Studio TF1’s Madrid-based Kubik Films is currently working on a new boxing TV drama bioseries titled “Rosa,” with Spanish actress Ana Rujas set to take on the lead role. The project is one of the finalists competing at the Pitch Co-Pro Series event hosted by this year’s Conecta Fiction & Entertainment.
The series, created and written by María Cantuel and executive produced by Fernando Sánchez-Cabezudo, revolves around the life of María Jesús Rosa, a trailblazer in women’s boxing in Spain. Despite her remarkable achievements in the sport, Rosa was largely forgotten and unrecognized. She eventually retired from boxing when she became pregnant and tragically passed away from cancer in 2018 at the age of 44. Posthumously, she was honored with induction into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame.
“Rosa” aims to shed light on Rosa’s journey through a love story while addressing important social issues such as overcoming adversity and achieving success in a time when female accomplishments were not fully acknowledged in Spain during the 1990s and 2000s. The series also highlights the support Rosa received from four male figures who stood by her side until the end.
The project, which received the Lab Opera Prima prize from Barcelona film school Escac in 2024 and the Escac Award for Best Pitch at the Sitges Film Festival, is scheduled to be presented at the upcoming Conecta Fiction event. Kubik Films is hoping to secure international support for the series, as parts of the storyline take place in the U.S. and Germany.
“Rosa” will also touch upon Rosa’s fight for the world flyweight title against Germany’s Regina Halmich at the Karlsruhe Arena in Germany in 2005, a significant moment in her career that was watched by two million TV viewers in Germany but was not broadcast in Spain. The series aims to honor Rosa’s legacy and the struggles she faced as a female athlete in a male-dominated sport.
The ninth edition of Conecta Fiction & Entertainment, a prominent Europe-Latin America TV and networking forum, is set to take place from June 16-19 in Cuenca, Spain, just an hour away from Madrid. Stay tuned for more updates on the development of “Rosa” and its journey to international audiences.
