Future Brightens: South Series Festival Director Champions the Power of Serialized Storytelling

Today marks the kickoff of the second edition of the South International Series Festival in the charming seaside town of Cadiz, Spain. Festival director Joan Álvarez, who has a past life as the director of the Valencia Film Archive and a notable run at the Spanish Academy of Cinema, sat down for a chat to illuminate why an event dedicated exclusively to television content is not just important, but essential. And trust me, he’s got plans for the festival that are brimming with optimism about our beloved small-screen dramas.

First off, how does the South International Series Festival fit into the mosaic of European and Spanish events? Well, let me tell you – they’re like a singular, sparkling jewel among a sea of glimmering trinkets. “We are the only festival solely focused on series,” Álvarez shares, enthusiasm spilling from his words like a generous helping of olive oil on a fresh baguette. While major Spanish and international film festivals are slowly embracing series, they still tend to let them slip in through the back door, hoping to soak up some of the prestige reserved for films. But not here! This festival is all about giving series the cultural throne they deserve, and Álvarez believes it’s the format with the most promising future in the ever-expanding landscape of audiovisual storytelling.

As we dig deeper into the festival’s second outing, he reveals that they’ve got a solid foundation and are building upon it. With partners and sponsors sticking around, the festival is expanding its horizons, attracting series and industry guests from nine different countries. “This year, our spotlight is particularly on France, a true powerhouse in series production,” he explains, as if revealing a secret recipe for success. And by the third edition? They’re gearing up to combine the storiedness of established industries with the fresh zest of emerging ones. exciting plans are in the kitchen, including a spotlight on Pakistan’s burgeoning series industry, which is as hot right now as a freshly brewed cup of chai.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room – the sprawling Spanish-speaking audiovisual market is vast, but the different dialects can be as confounding as a mystery novel without the final chapter. Can on-demand subtitling platforms offer a balm to that wound? Having held prominent positions at the Cervantes Institute, where he worked tirelessly to promote Spanish culture, Álvarez is no stranger to this conundrum. At this year’s festival, they’re kicking off industry activities with a forum designed for Spanish-language series creators. “It’s all about opening a space for reflection and collaboration,” he muses, suggesting that subtitling and collective creativity might just be the answer to cultural understanding. As one Mexican screenwriter once amusingly proclaimed, she preferred subtitles because they offered her a lifeboat in the ocean of cultural nuance.

As Álvarez continues, he touches on the often-overlooked evolution of storytelling techniques and distribution models. The collective shrug over the role of the showrunner in traditional narrative forms is a disservice to the sprawling series narratives that demand a continuum of storytelling. Maintaining an ongoing dialogue with a show’s fanbase is vital – after all, beloved characters are as close as family, and who doesn’t want to hear what the in-laws have to say? Add to this cocktail the growing influence of artificial intelligence, and you’ve got a recipe for quite the discussion at the festival’s industry section.

Finally, let’s glimpse at the artistic highlights waiting in the wings. South will showcase a sumptuous banquet of 50 series, including 15 Spanish premieres and a dozen world premieres. Among the standout offerings is the Portuguese version of La Que Se Avecina, a sitcom that’s become a national treasure, along with two captivating Andalusian documentaries exploring the legacies of Paco de Lucía and the ancient civilization of Tartessos. We also have Invisibles, a poignant portrayal of Latinos arriving in the U.S., and Alive, a UK production promising to keep spirits high. To top it all off, there’s I Spit On Your Graves, a Colombian melodrama that promises to wrap up the festival with a flourish. You don’t want to miss this!