Úrsula Corberó, the breakout star of Netflix’s “Money Heist,” is set to topline Spanish horror maestro Jaume Balagueró’s next feature, “There’s Someone in the Garden” (“Hay alguien en el jardín”), produced by Kowalski Films, one of the Spanish companies pitching at the Spanish Producers Showcase at Berlin’s European Film Market on Saturday.
A second key move from the showcase comes from Madrid-based Vértigo Films: its Spain-Portugal co-production “Broken Waters” (“Aguas rotas”), made with Portugal’s Caracol Protagonista, has been picked up for international sales by Paris-based Indie Sales.
In all, at the Feb. 14 Showcase, five Spanish independents will pitch projects in development to international co-producers and industry decision-makers. The session forms part of Spain’s wider EFM program, backed by the Ministry of Culture via its ICAA film institute and Spain’s export and investment body ICEX.
Film Factory, Movistar Plus+ and Disney+ on board
Basque outfit Kowalski Films, represented at the showcase by producer Koldo Zuazua, is bringing “There’s Someone in the Garden,” a Spanish co-production with Minoria Absoluta and Feelgood Media.
In development and slated to shoot in November, the project already has key partners in place: Film Factory has boarded international sales, Buena Vista International is set for Spanish theatrical distribution and Spanish SVOD rights are taken by Movistar Plus+ and Disney+. ICAA support is also confirmed.
Balagueró (“[REC]” franchise, “Sleep Tight”) directs from a screenplay by Guillem Clua (“Smiley,” “God’s Crooked Lines”), with Corberó starring.
Described as a combination of ghost cinema and crime thriller, the film begins with a haunted-house setup — a 10-year-old becomes convinced her family’s new home is haunted as strange events mount — before the plot delivers a significant twist.
“At the EFM, we are primarily seeking a strong European co-production partners to collaborate on our upcoming slate of feature films and series,” Kowalski’s Zuazua said. “We are interested in companies that share our vision of combining commercial potential with artistic quality, and that can bring international financing, creative input, and market access to our projects.”
Indie Sales, Portugal’s Caracol team with Vértigo
Amaya Izquierdo, head of production at Madrid-based Vértigo Films, will introduce “Broken Waters” (“Aguas rotas”), the first feature from director Patxi Isasti, co-written by Isasti alongside Vértigo founder Andrés Martín.
Vértigo leads as a main producer, with Spain’s Treboamedia and Portugal’s Caracol Protagonista as co-producers. Indie Sales has taken international rights as the project moves through advanced development toward a third quarter 2026 shoot.
The financing is already defined. In Spain, the film has won ICAA selective funding, with public broadcaster RTVE and paybox Movistar Plus+ attached.
Set in a northern Galicia coastal town, the story follows Marisa, who, after losing her granddaughter, becomes consumed by revenge — hunting for a gun and the man responsible — as grief, guilt and long-buried secrets pull her family into a tightening spiral of violence.
“I am drawn to character-driven stories that explore social and personal complexity, featuring multi-layered protagonists navigating moral, social, or emotional conflicts,” Vértigo’s Izquierdo said.
“I look for projects that, while rooted in local realities, resonate internationally by reflecting universal aspects of human experience,” she added.
‘Broken Waters’ – Vértigo Films
Historical figures in a Costa-Brava-set project
Barcelona-based Link-Up Productions, founded by executive producer Teresa Enrich, is pitching “The Beach of Paris” (“La playa de París”), a development-stage feature co-produced with Andorra’s WAPO Films and written by Roger Danés, Alfred Pérez and Roger Menduiña. Producers are Jordi Cerqueda, Fernando Romero and Enrich.
The project uses Mas de Castell, a Costa Brava villa, as its anchor point, moving across four eras: 1930s nights tied to Sert and Dalí, Ava Gardner-era 1950s glamour, a 1999 party that revives old echoes, and a 2025 journalist digging for what the building still holds.
The film was selected for the Cinespaña Co-Production Forum in Toulouse in 2024.
“One of the project’s main hooks is that it weaves real historical figures — such as Dalí, Ava Gardner, and Sinatra — into a fictional narrative (without being a biopic). This makes it highly engaging for audiences and gives it strong cultural value,” Enrich said.
The Beach of Paris – Link-Up Productions
A horror film project rooted in generational trauma
Barcelona-based Japónica Films, led by producer Gerard Rodríguez and Laura Fernández-Hormigo, brings “La Madriguera,” directed by Frank Lucas and currently at late development/financing with a production target of 2027.
A horror film with a strong body horror dimension, it follows Alex who returns to the town of his childhood after learning his estranged father has attempted suicide. He begins to feel stalked by presences connected to the same oppressive forces that pushed his father toward madness.
“I am particularly drawn to films and series that play with genre while engaging with contemporary themes and the complexities of today’s world; projects that combine strong concepts, audience appeal and creative risk,” Rodríguez said.
Development credits take in the project’s passage through EAVE Producers Workshop, Atlántida Talents Lab Award, Abycine Lanza and Acció Producció.
La Madriguera – Japónica Films
Adult animation film co-produced with Colombia
Rounding out the Showcase is Alicante-based Jaibo Films with “Disposable” (“Desechable”), an adult animation feature directed by Colombia’s Carlos Gómez-Salamanca and produced by Jaibo with Bogotá’s Nocroma Estudio.
At production stage, scheduled from Sept. 1, 2024 through Feb. 28, 2026, “Disposable” is produced by Miguel Molina, Adán Aliaga and Juan Pablo Gómez.
The premise of the film is a social-pressure thriller rendered in animation: a powerful drug sparks a violent uprising of the homeless aimed at overturning established power, built around the loaded Bogotá slur “disposables” for people living on the streets.
The director frames the film as an immersion into the mind of one such figure — shaped by social discontent, inequality and state repression — who triggers revolt to avenge the death of his dog.
On financing, the project carries a multi-territory public-support footprint including Spain’s ICAA, Valencia’s IVC, Ibermedia, Colombia’s Proimágenes and FDC plus Madrid’s ECAM Incubator, and Cinespaña Lab Award at Toulouse in France.
Jaibo was created in 2006, following the success of Adán Aliaga’s “My Grandmother’s House.”
“We want to continue supporting national and international creative talent with a unique vision and create links through co-productions with Europe and Latin America that will help us grow within the international independent audiovisual network,” Jaibo’s Molina said.
Disposable – Jaibo Films
Co-Production Opportunities, AI Challenges
Spain’s agenda at Berlin’s EFM also includes sessions on co-production opportunities with Spain and on the broader challenges the industry faces as AI technologies accelerate across production and distribution.