for her entry ‘Esa diva’ ahead of the final, set to take place on Saturday, May 17 in Basel.
‘Melodiva’ captures key moments of Melody’s journey, beginning with her victory at the Benidorm Fest on February 1 all the way to her emotional departure for Basel, where she’ll compete against representatives from 25 other countries, and a challenge Melody declares she is more than prepared for stating, “Of all the entries, I think mine offers the most complete package”.
Directed by Israel del Santo (‘Lola’, ‘Lina, ‘El Palmar de Troya’), ‘Melodiva’ was filmed at several locations across Madrid, Seville, Amsterdam and Lisbon, chronicling Melody’s whirlwind promotional tour across Spain and Europe.
Throughout ‘Melodiva’, viewers are taken behind the scenes of pivotal events: the filming of the ‘Esa diva’ music video and its symphonic version, intense choreography rehearsals, costume fittings for the big night, appearances at Eurovision pre-parties in Amsterdam and Madrid, and a packed press Schedule. Among the highlights is her shoot for Shangay magazine in Lisbon, celebrating her recent nomination as EuroPride Diva 2025, to be held in the Portuguese capital next June.
The special also offers exclusive, intimate moments in which Melody reflects on her rise to this point: “I feel like I’m at a beautiful moment in my life because I’ve learned from everything that’s happened to me over the years”.
Born Melodía in 1990 in Dos Hermanas (Seville) to a modest family, Melody shares her personal and professional story through home videos and archive footage from RTVE. She recalls how, at just nine years old, she recorded her first demo, which made its way to El Fary, who later introduced her to Spanish TV audiences with her breakout performance of “El baile del gorila” at age ten. Her career went on to earn her a Latin Grammy nomination for “De pata negra”: “Melody is not a manufactured product. This is who I am. I’m absolutely certain I was born to do this — and if I had to go back, I’d live it all over again”.
The documentary includes reflections from both past performers and industry experts. Among the artists featured are Chenoa, Soraya, Chanel, Blanca Paloma, Daniel Diges and David Fernández (aka Rodolfo Chikilicuatre), all of whom have represented Spain in previous editions.
Soraya even goes so far as to make a call on how things will play out for Melody: “She’s going to do brilliantly. I have no doubt”, Chenoa praises her personality: “I love her attitude”, while Chanel recalls, “When I saw her on TV as a kid, I thought: ‘That’s what I want to do too” and Blanca Paloma reflects: “She’s a true diva — grounded, and clear on what really matters”. Through the lens of their own past experiences, the artists also reflect on the immense challenge of carrying the hopes of an entire nation.
Also weighing in are well-known festival commentators like Borja Terán –“ Even people who say they don’t know Melody still know her songs” and Alberto Rey; TVE’s Eurovision commentators Tony Aguilar and Julia Varela, as well as other public figures including Paco León, who directed Melody in ‘Arde Madrid’, where she played Carmen Sevilla: “She didn’t even need to audition. She was genetically engineered to play Carmen Sevilla”.
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has renewed its confidence in GRUP MEDIAPRO awarding the group the production and international distribution rights for the broadcast signal of its premier competitions until the end of 2026. As the world’s second-largest football confederation after UEFA, CONMEBOL has entrusted GRUP MEDIAPRO with flagship tournaments including the CONMEBOL Libertadores, CONMEBOL Sudamericana, and CONMEBOL Recopa. With more than 25 years of experience in the Americas, GRUP MEDIAPRO will deliver and tailor the audiovisual signal for over 314 matches to key sports content platforms such as FOX Sports, ESPN and Globo TV.
Production will be centralized at GRUP MEDIAPRO’s state-of-the-art CONMEBOL HUB in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Fully equipped to manage the complexity of producing 314 fixtures and up to 12 matches simultaneously, the facility receives live feeds from stadiums, adds multilingual commentary and broadcast graphics, and distributes the final signal via satellite, fiber, and SRT. Established seven years ago to meet the Confederation’s growing demands, the HUB has already supported the successful production and delivery of over 1,500 matches in three languages.
