Filmin is now of legal age. The streaming platform has celebrated its 18th anniversary by presenting powerful new releases, including ‘Am I Not a Work of Art?’, a documentary series starring Samantha Hudson, and four new original productions: the feature films ‘Noise’, the directorial debut of Ingride Santos; and ‘The Designer is Dead’, a documentary by Gonzalo Hergueta about designer Miguel Adrover; and the series ‘Millennial Mal’, by Lorena Iglesias, and ‘Second Season’, by Miguel Ángel Blanca.
«Many follow us, many imitate us, but we create something original,» highlighted Jaume Ripoll, co-founder and editorial director of Filmin during the presentation held this Tuesday at Sala Equis in Madrid, where he reviewed Filmin’s 18 years of trajectory, betting on «diverse and risky» productions since 2008 with ‘Bullet in the Head’ by Jaime Rosales, the first Spanish online premiere, following the Goya nomination for Oswald, the Counterfeiter by Kike Maíllo, the platform’s first original documentary, or successful series like ‘Doctor Portuondo’, ‘Self-Defense’ or ‘Selftape’.
«And 18 years later, many of these travel companions are with us again. Something that makes us think that Filmin’s path in this industry will be accompanied or it will not be. We don’t have the money like others,» Ripoll explained, defending the platform’s work that goes far beyond being «a repository of titles.»
Filmin aims to be, according to its co-founder, «a lasting ally» so that certain films or series «reach a wider audience.» «I don’t think there are too many movies, but rather there are too few viewers. And to reach those missing viewers, we all have to step up and find the paths, which are sometimes very uncomfortable and, above all, never the same,» he pointed out.
SAMANTHA HUDSON DECONSTRUCTS MODERN ART
In his opening speech, Ripoll reaffirmed the platform’s support for the most current Spanish cinema, mentioning titles in which Filmin has been involved recently as a co-producer or distributor. Films like ‘Molt Lluny’, by Gerard Oms; ‘La furia’, by Gemma Blasco; ‘Estrany riu’, by Jaume Claret; ‘Forastera’, by Lucía Aleñar; ‘Parenostre’, by Manuel Huerga; «La niña de la cabra’, by Ana Asensio; ‘Yo no moriré de amor’, by Marta Matute; or ‘Balearic’, by Ion de Sosa, which will be available to Filmin subscribers, in most cases after their theatrical release, in the coming months.
After presenting the trailers for the second season of ‘An Andalusian Bitch’ and ‘Screw You, Jorge!‘, two national LGBTI+ series that will soon premiere on Filmin, it was time for ‘Am I Not a Work of Art?‘, the 13-episode documentary series in which Samantha Hudson travels through Spain to visit museums and interview key figures in contemporary art – museum directors, gallery owners, curators, critics, and artists – with her characteristic, ironic, and corrosive gaze.
«I’ve discovered that people in contemporary art are as pretentious as I thought, and also very nice, because they can be both… being polite doesn’t mean you’re not brave, right? But it’s been a very fun journey,» affirmed Hudson, who presented the series alongside its director and creator, David Navarro, who highlighted that the idea for this series arose from his «helplessness» when facing the art world.
«I felt a bit stupid because I didn’t understand much, and I think many of us leave museums like that, eager but not really knowing what it’s all about, and we come out with the idea of, ‘Well, I’m going to pretend I understand… but I didn’t get much out of it,'» explained Navarro, who recalled that several institutions, artists, and personalities in the world of contemporary art refused to participate in the documentary. «Suddenly you ask someone to meet with you, and they say no because you won’t understand it. It was quite unpleasant,» he concluded.
THE NEXT ‘FILMIN ORIGINALS’
Regarding Filmin’s four new original projects, the first to present its credentials was ‘Noise‘, a film directed by newcomer Ingride Santos that tells the story of Lati, a young woman from Barcelona who finds solace in rap after her father’s death and dreams of success in freestyle battles despite her mother’s opposition.
‘Noise’ stars non-professional actresses Latifa Drame and Judith Álvarez, real-life rappers who portray the main characters, and features the participation of comedian, writer, and actress Asaari Bibang. The film premiered in the Official Section of the Malaga Film Festival and has been selected to compete in the Official Section of the Seattle International Film Festival and to participate in the SXSW in London, extending its international journey before arriving on Filmin after a theatrical release.
Gonzalo Hergueta is the director of ‘The Designer is Dead’, a documentary film about designer Miguel Adrover, a key figure in multiculturalism and sustainability in the international fashion industry. The film traces Adrover’s career from success in New York to his retirement in Mallorca, showcasing unpublished images and testimonies from collaborators such as Jennifer Hoffman and critic Robin Givhan.
«It all started in 2019 when I watched the Alexander McQueen documentary and it mentioned Adrover, and I discovered everything he was doing, and I was surprised that no one knew who he was,» recounted Hergueta, who, after an email and a year and a half of phone calls, managed to have the designer open his doors to him. «Miguel is very unpredictable, and it was a challenge, but every time he got in front of the camera, he was amazing. There’s something about Miguel that I’ve never seen in anyone else in my entire life, which is that no matter what he does, he looks good on camera. He has an incredible style,» he remarked.
Another of the ‘Filmin Originals’ is the series ‘Millennial Mal’, an unconventional college comedy created, written, and starring Lorena Iglesias, and directed by Iglesias and Andrea Jaurrieta. The fiction follows the story of Judith, a library assistant in her forties who, after losing her job and facing an unexpected debt, receives in error a university scholarship she had applied for twenty years ago and cannot pass up.
«This series is a vindication of women in their 40s who did not have the freedom that young women have now,» stated Isa Calderón, one of the actresses in the series that explores themes such as the precariousness of the millennial generation, self-acceptance, and the generation gap.
Next up was ‘Second Season’, a series created by Miguel Ángel Blanca and written by Berta Prieto, Víctor Diago, and Blanca, which will begin filming in October with a release date well into 2026. Although the three were key figures behind the success of Filmin’s ‘Self-Defense’, despite what the title may suggest, it is not a sequel to that project. «It’s a different journey from ‘Self-Defense’. It also speaks of somewhat ambiguous things, although in terms of production, it will have many more resources,» Blanca explained, emphasizing that this fiction is the story of «a person who is forced to write what is to her the detritus of culture.»
Thus, ‘Second Season’ follows the steps of Paula Ferrara (Prieto), a writer who was a voice of her generation and who, after a brilliant literary success, now survives as a «ghostwriter» for influencers. Alongside Berta Prieto, Adan Domínguez (a.k.a. OKTOBA), a rapper from San Cosme, makes his debut, playing Lil’ Rogelio, a legend of Spanish trap music who, at 30, is already in the twilight of his career after two years in prison for assaulting a police officer.