Spanish Television, “engine” of Spanish cinema

In the last year, public television participated in 75 film projects (41 films and 30 documentaries) and programmed 547 films.

Coinciding with the San Sebastian Film Festival, Spanish Television has taken stock of his commitment to cinema. In the last year, he has participated in 75 film projects, which include 41 films and 30 documentaries. It is also still your main screen: La 1 and La 2 have broadcast 547 films in the last year, almost 86.6% of the Spanish titles that have been programmed on television.

The tAquilla has also left record data for the films participated by RTVE, con Champions as the most watched this year, with 3.2 million viewers. These are some data from the balance offered this Thursday at the 66th San Sebastián International Film Festival, of which RTVE is the official sponsor.

In the round table organized for the presentation of these results, moderated by the journalist Elena S. Sánchez, the importance of RTVE as the “engine” of Spanish cinema was highlighted, the increase since this season in film co-production, the presence in productions in Latin America and the commitment to all RTVE channels with cinema were discussed: La 1, La 2, Clan, RNE and Playz, the new digital content platform, a showcase for new productions.

The producers Esther García, Luis Manso and Enrique López-Lavigne and the director Jaime Rosales, have highlighted the importance of RTVE's support when launching their projects. "The participation of RTVE means the difference between being able to make the film or not being able to make the film in many cases. It is very difficult to make a film," said Esther García, producer of El Deseo and National Cinematography Award winner, who learned at this festival the news that The Angel, from its production company and owned by RTVE, is the one chosen by Argentina to represent this country at the Oscars.

He will accompany on his way to Hollywood Champions, one of whose producers, Luis Manso, has influenced this idea: “The fact that it is a public entity means that the cinema that RTVE supports goes beyond the conventional, as has happened with this film, Champions, in which he knew how to see not only the cinematographic values ​​but also the human ones, his support was essential.”

Jaime Rosales also participated in this meeting, presenting his latest film at the Festival, Petra, and who has valued the important role of dissemination: "RTVE is the window that will make the film seen; for works like mine, being put on television helps us to make the film seen, television is a showcase for massive dissemination."

The producer Enrique López-Lavigne, who has presented in the official section of the festival Who will sing to you of Carlos Vermut ('Magical Girl'), has pointed out that "without TVE, Carlos Vermut would not exist" and has also highlighted RTVE's role in supporting a festival like San Sebastián, "a place that gives space to cinema, and a place that cinema deserves, and that allows a lot of talent to be brought to light. And it is no coincidence that the cinema that is in the Goya awards every year is participated by RTVE", he added.

Samuel Martín Mateos, director of La 2, has highlighted RTVE's "vocation in disseminating cinema through its programs", and has announced that next week the network's new programming will be launched "in which cinema will be a backbone and in which we will open prime time to other genres in addition to Spanish cinema, there will be independent cinema, classic cinema..."

For the youngest people, there has also been talk about the window that is Playz. The director of Film and Fiction at TVE, Fernando López Puig, has pointed out that "consumption is changing, but we create films that will travel very well through these new circuits, in the end there will be room for everyone and ways of consuming for all tastes, the market changes, but we adapt," he concluded.

Participation in 41 films

RTVE has participated so far this year in 41 Spanish films, including new projects by established directors such as Isabel Coixet, (It snows in Benidorm), Juan José Campanella (The Weasels) or Benito Zambrano (Bad weather). The next projects of Rodrigo Sorogoyen, (Mother), Paco Cabezas, (Bye), and Daniel Calparsoro (up to the sky). Once again this year we are committed to cinema directed by women: among others, 'Invisibles' by Gracia Querejeta, The never seen by Marina Seresesky, The consequences by Claudia Pinto, the Freedom y The Thief's Daughter, debut feature by directors Clara Roquet and Belén Funes.

They are also participated by RTVE, the first film by Jota Linares Animals without collars; David Victori's second film, no return; the new comedy by Fernando Colomo, Before the Burning; and the international co-production Love Child by Todd Solondz.

RTVE also participates in the feature film between two waters by Isaki Lacuesta, in the Official Section of the San Sebastián Festival and, in The Angel, in the Pearls section, a feature film by Luis Ortega that is preceded by great success in Argentina, where it has been the most viewed film of the season. The animation is present with Inspector Sun, the curse of the black widow.

Documentaries

RTVE is going to participate in around 30 documentaries. Those dedicated to characters such as Carmen Maura or Sara Montiel, Admiral Cervera, Ernest Lluch or Luis Goytisolo stand out.

In the field of international co-production, The most dangerous man in Europe, Skorzeny in Spain o Joan Tarragó, the librarian of Mauthausen.

The life and work of Cardinal Cisneros and the history of the German submarine U-77 sunk in World War II off the coast of Calpe will also be reviewed.

The documentary school afternoons will review the history of the Old School of Cinematography, where Spanish film directors such as Saura, Pilar Miró, Bardem and Berlanga were trained.

New installments of Roman Engineering or The Guanche Mummies or TV movies about pioneering women, Ángel Nieto and A world for Julius.

This 2018 RTVE continues to bet on great television movies. They stand out The woman of the centuryor, directed by Sílvia Quer, starring Nora Navas, Elena Martín, Pablo Derqui, Julio Manrique and Alex Moner; The production of a biopic of a champion, Angel Nieto, beyond the legend, is underway; and a co-production with Latin America to adapt the famous novel by Alfredo Bryce de Echenique Un mundo para Julius to the small screen.

Spanish cinema on the small screen

RTVE continues to stand out as the main showcase of Spanish cinema. La 1 and La 2 have been the channels that have programmed the most Spanish films in the last year, with 547 titles, compared to 85 of all private channels combined. In total, La 1 has broadcast 91 and La 2, 456. It is 86.6% of the Spanish cinema broadcast on general free-to-air channels, which means that it is the third season that TVE has broadcast the most films in all of history. 330 of these titles have been broadcast in prime time.

In total, 38.4 million viewers have watched Spanish cinema on TVE at some point in the last year. On La 1, the most followed film has been Juliet, by Pedro Almodóvar, with 2.4 million (12.8%), while The air of a crime, by Antonio Isasi Isasmendi has been the most watched on La 2: 818,000 viewers (4.9%).