Conecta Fiction Announces United States as 2020 ‘Focus America’ Invitee

By Jamie Lang

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Spain’s Conecta Fiction, an increasingly important TV market focused on trans-Atlantic cooperation and co-production, will host it’s fourth edition this June 22-25, and have announced the United States as this year’s Focus America country.

With particular focus being placed on the U.S. Hispanic market, the event returns for the second year to Pamplona, where it has established itself as one of the key dates on the Ibero-American drama series industry calendar.

For the 2020 edition, will be backed by cooperation and support from various organizations which represent and promote U.S. productions for Latino viewers in a country with a population of nearly 60 million Spanish speakers.

Included among this year’s special events are a series of conversations about the evolution of TV drama production over the last five years in the U.S., producing for a bilingual marketplace thirsty for content in either or both languages, and a detailed look at American talent agencies and how they function.

In a statement, Géraldine Gonard, director of Conecta Fiction said: “U.S. Hispanic television, and the drama production sector, have a special place within Conecta Fiction, having taken part in the event every year since its first edition, bringing their latest content and projects to our business and networking platform. The main operators in the U.S. Latino community have already confirmed their participation in June.”

American showrunner, Paris-based writer and producer Steven Bawol, (“Section de Recherches,” “Borgia”) added: “As the amount of European, Spanish and Latin American original programming is exploding, Conecta Fiction is becoming a key event for producers, executives and creatives to connect in those markets, especially for American professionals looking to meet and work with the top players and explore the opportunities in co-production and original production.”

Last year’s event saw participation from major international players such as Disney, HBO, Viacom, Turner Latin America and Mediapro, as well as numerous independents from both sides of the Atlantic.

Conecta Fiction is supported by the Navarre Government through the Navarre Infrastructure of Culture, Sport and Leisure, the Society for the Development of Navarre and the SGAE Foundation. Inside content produces the annual event.