25/07/2005 - An interview with María Arellano, communication manager

DeA Planeta, created in 2000, is now an important group of film and TV production and distribution companies in Spain and Portugal. DeAPlaneta is particularly focused on features and on the constitution of a catalog of fictions, documentaries, and children's programmes to be distributed in theatres, on television or on video. DeAPlaneta benefits from the union of the two entertainment and publishing companies who created it (DeAgostini and Planeta) as much as it contributes to it.

Cineuropa : Here in Spain, people keep harping on a 'film crisis' which is actually confirmed by the figures. Why did you pick Semen?
Maria Arellano: We elected Semen, a Love Sample mostly on account of the huge success of Daniela and Inés' previous feature, A mi madre le gustan las mujeres ('my mother likes women'), as well as for the numerous qualities of the project itself, for Semen is a funny and clever comedy where humour is used not only to make you laugh but also to serve the plot.

What is your strategy for the launch and release of this film? There is already word of mouth, besides its impact on television and on the radio. The biggest networks of exhibitors are already programming it. Everybody's expectations for are pretty high.
We invested a lot in this movie. In fact, the sums we dedicated to marketing and publicity are amongst the highest ever spent on a national production. As for the release, we have little choice, for 'platform' strategies are not costumary here —the number of copies is seldom augmented once the film is out, on the contrary. We will circulate 225 copies, which is one of the highest levels ever reached by a Spanish movie.