Tag Archives: ViacomCBS International Studios

Prime Video Orders Second Season of Marta Hazas’ Hit “Dias Mejores”

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Marta Hazas’ better days continue…

Prime Video has ordered a second season of the hit Spanish series Dias Mejores, starring the 44-year-old Spanish actress, after the success of its first season.

Marta HazasCreated by Cristóbal Garrido and Adolfo Valor, the new season will continue to follow the stories of its lead characters Sara (Hazas), Pardo (Erick Elías), Graci (Alba Planas), Luis (Francesc Orella) and Dr. Laforet (Blanca Portillo).

The co-production between ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) and Madrid-based Zeta Studios, producers of Netflix hit, Elite, will stream exclusively on Prime Video in Spain.

The new season just started shooting and includes an additional robust cast led by Marta Aledo as Emi, Sara’s sister; Carol Rovira as Claudia, the teacher of Pardo’s children, and Sonia Almarcha as Maite, the mother of Graci’s late boyfriend.

In Mejores Dias, creators-showrunners Valor and Garrido explore the challenges of getting over the loss of a loved one and of being a single parent, among other issues. While each character is coping with different personal problems, they all see the same therapist, Dr. Laforet.

Season 2 sees Sara battling a new blow in her life and the arrival of her sister Emi will not make things any easier. Meanwhile, Pardo is wary of starting a new relationship and how that might impact his family. Single mom Graci will have to deal with her mother-in-law who will bring back painful memories of the past. Luis (Francesc Orella) sees his plans to spend more time with family upended by unexpected news.

The series will again be directed by Alejo Flah along with Mar Olid, Violeta Zalama and Adolfo Valor.

Season 2 is penned by the same writers of the first season: Daniel Martín Serrano, Sara Alquezar and Alba Carballal.

Penelope Cruz to Executive Produce & Narrate Child Marriage Documentary Series “Not A Bride”

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Penelope Cruz will be talking child marriages…

The 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress will executive produce and narrate the four-part documentary series Not A Bride.

Penelope CruzHailing from VIS Social Impact, the cause-driven production division of ViacomCBS International Studios, and Pedro Almodóvar’s El Deseo and Spanish indie Mogambo, the series has been acquired by Paramount+ internationally.

Written and directed by Dario Troiani, the series aims to uncover common misconceptions surrounding child marriages. According to NGO Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18 each year, which means 23 girls every minute. Child, early and forced marriage and unions happen all over the world, and 650 million women alive today face the direct consequences of child marriage. Not A Bride will shed light on the reality that this occurs in many countries, cultures and religions.

“With the continued expansion of Paramount+ internationally, it’s important that our production slate is reflective of the ways in which our audiences see ourselves and one another. By partnering with El Deseo and Mogambo, we hope to address common misconceptions associated with child marriages, to inform our audiences around the world,” said Laura Abril, Senior Vice President and Head of VIS EMEA and Asia.

Georgia Arnold, Head of VIS Social Impact and SVP Social Responsibility, ViacomCBS Networks International added, “With the recent launch of VIS Social Impact, our studio’s mission is to develop groundbreaking social impact-driven content that addresses equity, as well as climate and health. Not A Bride will harness the power of storytelling to address the critical global issue of child marriage, and we hope its worldwide debut on Paramount+ will help to shift perceptions and create meaningful progress towards a more gender equal world.”

El Deseo’s Esther García, who will executive produce with Agustín and Pedro Almodóvar, commented, “The testimonies of the girls and women who have suffered this traumatic experience are shocking. Through this documentary we aim to give the world a better idea of this huge problem which we truly hope will begin to be solved.”

VIS Social Impact is part of Content for Change, a global ViacomCBS initiative that aims to counteract racism, bias, stereotypes and hate through the company’s culture, creative supply chain, and the content it creates. Not A Bride is the second VIS Social Impact project announced, following Protest & Progress from photographer and social activist, Misan Harriman, which will also debut on Paramount+.

ViacomCBS International Studios Developing Series About Late Fashion Icon Cristóbal Balenciaga

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Cristóbal Balenciaga’s life story is heading to the small screen…

ViacomCBS International Studios is developing a series on the late Spanish fashion designer, with director James Kent set to helm and producer Frida Torresblanco to executive produce.

Cristóbal Balenciaga

Written by Rebecca Pollock and Kas Graham, the project — which is slated to shoot in 2021 — will depict the life of Balenciaga, who helped lead a revolution in fashion, with his precision and perfectionism earning him the admiration of contemporaries, including Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, and Coco Chanel.

In 1917, at the age of 22, he established his first fashion house in San Sebastian, and later opened fashion houses in Madrid and Barcelona, before moving to Paris in 1937, where his work won the admiration of an influential cosmopolitan clientele. In the 1950s, Balenciaga unveiled never-before-seen styles and shapes, which were considered radical designs at the time.

Balenciaga

“I have long admired the genius of the greatest Spanish fashion designer in history,” said Torresblanco. “After discovering Balenciaga’s influences this triggered the implacable need to capture the life of a brave artist who intensely and relentlessly lived for his love of an aristocrat, a handsome gentleman whose life was threatened by the dangerous times he lived in. He liberated women who were restricted in their corsets, by creating a timeless, provocative and avant-garde way to live that continues to influence future generations.”

Kent added: “There are few artists who have affected our world’s material reality – its texture, color, shape and form – in the way Balenciaga has. His creations changed the face of fashion, and his story, until now, has only been told through his fashion designs.”