Movistar Plus+ Makes Commitment To Original Film

EXCLUSIVE: There was an outpouring of emotion and concern when it was revealed that Domingo Corral, Director of Fiction & Entertainment at Spain’s Movistar Plus+, was leaving the Spanish company, but the streamer’s head of cinema has moved to assuage fears.

Addressing the news, which sent shockwaves through the Spanish industry, Movistar Plus+’s Head of Original Films & Spanish Cinema, Guillermo Farré, told Deadline the powerful local player will stay the course when it comes to original film.

“The goal is clear: The direction of what Domingo started works on many different levels,” he said. “It works in terms of the numbers that we have, and it’s a clear model to create movies and series that resonate in a very crowded world.”

After it emerged the long-serving Corral was unexpectedly leaving, an open letter, signed by almost 150 Spanish industry names such as heavyweights Pedro Almodóvar, Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, thanked Corral and his team for championing high-end original film and TV. The signatories also asked for those efforts to continue and standards be maintained.

Farré has now offered those assurances, while admitting the recent exec upheaval has been emotional for everyone.

“Domingo has created a culture in Movistar Plus+ with a project that has been amazing for many years,” he said. “I’m heartbroken that this happened, but these things happen in big companies. I expect that it will take some time until the pieces of the puzzle adjust, but I’m very confident that the vision is clear; the projects are working, and there is a path to continue in that direction.”

Amid the glitz and glamor of the Cote d’Azur, Movistar Plus+’s commitment to original film will be welcome news in Spain and beyond.

In comments that will resonate with cineastes and industry folk alike, Farré also discussed the importance of theatrical as part of the Movistar Plus+ film strategy, and unpacked how it will continue to lean into filmmaker-driven fare with commercial appeal. The company also shared details of La Bola Negra at Cannes, the latest from red-hot duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi.

Cannes Contender: Sirât

Deadline was speaking to Farré in the packed lobby of Cannes’ Gray d’Albion hotel a couple of days after Sirât has had its red-carpet moment a little further along the Croisette. Óliver Laxe’s film was one of two Spanish titles in competition this year, alongside Carla Simón’s Romería.

It’s a feather in the cap of the Telefónica-owned company and goes a long way to validate its investment in an auteur-driven slate that also includes Los Tigres from Alberto Rodríguez, Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s Los Domingos, and Cinco Minutos Más, starring and written by Berto Romero and helmed by Javier Ruiz Calder.

Farré recalled that the signs were good after the Cannes festival team first screened Sirât. “They couldn’t tell us right away that it was a competition, but we had the sense that they understood the movie, they understood the proposal, and they liked the radicality of it,” he said.

“It’s a movie that is going to generate a lot of passion in one way or another and they understood that. When we knew that the film was selected in competition, the first thing that I felt was a lot of pride for Óliver, his work, his commitment, and because he’s made an amazing film.”

Sirât follows a father (Sergi López) and his son, who arrive at a remote rave deep in the mountains of southern Morocco to look for Mar, daughter and sister, who has been missing for months at one of these endless parties. They tirelessly distribute her photo in the alien environment, and follow a group of ravers to one last party in the desert as hope fades. As they delve deeper, the journey confronts them with their own limits.

A Theatrical Strategy

Movistar Plus+ original films are released in theaters and drop on the streamer four months later. The plan is to generate maximum impact before a title bows on the streamer, where it will compete for eyeballs with myriad other movies and series. Amid the never-ending debate about whether films should play in movie theaters before launching on streaming, Farré said that, for Movistar Plus+, a theatrical release is simply good business.

“I love the cinema experience myself, but this [strategy] is not for romantic reasons,” he added. “We see the data. When a film performs in theaters, it has a direct effect on how it performs on Movistar Plus+. It’s crystal clear that there is no cannibalization. It’s the other way around.

“Maybe if we released 50 movies per year, we would have a different approach, but in our current approach, which is more boutique, the theatrical experience is the key thing that starts everything.”

Accordingly, the streamer is working with a variety of sales agents: The Match Factory for Sirât, Film Factory for Los Tigres, and Goodfellas for El Ser Querido and La Bola Negra.

“We live in a moment where there are so many choices that the most likely scenario when you release a movie is that it gets lost in a sea of different options,” said Farré. “We believe in strong voices, strong ideas and strong stories, but always hand-in-hand with the ambition to reach the public. We don’t believe in niche stories, we believe in unique stories with personality that have the potential to reach a big audience.”

These filters apply to what gets made, he added: “We end up choosing directors and screenwriters that have a unique voice and can say something different.”

Rodrigo Sorogoyen collaborations

One of those unique voices is Rodrigo Sorogoyen. His film El Ser Querido, starring Javier Bardem and Vicky Luengo as a film director and his estranged actress daughter making a movie together, is another title on the steamer’s 2025 slate. It builds on an existing relationship with the writer-director, Farré explained.

“He did Antidisturbios with us and then he made The New Years, and we wanted to be his home. Now he’s doing El Ser Querido, and we are in the editing step of the of the process and it looks amazing. In every single project, he challenges himself and he challenges us, so it’s a very fruitful relationship in the sense that he always wants to push forward. He doesn’t rely on any previous formula and it’s super exciting because that’s exactly what we want.”

Soon after the Sirât premiere, Movistar Plus+ announced details of La Bola Negra from Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who also go by Los Javis. They are considered the hottest next-generation creatives in Spanish film and TV, and Farré said they are a generational talent. “There is an overuse of this word, but they are visionaries,” he added.

Speaking about their new project, he said: “It’s the most ambitious movie that we’ve done so far on many different levels, starting with the budget, but also because we are supporting two of the most important creative people in Spain right now.”

Inspired by the life and work of poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, the film will unspool across three timelines, namely, modern-day Spain, and the country before and then during the Spanish Civil War.

It stars singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente in his big-screen debut, alongside Penélope Cruz, Miguel Bernardeau and Lola Dueñas.

“It’s about what it felt to be rejected being a gay man in different moments during the history of Spain,” said Farré. “It’s a movie about identity, rejection, and the power of art and literature to change your life, all told with a unique and sensitive voice. It has a poetic side, but the way Los Javis write is very approachable. It’s going to be a film that will be very easy to connect with.”

In terms of a release schedule, Sirât will hit movie theaters in Spain soon after Cannes then Los Tigres launches in the fall. These will be followed by Los Domingos and El Ser Querido.

Details of Movistar Plus+’s new film slate are expected in January and Farré signed off his chat with Deadline by offering some final words of reassurance amid the exec shuffles. As the industry calls on Movistar Plus+ to continue to invest in singular film and TV projects he said: “The Movistar Plus+ model is going to continue that direction.”