04/06/2025 - The event, taking place between 9 and 11 June as part of the activities marking the 30th Fire!! LGBTQI+ Film Festival in Barcelona, will feature five feature films and five series

More than 100 projects were submitted to the call for proposals for Fire!! Lab, which represents a 40% increase compared to last year's edition. This growth establishes it as a key industry event, with half of all past selected projects having gone into production. It has become a meeting point for diversity within the industry, attracting professionals who come to sponsor projects and give talks. The workshop will be held at the LGBTI Centre in Barcelona from 9 to 11 June, as part of Mostra Fire!!, Spain's first LGBTI film festival, which is celebrating its 30th edition this year.

Those selected will receive tutoring, mentoring and masterclasses from professionals such as Bob Pop (Queer You Are), Javier Ferreiro (Mariliendre [+see also:
series review
series profile]), Júlia de Paz (Ama [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Querer [+see also:
series review
trailer
interview: Alauda Ruiz de Azúa
series profile]), David Moragas (A Stormy Night [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Ana Joven, Paola Botrán and Pilar Toro. “These ten stories, ranging from fiction to documentary, offer a broad and diverse representation of the identities and realities of the community,” said Jorge Vañó, coordinator of Fire!! Lab, who also emphasised the high quality of the projects submitted.

In the feature film category, filmmakers have been selected who are competing with their first and second fiction and documentary films, offering a range of perspectives from intimate drama to fantasy, including stories rooted in current events; new identities, migration, harassment, family bonds, and intergenerational experiences. The chosen films are Las manos quietas by Víctor Diago (Downriver a Tiger [+see also:
film review
film profile]); Tetio, a film directed by Sergio Avellaneda Belmonte, who has previously worked on short films; Protuberancia, by Mire Ibars, who also makes their feature film debut; El participio del verbo oír by Miguel Machetti; and Sin pecado concebidas by the artistic trio of Raquel Colera, Claudia Barthelemy and Jennifer de la Rosa.

As for the series projects participating in Fire!! Lab 2025, the selected screenwriters explore genres such as drama, comedy and science fiction: El año de la envidia, written by Kevin Rodrigo Pérez and Lucía Pérez Oroz; A solas en todas partes, by Isabel Luque Garramiola and Camila Pineda Virgen; Cercanías by Manu Roma and Clàudia Manero; El último hetero by Marta Lario Ruiz; and Por tu propia culpa by Enrique Huelva Jiménez.

Following the classes and individual tutorials, the projects will be presented to various production companies in a pitching session. Three awards will be given: one for the development of a feature film, worth €2,000; another for the development of a series, worth the same amount; and the San Sebastián Film Festival Industry Award, which includes a trip to the international film festival, accommodation and accreditation.

To mark the laboratory's fifth anniversary, Talents Fire!! is also being launched, a catalogue featuring the talents who have taken part in its previous editions. It will serve as a connection and networking tool to showcase their work. “With almost 100 young professionals and more than 40 documented projects, the directory aims to foster industry connections and create new opportunities for creators working from diverse and committed perspectives,” concludes José Gil, Coordinator of Fire!! Lab.

The selected projects:

Feature Films

Tetio - Sergio Avellaneda Belmonte (Spain)
Production: Debut Films

Protuberancia - Mire Ibars (Spain)
Production: Opening Nights

Las manos quietas - Víctor Diago (Spain)
Production: Boogaloo Films

El participio del verbo oír - Miguel Machetti (Spain)
Production: Ángeles L. Guerrero

Sin pecado concebidas - Raquel Colera, Claudia Barthelemy, Jennifer de la Rosa (Spain)
Production: Mayéutica Producciones

Series

El año de la envidia (Spain)
Screenwriters: Kevin Rodrigo Pérez, Lucía Pérez Oroz

A solas en todas partes (Spain)
Screenwriters: Isabel Luque Garramiola, Camila Pineda Virgen

Cercanías (Spain)
Screenwriters: Manu Roma, Clàudia Manero

El último hetero (Spain)
Screenwriters: Marta Lario Ruiz

Por tu propia culpa (Spain)
Screenwriters: Enrique Huelva Jiménez

(Translated from Spanish)