Spanish Hitmakers Double Down on YA Romance

Carolina Bang and Álex de la Iglesia's Pokeepsie Films is significantly expanding its young adult (YA) content production, announcing two feature film adaptations of Mercedes Ron's "Enfrentados" novel series for Prime Video. Titled "Marfil" (Ivory) and "Ébano" (Ebony), these films star Ester Expósito and are described as more ambitious than the company's previous YA success, "Culpables."

Pokeepsie filmed both "Marfil" and "Ébano" back-to-back in Spain and New York, aiming to appeal to a slightly older demographic than "Culpables" while retaining the family-friendly appeal. The company previously achieved significant success with "Culpables," which became Prime Video's biggest international launch, demonstrating a strong market for their YA productions.

Beyond YA, Pokeepsie is developing other genre projects, including horror and fantasy films and series, collaborating with directors like Domingo González and Jaume Balagueró. Bang highlighted Spain's current advantageous production climate, citing government incentives, new facilities, and skilled talent as key factors driving international productions to the country.