CONMEBOL highlighted GRUP MEDIAPRO's proven track record in delivering high-profile sporting events worldwide, including its collaboration with 12 national leagues and major global football bodies such as UEFA, CONCACAF, and CAF. The Confederation also recognized the group’s broad presence across the continent and its exceptional technical capabilities. In recent years, the group has expanded its work with the South American Football Confederation to include a wide range of tournaments, such as the CONMEBOL Women’s Copa Libertadores, Copa América Futsal, and Libertadores U-2o, among others.
CONMEBOL brings together football bodies from across the continent: the Argentine Football Association (AFA), the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF), the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), the Football Federation of Chile (FFCh), the Colombian Football Federation (FCF), the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF), the Paraguayan Football Association (APF), the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF), the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), and the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF).
‘Laponia’ is directed by David Serrano is directed by David Serrano, with a screenplay by Cristina Clemente and Marc Angelet, based on their original stage play
The movie is being shot at several locations around The Basque Country
THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO is pleased to announce that principal photography is now underway for ‘Laponia’, a feature film produced by Laura Fernández Espeso and Javier Méndez, currently being shot at various locations across Vizcaya.
Directed by David Serrano (‘I'm Going to Have a Good Time’, ‘Football Days’, whose work earned a Goya nomination for Best New Director and who co-wrote the award-winning ‘The Other Side of the Bed’, which won the 2002 Málaga Film Festival’s Golden Biznaga for Best Feature Film) – ‘Laponia’ is penned by Cristina Clemente and Marc Angelet, based on an original concept developed with Jordi Casanovas.
The film brings to screen a wildly original take on the holiday comedy genre. Adapted from a stage production that has seen success in Spain, the United States, Croatia, Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Venezuela, and the Czech Republic. Among other qualities ‘Laponia’ subverts the conventions of traditional family comedies by tackling everyday moral and ethical dilemmas through sharp irony. With clever, incisive dialogue, the film explores themes such as family dynamics, deception, tradition, and societal expectations—encouraging reflection through humor. ‘Laponia’ is a family film, though not necessarily one for all audiences, and a holiday comedy you might think twice about watching with young children.
Natalia Verbeke (‘The Other Side of The Bed’, ‘The Method’), Julián López (‘Los destellos’, ‘Pain and Glory’), Ángela Cervantes (‘La furia’, ‘El mal invisible’) y Vebjørn Enger (‘The Ash Lad: In Search of the Golden Castle’) lead the cast in this story set on Christmas Eve in the Finnish city of Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland and the reputed hometown and residence of Santa Claus.
After several years without spending the holidays together, Nuria (Ángela Cervantes), now living in Lapland with her husband Olavi (Vebjørn Enger) and their daughter, invites her sister Mónica (Natalia Verbeke), her brother-in-law (Julián López), and their son to enjoy a picture-perfect Christmas in her home in Rovaniemi. Everything seems set for an idyllic celebration—until Nuria’s daughter casually informs her young cousin that the man in red with a white beard who supposedly leaves gifts for well-behaved children doesn’t actually exist, and that Santa Claus is simply a character invented by parents to manipulate their kids. What was meant to be the most magical Christmas quickly unravels into a full-blown family meltdown between sisters, in-laws, and cousins. Over the course of one chaotic night, long-buried secrets surface amid a heated debate over whether it’s better to tell the truth at all costs—or preserve belief, even if it’s built on a lie.
‘Laponia' is produced with the participation of Movistar Plus+, RTVE and 3Cat. The Mediapro Studio Distribution will handle international sales.
Mediapro Events, a GRUP MEDIAPRO company, is working closely with the Cercle d’Economia in the organization of its annual meeting, which this year is celebrating its 40th edition from May 5th to the 7th in the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya and which is entitled ‘Europa, wake-up call? How to respond to geo-political disruption’. Mediapro Events has a long track record in the organisation of events, such as the Disney Centenary Concert and diverse Latin Grammy galas, among many others.
