32nd Miniput – Quality Television Showcase

The MINIPUT is the country’s only showcase dedicated to quality television. It is not a market. It is not a festival. It consists of sessions featuring screenings and debates with the people behind the year’s most innovative, provocative, educational, and public service-oriented television programs, and it has been held in Barcelona every December since 1994. The MINIPUT is organized following the model of INPUT (International Public Television), an international conference on public television held annually since 1978 that brings together professionals and scholars from around the world connected to the television industry.

Each year, national coordinators select the most appropriate programs for INPUT that were broadcast on their country’s public television during the previous year. The final selection takes place in Germany during February. During the INPUT event, these programs are screened and issues regarding public television programming are debated, but no awards are given and no competition is promoted.

The programs screened are those best suited to induce reflection due to their innovative or experimental approach, because they propose a new television format, because they use new technologies, or because they generated controversy in their country of origin. The MINIPUT, following the same philosophy, spirit, and structure, concentrates its programming into a marathon 12-hour session where 12 to 14 programs are presented: a selection of the highlights from the previous edition of INPUT along with the best of local television in a thematic session.

Schedules and Screenings

10:00
PRESENTATION
By Víctor Sala (national INPUT coordinator and MINIPUT coordinator).

10:10
THE GRANNIES OF AMSTERDAM
Netherlands, 30’, reality series, NPO Start
The Grannies of Amsterdam is a heartwarming reality series following five septuagenarian widows, friends for four decades, who prove that age is just a number. With very different lifestyles, opinions, and backgrounds, their bond and zest for life offer an inspiring perspective on aging, positioning the show as a public service response to the Real Housewives phenomenon.

10:20
SPECIAL SESSION:
VERTICAL AUDIOVISUAL
Participants: Joan Rosés (Clúster Audiovisual – editor of Switch Observatory), Dani Sama (KOKORO content creative producer), and Laia Medina (Deaplaneta Head of Content and Fiction Series). Driven especially by social media and mobile consumption, the vertical format is no longer just an adaptation of traditional audiovisual language; it introduces new ways of visual storytelling. In this session, we will explore how vertical formats are transforming content creation and consumption, discovering trends through successful case studies. A session to discover what happens when we stop rotating the screen and start thinking about vertical audiovisuals from scratch.

In collaboration with the Clúster Audiovisual de Catalunya.

11:30
SPECIAL SESSION:
INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDY: RED FLAG
Belgium, 17’, vertical drama, VRT Max
Participants: Alexander Van Damme (creator/producer) and Stijn Steyaert (creator/co-writer)
In Red Flag, the digital life of David, a 39-year-old advertising executive, suddenly falls into the hands of Luna, a 23-year-old student, transforming a game of attraction into an uncomfortable reflection on power and intimacy. The series is experienced entirely from the perspective of Luna’s phone, delivering an immersive experience that questions privacy and our digital identity. The screening will be accompanied by a case study presented by its creators.

12.15
THE LIE IN YOUR FEED. DANGEROUS ADVERTISEMENTS
Denmark, 30’, documentary, DRTV (P3TV)
Presented by: a UOC student
In this five-episode documentary series, investigative journalist Amanda Schmidt analyzes the gray areas and lack of transparency within the influencer industry. The show investigates the contractual deals behind advertisements for cosmetic surgery and weight loss products on social media, highlighting the influence certain industries exert over what we think and buy.

12:45
SPECIAL SESSION:
INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC TELEVISION
Participants: RTVE Catalunya & NSN Media, Betevé & Ottokar, XAL, and 3cat.
From one-hour continuous tracking shots to AI-generated recreations of Antoni Gaudí’s era, public broadcasters establish innovation as a core identity of their programming.

13.30
IS ANYONE HERE AN ARCHITECT
Denmark, 48’, format, DR
Architect and host Ane Cortzen investigates Denmark’s construction scandals with humor and indignation, searching for buildings that genuinely improve citizens’ lives. In this episode, she travels to Aarhus to examine the controversy surrounding the Unity skyscraper, an omnipresent architectural tragedy that has sparked widespread public dissatisfaction.

14.00
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE FROM PUBLIC BROADCASTERS

IN BEIJING’S CROSSHAIRS
Canada, 39’, documentary, ICI Radio-Canada Télé
In Beijing’s Crosshairs investigates the mysterious death in Canada of Hua Yong, a political dissident targeted and monitored by the Chinese government. Through the testimony of a former spy and secret communications, the production reconstructs the case to expose the clandestine operations of China’s secret police.

