Serielados: Steven Moffat, Fran Adria and Rodrigo Sorogin bring star-making power to Barcelona

Carmen Machi, Rodrigo Sorogin, Hagai Levy, Steven Moffat, Sue Verto, Victoria Martin, Fran Adria. All of this will bring star power to Barcelona's leading series festival Serialzados, which is set to kick off on October 19 with the Catalan premiere of 3Cat-HBO Max "In Vitro". The main launch pad for Spanish premieres, this festival of six international […]

Guests also catch scenes from Marriage Scenes and writer-director Eti, Hagai Levy, star of La Mesías, Carmen Machi and the great Spanish actress Victoria Martin: “We've always aimed high,” says co-founder Beto Martínez Mulero.

The main launch pad for Spanish premieres, the festival features six international series in competition and a four-title national competition, led by the world premiere of Movistar Plus-100 Balas "Celeste 2" and the Catalan premiere of "Killing a Bear", another Movistar Plus Original. In the industry arena, Serielizados Pro will consolidate and expand its program with case studies on successful co-productions, ("In vitro", "Segunda temporada"), trend analysis, networking sessions, and the second international Mind the Gap initiative with 11 top projects. More than 300 delegates are expected, including representatives from YouTube, Mubi, RTVE, Arte France, Beta Film, ZDF, Oble, DR Sales, Imagina Sales and many others. RELATED STORIES Netflix's Ted Sarandos on if he sees Paramount-Warner Bros. as competition and if he likes Casey Blues: 'We released a very good lunch' Florence Monster director Stefano Solima on 'Completely Different' Season 2 of Netflix's hit serial killer: 'A very complicated story to tell' (Exclusive)

Betu Martínez Molero, co-founder of Serielizados together with Victor Sala, reveals the DNA of the festival and highlights of the program. Popular in Variety

You said last year that your goal was to both increase the number of visitors and better serve the domestic industry. Was this mission accomplished after the 80% increase in visitors last year and the first Mind the Gap from Serielizados Pro?

Yes, we absolutely did it, and after growing 80% last year, our challenge in this release is to stabilize. Our main obstacle has always been convincing people to pay for cinema tickets to watch two episodes of the same series. We overcome that by not only showing great series, but also by bringing talent directly to the fans.

On the industry side, Serielizados Pro has settled on its identity as a boutique association. We don't want to be big; We want to be effective. We focus strongly on European co-productions, matching local Catalan and Spanish makers with international agents through presentations, masterclasses and networking.

In fact, after the first Mind the Gap Pitching, we're already seeing participating projects get funded and move into production, proving the concept works.

This year your motto is "An Eye for It" to highlight your unique cultural stewardship mission. Can you expand on this topic and why you chose it?

When we launched SerialZados in 2013, finding the perfect TV was almost a DIY endeavor. In Spain, VOD was primarily limited to Canal+ and Filmin. There was very little original local production and people found their favorite TV shows from obscure corners of the web. Fast forward to today, and we've gone from discovery to intense content overload. We now consume serials at the same frenzied speed as social networks or fast food.

That's why our motto this year is "An Eye for It". In an era where algorithms are driving it too much, the main task of the festival is editorial supervision. We act as a filter. We spend all year searching for shows that really matter, giving our audience a thoughtful selection instead of an endless scroll. We strongly believe that festivals should remain trusted cultural tastemakers

Your inaugural series is In Vitro, an HBO Max co-production, 3Cat: How important was it to you to secure this prestigious show?

It's a festival tradition for us to open with top talent from Catalonia, we've done it with "This Is Not Sweden" and "Yo, adicto" in the past. The opener continues this legacy with "In Vitro". It's a powerful story about a relevant and very current topic (fertility clinics) and it brings together HBO Max and 3Cat and shows the power of local co-productions. We are confident that "In Vitro" will create a strong conversation with our opening night audience and the media.

How was the selection process this year for the two main national and international competitions? Every year we receive hundreds of projects in national and international categories, this year more than 200 projects. The selection process is rigorous: we look for editorial coherence, distinctive voices and strong production value. We make sure that each show in the competition brings something unique and avoid generic platform filler.

Among the submitted projects, what trends can you identify in terms of genres, formats, creatives involved, themes, clients?

This year we saw a strong shift towards European productions, especially from Northern and Central Europe. We think that the co-production model in Europe has finally come to fruition, offering deep human and social stories relevant to modern politics and everyday life. Germany have been surprising this year, the jump in quality in their story is remarkable. Also, France continues to perform at an extremely high level.

Another key trend I can mention is the vital role of public broadcasters such as Arte in France ("Etty"), ARD in Germany ("Naked", "A Better Place") or even Estonia's ERR (we will have "In the Dark" at the online festival at Filmin), the first Estonian show ever in Serielizados.

