Spanish subscription television network Movistar Plus will premiere El Castillo on October 8, releasing a six-episode drama series that examines human trafficking and prostitution networks across Spain.
The original production stars Raúl Arévalo, Omar Ayuso, Valentina Vidal, and Laia Marull. Viewers can now watch the first preview of all six episodes following the release of the official trailer.
The series is adapted from the non-fiction book El Proxeneta by author and campaigner Mabel Lozano, drawing on investigative material about organized sexual exploitation.
In the official trailer, Arévalo appears with a noticeable change of look to play the leader of a roadside club where women arriving from all over the world are sexually exploited.
Ayuso plays Gerardo Liesa, a young police inspector who has newly joined the Central Unit for Illegal Immigration Networks and False Documents, known as UCRIF.
Liesa and his colleague Carmen Osés sense that something is changing in brothels throughout Spain, launching an investigation into the networks behind the establishments.
Their police work brings them to Claudia, an 18-year-old woman who recently arrived in Spain seeking a better future while leaving a young child behind in Colombia.
San Sebastián screening and production details
Before its television broadcast in October, El Castillo will hold its first official screening in the Official Section of the San Sebastián International Film Festival on Friday, September 25.
The San Sebastián International Film Festival is held annually in the coastal city of San Sebastián in the Basque Country of northern Spain. Established in 1953, it is widely regarded as the most prestigious film festival in the Spanish-speaking world and one of the major events on the European cinema calendar.
Screenwriters Isabel Peña and Eduardo Villanueva were tasked with bringing Lozano's non-fiction story to the small screen, writing the scripts across the six episodes.
Peña is an acclaimed Spanish screenwriter who previously won Goya Awards for her film work on projects such as The Realm and co-created the television drama series Antidisturbios.
Director Elena Martín Gimeno directed the first two episodes of the series as well as the two-part finale in episodes five and six.
Martín Gimeno is a Spanish film director and actress whose 2023 feature film Creatura won the Europa Cinemas Label award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Director Sandra Romero took charge of the middle portion of the series, directing episodes three and four.
The show was created as a joint collaboration between Movistar Plus, Caballo Films, and Mafalda Entertainment.
Caballo Films is an independent Spanish film and television production company known for producing acclaimed cinematic and television drama, while Mafalda Entertainment is an audiovisual production company specializing in documentary projects with social impact themes.
Cast and law enforcement background
Arévalo is one of Spain's most prominent film actors and directors. He gained national and international recognition for his leading role in the 2014 neo-noir thriller Marshland and won the Goya Award for Best New Director for his 2016 thriller feature The Fury of a Patient Man.
Ayuso gained global fame for his performance as Omar Shanaa in the hit Netflix teen drama series Elite, which became one of Spain's most watched international television exports.
Marull is an established Spanish actress who has won three Goya Awards during her career, including Best Actress for her performance in the 2003 drama film Take My Eyes.
Author Mabel Lozano is a Spanish filmmaker, writer, and activist who has dedicated much of her career to investigating human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, publishing El Proxeneta as part of her documentation of organized crime in Spain.
The law enforcement body featured in the series, UCRIF, is a specialized branch operating within the National Police Corps of Spain. The unit is tasked with combating illegal immigration, human trafficking, forced labor, and document forgery across Spanish territory.
Movistar Plus is the pay-television and subscription video service operated by Spanish telecommunications multi-national Telefónica, serving as one of Spain's primary commissioners of high-budget original fiction television series.
