14/02/2024 - Carmen Machi is toplining the Movistar Plus+ original series, a co-production with The Mediapro Studio set to be helmed by Catalan filmmaker Elena Trapé

Carmen Machi (whom we’ve seen recently in flicks such as Piggy [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Carlota Pereda
film profile], Rainbow [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] and The Volunteer [+see also:
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film profile] as well as in series of the likes of La Mesías [+see also:
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series profile] and The Girls at the Back) will topline the cast of Celeste, the new original series by Movistar Plus+ created by successful screenwriter Diego San José, who is famous for the trilogy Vote for Juan, Vamos Juan and Venga Juan [+see also:
trailer
series profile] (winners of the Feroz Award for Best TV Comedy in 2021 and 2022), and who teamed up with Borja Cobeaga to pen the storylines for movies such as The Friend Zone [+see also:
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interview: Borja Cobeaga
film profile], No controles [+see also:
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film profile], Spanish Affair [+see also:
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film profile], Bomb Scared [+see also:
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film profile] and Superlópez [+see also:
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film profile].

In charge of directing its six episodes is Elena Trapé, the helmer behind Blog [+see also:
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film profile], Distances [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Elena Trapé
film profile] (winner of the Biznagas for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Málaga Film Festival) and The Enchanted [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] (with which she returned to the Southern Spanish festival last year, once again going home with the Best Screenplay gong). The Catalan filmmaker has also directed episodes of various series, such as Rapa [+see also:
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series profile], Elite and HIT.

The story – which brings to mind a certain, high-profile case in which an accusation of tax evasion was levelled at a famous female singer – introduces us to Celeste, a huge Latin music star. Her songs are a global phenomenon, her concerts pack out entire stadiums, she has her own brand of perfume, her own line of lingerie and long, flowing hair that she uses to promote her own shampoo. But this series is not about her; the real protagonist is Sara Santano, a revenue agent who has dedicated her entire life to collecting taxes. This is the only thing she has done ever since she passed the public exams as a twentysomething – until now, the moment when, after more than 30 years faithfully serving the tax agency, she can take early retirement. Or so she thinks. Because on her last day at work, she receives the most important assignment of her career: proving that Celeste is a resident of Spain and, therefore, is obliged to pay her taxes in the country, which amount to around €20 million. To pull this off, Sara will have to put her own life on hold to investigate Celeste’s and prove that she spent 184 days (half the year plus one day) in Spain.

For the actress, who won a Goya Award for the aforementioned Spanish Affair, stepping into the shoes of a sullen individual such as this “has been an immense gift […]. When Diego called to tell me that he’d written something with me in mind, I was extremely excited. He’s created a character replete with silences and a rich inner world. When Diego explained to me what the story was about, I was in stitches, even though it should be stated that it’s not a comedy,” sums up Carmen Machi.

For the brains behind all of this, Diego San José, “Celeste was born of the challenge of trying to make a dizzying thriller that would revolve around the most humdrum character I could possibly think of: a 60-year-old tax inspector who lives alone and has no special skills to speak of. Because the show attempts to be exactly that: an extreme pursuit to the limits, within the depressing world of a tax agency. It’s like Zodiac, but with income tax,” he quips.

Celeste is a Movistar Plus+ original (and will be available to watch on that same platform later this year) staged in co-production with 100 Balas (part of The Mediapro Studio). Its international sales are being entrusted to The Mediapro Studio Distribution.

(Translated from Spanish)