Mediapro Events will be responsible for the development of the audiovisual content, event management and scripting, event production and streaming and stage design. In addition, it will also be providing sound and lighting equipment and a large LED screen as well as managing the accreditation system and event branding. The development of the event app and the website as well as the social media communication plan will also be managed by Mediapro Events.
The Cercle d’Economia Meeting (RCE), which this year celebrates its 40th edition, is the meeting point for the business and economic community. The meeting coincides with a change in the world order with emphasis placed on how Europe will respond to international uncertainty.
High-profile European leaders and distinguished business leaders from around the world will be meeting in Barcelona over three days Monday 5, Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 May, at an event focused on networking and socio-political, geo-political and economic debate, among many other topics of interest. Confirmed participants include Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister and Salvador Illa, the head of the Catalan regional government.
About Mediapro Events
The creative events agency in GRUP MEDIAPRO provides turn-key services which supply the whole value chain and is characterized by its creativity and technical excellence in its execution. Since its launch in 2020 Mediapro Events has produced numerous events of all types, transforming events into audiovisual content.
Mediapro Events is part of GRUP MEDIAPRO, a market leader in the audiovisual sector with a presence in 50 cities across 28 countries which provide creativity and technical solutions for the design, production and distribution of any audiovisual project or multi-channel production anywhere in the world.
About the Cercle d’Economia
Its more than 1300 members and 118 collaborating partners make the Cercle a plural and independent entity from private, business sector and political interest. The diversity of the professional profiles and political persuasions make the Cercle a socially diverse institution. This trait gives the institution a unique personality with multiple perspectives and which fits with today’s complex society. The independence of the Cercle in regards to sectorial and political interests of any type is based on two key facts: One, the spirit of free thought and opinion an essential part of the Organisation since its foundation in the 1950’s and which has also manifested itself even in less than easy times. Another: its financing has always only come from its members and collaborator organizations.
GRUP MEDIAPRO formally withdraws and fully retracts the content of its statement issued on April 14, 2025, concerning the awarding of production and distribution contracts for the Spanish football league championship.
We acknowledge that the statement stemmed from a premature assessment of the tender process and included claims that were not substantiated. While GRUP MEDIAPRO had confidence in the strength of its technical and financial proposal, this conviction led to a communication that, in retrospect, was neither appropriate nor accurate. We regret its tone and content, particularly given that we were not—and are not—in a position to fairly assess or compare the competing offers.
Accordingly, GRUP MEDIAPRO clarifies that it has no grounds to assert that LALIGA's decision was arbitrary, lacked objectivity, or was made to benefit other participants at GRUP MEDIAPRO’s expense. We did not possess a factual basis to support these assertions and should therefore be disregarded.
Likewise, GRUP MEDIAPRO also wishes to retract any suggestion that the tender process lacked transparency or was marked by secrecy, and that its outcome could be detrimental to clubs, the competition, or broadcast quality—particularly at the start of the season. These were speculative conclusions, and GRUP MEDIAPRO regrets making them.
Finally, we reiterate our recognition of LALIGA’s role, in collaboration with GRUP MEDIAPRO and its professionals, in establishing one of the most innovative and technologically advanced football competitions worldwide, committed to the fight against piracy and championing innovation through the introduction of pioneering solutions such as remote production, AI-driven highlights, augmented reality graphics, and live cinema-style broadcasting now adopted globally.
GRUP MEDIAPRO regrets the earlier statement and reaffirms its respect for the integrity of the tender process and all parties involved.
Today, the film has been honored with the Rosa de Sant Jordi Award for Best Spanish Film at the 69th Cinematografía RNE Annual Sant Jordi Awards
El 47 has also garnered five Goya Awards—including Best Film (ex aequo), eight Gaudí Awards, two Forqué Awards, a Feroz Award, a Zapping Award, three Spanish Actors Union Awards and is nominated for two Platino Awards
It is the highest-grossing Catalan-language film in history and the most-watched in theaters in over forty years
Produced by THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO and distributed by A Contracorriente Films, El 47 —produced by Laura Fernandez Espeso and Javier Mendez, and written and directed by Marcel Barrena —continues to captivate audiences, solidifying its status as a box office phenomenon.