THE ISOLADO REEMERGE: UNKNOWN DEPTHS OF THE AMAZON
Japan, 49’, documentary, NHK
This documentary from Japanese broadcaster NHK follows the reemergence of the Isolado, an Amazonian indigenous tribe isolated from modern civilization that has resurfaced after years, initiating attacks on local communities. Through a year of filming in Peru, the report uncovers the hidden conflict in the heart of the jungle and exposes the impact of modern expansion.

15.30
THE SODAEMUN PRISON: SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY FOR THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF LIBERATION DAY
South Korea, 61’, experimental musical documentary, MBC
Created for the 80th anniversary of Korea’s Liberation Day, this musical docudrama (yes, a musical docudrama) personifies the Seodaemun Prison as the narrator of its own history as a center of imperial control. Through musical sequences, the production translates undocumented fear and repression into art, paying tribute to the victims and reflecting on dignity and freedom.

16.30
THE KANKURANG BOY, THE WHALE AND THEIR FRIENDS / PACITERANGA BETWEEN TWO SEAS
Colombia, 23’, animation & documentary, Telepacífico
A observational documentary where two groups of children from Colombia and Senegal overcame distance and language barriers to co-create the animated short film The Kankurang Boy, the Whale and Their Friends. Through video calls, drawings, and stop-motion, the production showcases the collaborative creative process of these young creators and their ability to connect through imagination.

17.00
WORKING ON RECONCILIATION
Presented by students from UPF

EL OTRO LADO DE LA MESA / THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE
Basque Country, 28’ (excerpt), factual series, EITB
El otro lado de la mesa is a format that brings together two strangers with opposing views over a meal to debate complex ethical and social issues. Accompanied by journalists and psychologists, the show prioritizes empathy, dialogue, and reflection over sensationalism, demonstrating the value of public television in fostering mutual understanding.

TWO CIGARRETTES
Poland, 55’, documentary, TVP
Unable to get over his father’s brutal murder, director Rafał Łysak embarks on a personal journey to confront the young man responsible for the crime and try to comprehend the tragedy. Through intense and intimate encounters, the documentary explores the boundaries of forgiveness, pain, and loss, blurring the lines between victim and perpetrator as both confront the consequences of irreversible violence.

18.20
HISTORICAL SERIES THAT MIRROR THE PRESENT:
Presented by: Carmen Fernández (screenwriter and professor for the GAC Screenwriting Master’s Degree (UB-UdL))

VARIOLA VERA
Poland, 47’, drama series, TVP1
In Variola Vera, a thriller set in 1963 Wrocław, a smallpox outbreak forces the city into total lockdown just as intelligence officer Łucja Winter returns from a secret mission. While a medical team heroically fights the virus, a journalist investigates the hidden origins of the epidemic in a story of sacrifice, truth, and moral courage under the communist regime.

V DE VERGÜENZA
Colombia, 13’, format, VRT
This period mini-series set in 1980s Medellín illustrates the onset of HIV/AIDS from an intimate and human perspective. The plot follows a group of young people who find in literature, friendship, and affection forms of political resistance against the stigma, fear, and social exclusion of the era. The screening will be followed by a discussion moderated by Carmen Fernández.

19.40
FICTION:

ADDIS LOVE
Ethiopia, 56’, drama series, WAG Entertainment
Addis Fikir/Addis Love is an anthology series exploring life, love, and human relationships in a constantly transforming Addis Ababa. In episode 6 (Mereba), four siblings reunite during the seven-day mourning period for their father’s death, confronting old traumas and unresolved emotions as they attempt to find a path toward reconciliation and healing.

THE OUTLAW DOCTOR
Taiwan, 53’, drama series, PTS
In Taiwan, an undocumented Vietnamese doctor clandestinely treats migrant workers to pay for his mother’s medical expenses. After caring for victims of an explosion, he is falsely accused of murder and forced to flee, plunging into the dangerous world of human trafficking to survive and return home.

21.30
NARVA VENICE
Estonia, 28’, documentary, PÖFF
Presented by: a UAB student
This documentary portrays the coexistence between residents of the Kulgu area —on the border between Estonia and Russia— and creators hosted at the Narva Art Residence. Through the experiences of three resident artists and the contrast with local life, the film captures community life and the search for inspiration in this unique place.