Conecta Fiction & Entertainment Hands Out $115,000 Prizes As Spanish Confab Kicks Off

A duo of scripted projects has landed €100,000 ($115,000) each at Conecta Fiction & Entertainment.

The international content event began last night in the against the dramatic surroundings of the mountainous Spanish city Cuenca, with Patricia Franco, Regional Minister of Economy, Business and Employment of Castilla-La Mancha, using a speech to announce the winning projects of the third Castilla-La Mancha Feature Films and Series Competition.

In the regional category, Piedra, Papel o Tijera (Rock, Paper, Scissors), which comes from Toledan production company Altamira Entertainment, won out. The series stars the likes of Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, José Coronado, Irene Escolar and Chino Darín.

In the national category award went to La Celestina, a modern take on the 1499 book by Fernando de Rojas. Directed by Tina Olivares, it stars the likes of Esmeralda Pimentel and Juana Acosta.

A total of 19 projects were submitted for the awards.

The awards were the first news out of the ninth edition of Conecta, which began as a scripted-only event but has in recent years expanded to incorporate entertainment. This is the first year it’s being held in Cuenca, UNESCO World Heritage Site that is around 170km south-east of Madrid.

The opening ceremony was held at the Church of San Miguel last night, with representatives from Conecta, Government of Castilla-La Mancha, Unifrance, the Institut Français of Spain and the Canadian Embassy in attendance alongside execs, talent and creatives. France and Canada are the countries of focus.

Géraldine Gonard, Director of Conecta, used her welcome speech to pay tribute to the countries, saying they were “two powerful markets with a highly competitive content industry on the international scene, which will find in Cuenca and Castilla-La Mancha the ideal setting for developing future co-productions and joint projects.”