Nearly seven months after its theatrical release, the film has surpassed €4 million in revenue and drawn over 630,000 moviegoers.
El 47 is the highest-grossing Catalan-language film in history (without adjusting for inflation) and the most watched in cinemas in more than forty years.
The film was the most honored at the most recent Goya Awards, earning five wins, including Best Film (ex aequo), as recognized by the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It also received awards for Best Special Effects, Best Production Direction, Best Supporting Actor (Salva Reina) and Best Supporting Actress (Clara Segura).
El 47 also secured eight Gaudí Awards, including Best Film, Best Production Direction, Best Actor (Eduard Fernández), Best Supporting Actress (Clara Segura), Best Costumes, Best Visual Effects, Best Make-up and Hairstyling, and the Special Audience Award. Notably, it became the most-nominated film in the history of the Gaudí Awards, with an unprecedented 18 nominations.
The film also claimed two Forqué Awards: Best Fiction Feature Film and the Values in Film and Education Award and earned the Feroz Award for Best Supporting Actress (Clara Segura). Further accolades include three awards from the Spanish Actors Union, for Clara Segura, Carlos Cuevas, and Zoe Bonafonte, as well as the Zapping Award for Best Spanish Production. Currently, El 47 is nominated for two Platino Awards: Best Fiction Film and Best Supporting Actress (Clara Segura). Additionally, it was announced today that the film has been honored with the Rosa de Sant Jordi Award for Best Spanish Film at the 69th Cinematografía RNE Annual Sant Jordi Awards with the ceremony to take place on April 29 in Barcelona.
Fed up with the Barcelona City Council’s claims that public transport could not reach the Torre Baró neighborhood due to its streets being too narrow and unsafe, Manolo Vital—a local resident and TMB bus driver—set out to prove them wrong. Behind the wheel of bus number 47, El 47, he defied the authorities and changed the course of his community. El 47 is the inspiring true story of one man, one bus, and the fate of a neighborhood.
The film tells the story of Torre Baró, Barcelona but it also reflects the experience of countless other neighborhoods built in the 1950s by emigrants who settled on the outskirts of major cities. Many of these communities were forged by families who, after leaving their homelands in search of a better future, constructed their own homes with their own hands. Even decades later, in the 1970s, many of these neighborhoods were still excluded from city infrastructure, lacking running water, electricity, and other basic services—a stark reminder of the challenges faced by their residents.
Marcel Barrena (Mediterráneo), winner of three Goya awards; (100 metros) - winner of two Gaudí awards, and (Mòn Petit), Goya-nominated for Best Documentary, serves as both the director and screenwriter of the film, co-writing the screenplay alongside Alberto Marini (The Stranger, While You Sleep).
Leading the cast is Eduard Fernández a three-time Goya Award winner, recipient of a Silver Shell at the San Sebastián Festival, and a three-time Silver Biznaga winner at the Málaga Festival, among other accolades, joined by an outstanding ensemble, including 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), Betsy Túrnez (One for All, El rey tuerto) Oscar de la Fuente (La Casa, The Good Boss) and Aimar Vega (Los pequeños amores, Prison 77). In addition to the actors already mentioned, the cast of the film also includes the presence of Vicente Romero (Intemperie, Express), and a special appearance by two-time Goya winner David Verdaguer (Only You, Too Much).
Adding to the film’s authenticity, many Torre Baró residents were cast as extras—some were direct witnesses to Vital's historic stand against the authorities in 1978, while others are relatives of those who lived through it, embodying the resilience and unity of a determined community. El 47 boasts the collaboration of Movistar Plus+, the support of the ICEC, and the participation of RTVE and 3Cat, with Triodos Bank as a key partner and ICO financing. THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO Distribution oversees international sales.
