– The longest-established streaming platform in the Spanish market has acquired the distribution business of the latter, which is also a production company
Filmin CEO and founder Juan Carlos Tous and Elastica co-founder Enrique Costa
Filmin, the digital platform with the longest track record in the Spanish and Portuguese markets, and Elastica, one of the country’s leading production outfits (which has financed titles such as Alcarràs by Carla Simón, winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin, and The Rye Horn by Jaione Camborda, winner of the Golden Shell at San Sebastián) and distributors (its catalogue includes films such as Sentimental Value, The Zone of Interest and The Secret Agent, among others), have reached an agreement whereby the former will acquire the latter’s distribution business.
The aim of this alliance is to consolidate a leading company in the national independent industry that will harbour international ambitions. This move follows the increasingly common logic of vertical integration, strengthening Filmin’s commitment to theatrical. “At Filmin, we have always understood streaming as a complement to theatrical distribution, and we have championed cinemas as the starting point for everything. This agreement with Elastica, with which we share a vision and values, consolidates our position in the market and will allow us to nurture the best cinema, from the red carpet to internet-connected devices,” stated Juan Carlos Tous, CEO and founder of Filmin.
For his part, Enrique Costa, who co-founded Elastica with María Zamora, highlights the fact that his firm “shares innovation and judgement with Filmin, recognised both inside and outside Spain as an example and benchmark in the world of platforms; we also share a dedication to, and a passion for, the seventh art”.
The agreement between the two companies, which will continue to operate independently and under their respective brands, is limited to Elastica’s acquisitions and distribution area, and will not affect other commitments, past or future, that both companies may have with other industry players. In this regard, The Riders by Edward Berger and the box-office hit Backrooms will be available on HBO Max as well as on Filmin. Some of the films that Elastica has announced it will distribute this year, such as The Black Ball, a Movistar Plus+ production directed by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, which scooped the Best Director Award at the latest Cannes Film Festival, or Bunker by Florian Zeller (see the news), acquired by Netflix, will not be available on Filmin.
“This agreement is the happy ending to a love story for cinemas and for film, from which audiences will benefit, and which champions the idea that independent, quality cinema should reach the widest possible audience,” state Filmin and Elastica. The alliance guarantees that Filmin will be able to offer its subscribers some of the most eagerly awaited movies for the coming months distributed by Elastica, such as the Málaga Film Festival winner I Won’t Die For Love by Marta Matute.
Since 2021, Filmin has been releasing some of its acquisitions theatrically together with Elastica and other distributors. Over the past few years, the two companies have jointly released more than a dozen titles since kicking off their collaboration with Annette; these include hits such as The Substance and Anatomy of a Fall.
(Translated from Spanish)