The feeling is that private VOD platforms often rely on safe algorithms, and public networks take risks and support bold, out-of-the-box auteur series like "Nude," "A Better Place" or "In the Dark." For years, SVT, DR or the BBC were the main gold standards for public television, but now we see an increase in public broadcasters from other countries.

Can you outline your national and international competition and highlight one or two titles you're particularly keen to showcase?

The motto of this year's festival can also be "Life through the series". Each selected play reflects current social anxieties with a strong authorial voice.

In the national competition, we lean towards complex dramas and tragi-comedies with the distinctive touch of the Coen brothers ("In vitro", "Killing a Bear", "Celeste S2", "Segunda Temporada"). They examine modern human conflicts, from millennial burnout to corporate fraud and environmental hypocrisy. I highlight "Segunda Temporada" from the team behind "Autodefensa" for its absolute freshness, unique sound and politically incorrect humor. Hosting the world premiere of "Celeste 2" is obviously a highlight. We premiered Season 1, which was a huge success at the festival and later became the most watched series of the year on Movistar Plus. Honestly, we didn't know we needed a series about the Spanish IRS, but Diego San Jose absolutely proved it. The presence of Carmen Machi and the creative team in Barcelona is very special. "Celeste" is the gold standard of dramedy: sharp writing, great direction, and exceptional performances are only natural.

International competition is more eclectic, covering everything from sex addiction ("Nude") to corporate environmental scandals ("Dirty Business"). The two titles I'm most proud of are A Better Place because it thinks outside the box by bringing progressive and utopian ideas about justice to a world in political crisis. Then "That Droid," simply because we love Diane Morgan. It's wonderful to have a show produced by him in which he stars. It's a drama show about artificial intelligence with a good heart, great sensitivity and great comedy all at the same time.

Last year you hoped to launch a clothing line. Is it "mission accomplished" again with your series finale, Episòdic: El principi d'Arquimedes, in production?

It's a big milestone for us, but to be honest it happened quite naturally and organically. Through initiatives like Serielizados Kick, our screenwriting talent campus, we're already nurturing new voices. Suddenly we realized that we were no longer just discovering talent, we were actually producing it.

Created alongside Barcelona City Council and Betevé Public Broadcasting, "Episòdic" aims to bridge the gap between film school and the professional industry, giving 38 film students from 11 training centers their first official IMDb credit through their direct participation in the production of a short TV series.

"Episòdic" is an anthology that adapts authentic Catalan plays for television. Season 1 is an adaptation of Josep Maria Miro's El principi d'Arquimedes, an award-winning play that has been staged in nearly 50 countries and explores prejudice and moral panic through an innocent act in a swimming pool. We stepped in as executive producers and oversaw the entire development and production process alongside a top professional actor. After previewing it at Iberseries 2026, we're excited to host its world premiere as our final session, ahead of the broadcast at betvé this fall. And we are working on choosing a play to adapt for Season 2.

Can you say a few words about the very special guests taking part, from Rodrigo Sorogin, Steven Moffat, Sue Verto, to Fran Adria?

Since 2015, we've always raised the bar, bringing in creators like Dan Harmon, David Simon, Vince Gilligan, and later Jesse Armstrong. Every year, we make a wish list of our top dream guests, and Steven Moffat is always at the top.

Steven's presence in Barcelona, where Sherlock and Doctor Who have cult followings, is incredible. And bringing in Sue Vertue completes the picture: she's one of Britain's sharpest producers, after classics like "Mr. Bean" are practically part of the DNA of Catalan pop culture. Honestly, Rowan Atkinson is almost an honorary citizen of Catalonia!! Historically, Catalan public television imported British comedy ("Fawlty Towers", "The Young", "Monty Python", "Alo Alo", etc.) which deeply shaped our local comedy writers. So having Steven and Sue here is a real celebration of that cultural bridge between the UK and Catalonia.

Beyond that, we're always looking to build an eclectic pool of top talent. This year we have Rodrigo Soroguin, arguably the best Spanish director today, creator of the masterpiece Antidisturbios and co-founder of Caballo Films, one of our favorite production companies in Spain. He will serve as President of our International Jury during his screening year, following the world premiere of The Beloved at Cannes, and with much international attention to his work.

And finally, having Ferran Adrià is huge for us. Ahead of 3Cat's premiere of Gènesi, a series detailing his legacy and how Alboli revolutionized global gastronomy, Fran will join us for an open conversation at Casa Cupra. As we explore the intersection of TV series and gastronomy, we go to "Gènesi" against her true memories. Having minds of this caliber eager to collaborate is at the core of what Serielizados stands for.