A breakout hit in 2023 and consolidated as a top-tier TV event last year, Andalusia’s Cádiz South International Series Festival prepares its third edition with raised ambitions: Solidifying its place as an on-the-rise hub for international serialized storytelling.
Over just two years, the festival has established itself as both an industry showcase and public celebration. With this year’s edition, running Sept. 11-17, organizers aim to build on that momentum, leveraging Cádiz’s unique setting and growing international clout.
“There are many TV festivals, but very few focused squarely on series, and fewer still that connect industry and audiences in this way,” says Carles Montiel, newly appointed festival director, promoted after heading industry and programming for its first two editions.
This year, the festival will celebrate Andalusian multi-hyphenate Paco León with its 2025 Honorary Award, while also paying tribute to beloved sitcom “Aída” — itself a landmark spin-off from “7 Vidas” which will receive a special beachside screening at Playa Victoria.
León is lending continuity to the franchise with feature “Aída y vuelta,” involving partners such as Telecinco Cinema, Globomedia-The Mediapro Studio, Mediaset España, Mediterráneo and Prime Video.
Industry heavyweights will also descend on Cádiz, including “Narcos” creator Chris Brancato, who will lead a masterclass moderated by Alejandro Flórez, director at 100 Balas, part of The Mediapro Studio.
“Last year I did the same with David Shore (“House”) – a highly motivating experience,” Flórez says.
Chris Brancato and Paco León
Courtesy of South International Series Festival
Expanding Global and Local Connections
Programming plays off both Spain’s booming pipeline and another on international premieres. Movistar Plus+ drama-thriller “El Centro” inaugurates the official fiction section, while Lucía Puenzo’s “Futuro Desierto,” a Mexican sci-fi thriller involving Gaumont USA and Paramount, screens out of competition as the section’s closing series.
New initiatives further strengthen ties. The Premio Ciudad de Cádiz, judged by a jury of local non-professional series lovers, aims to embed the event more deeply in the city’s cultural fabric. On the international front, the festival has sealed content-exchange agreements with China’s Golden Panda Festival at Sichuan and Cádiz’s Alcances, one of Spain’s longest-running documentary showcases.
El Centro
Courtesy of South International Series Festival
Industry Backing and Strategic Support
Strategic institutional and private-sector support underpins South’s expansion. The City and Province Councils of Cádiz remain key backers, joined by the Port Authority of the Bay of Cádiz. Media sponsorship is provided by Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group, while festival organization and production are overseen by Womack.
“Priorities for this edition include expanding industry connections, raising the profile of Spanish series abroad and combining market functions with public engagement,” Montiel explained.
Attracted by South’s hybrid formula, key players from Spain and abroad are leveraging Cádiz as a launchpad.
Ana Bustamante, general director of Mediterráneo, highlighted why the event is unique. “I’d point to three reasons that make it essential. First, firm support from public and private partners; second, the fact it’s held in Cádiz at the end of summer: there are many TV festivals and fewer dedicated to series, but a series festival aimed at both industry and the public, in a dream location and at such a prime time — there’s really only one: South. Third, it’s a young festival without complexes, committed to a varied program.”
Mediterráneo unveils three world premieres: “Ella, Maldita Alma,” shot in Cádiz with Plano a Plano; “Romi,” teaming with Joko TV-Producciones Mandarina and Prime Video; and doc “La Húngara. Toma que Toma,” a LyoMedia production for Mediaset Infinity.
Romi
Courtesy of South International Series Festival
Womack Studios, in its role as producer, leads the Advances sidebar with sneak peeks of “Bajañí. El viaje de una guitarra,” the new docu-series from Oscar-winner Fernando Trueba, and “Toma, Moreno,” centered on TV producer and ventriloquist José Luis Moreno.
Also bowing in Advances are “Las 3000 celebran la vida” (Proamagna) and “Los Chorys,” with backing from Canal Sur.
“South Festival is a great opportunity to engage with our partners, such as Movistar+ and HBO, to present our new international series that we are launching in the fall,” says Al de Azpiazu, senior VP of distribution & co-productions at Fremantle International.
He adds: “The location of South Festival is an ideal pinpoint to bring together both Spanish and international partners to discuss the latest trends in the industry, ahead of the upcoming season of programming.”
Fremantle brings international muscle to Cádiz, with highlights such as “Little Disasters,” starring Diane Kruger, who will be attending the festival; “War of the Kingdoms,” a Constantin Film production for RTL inspired by “The Song of the Nibelung,” and documentary “Bardot,” about the international icon, playing at the Spotlight South sidebar.
According to Sara M. Rada, general director at Alea Media (“Entrevías,” “Patria,” “Vivir sin permiso”), “South allows us to showcase our work globally while welcoming the world in our country. It’s a hub for exchanging ideas, making deals, and, most importantly, discovering new stories and learning about new ways of telling them.”
Cádiz as Europe’s Southern Bridge
“The goal is to create a festival diverse in content and scope, consolidating it as a reference for the industry, and boosting Cádiz’s role as a shooting locale for international productions,” Montiel sums up.
With international power players deeply engaged, South looks set to keep punching above its weight. Three years in, Cádiz is no longer just a promising newcomer.