Producer Alba Haya talks new feature film ‘Incoming’
As a child, Alba Haya liked to paint impressionist paintings, playing with oil colors and learning from results to keep improving by painting. Now, as a producer, she finds she does the same thing with a different medium: she creates relatable content that make people become emotionally involved. For this Spanish native, producing films is like a modern way of painting; formulating an idea you have in your head, choosing the characters, locations, aesthetics, etc. She is a storyteller and captures her audience’s attention and hearts through her work.
With her work as a producer, Haya has total control when it comes to developing a new project, and that is what she loves. She enjoys seeing day by day how an idea transforms and converts into reality thanks to her team of collaborators. Her work makes her feel alive, and her talent has taken her far. She created her own production company in Spain and helped others find their passion in filmmaking.
“Producing is a lot of work and determination, but when you achieve what you aim for, you get enormous satisfaction. Also, talking about movies all the time is fun. I meet a lot of people and we spend hours talking about films. I feel very lucky to love what I do so much,” she said.
Earlier this month, Haya’s film Incoming hit theatres. In the film, the International Space Station is now a prison — the ultimate black site. No one’s getting out. And no one knows it’s there. But when the imprisoned terrorists take over the station and turn it into a missile aimed at Moscow, only a shuttle pilot and a rookie doctor can stop them. Their task is complicated by a rogue CIA agent (Scott Adkins) who has his own plans for the station and the terrorists within.
“I like the idea of being in a space shuttle, maybe one day we can be in space, so at the moment, working on a film about it is very exciting. In the movie, the most dangerous terrorists are in prison in space and they try to escape even if their lives are on the line, they have nothing to lose. I like that it’s a mix of science-fiction and action. It’s a great combination for everyone to enjoy,” she said.
Incoming was released in theatres on May 4th, 2018 in the United States, and will be making its way to Spain and Japan at the end of summer. It will also be released in a lot of countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe.
“The film has been sold all over the world; everyone has loved the concept and the idea. The action of the film is outstanding. The movements of the actors are very well done and clean. It’s an action film but it’s not violent per se, that’s why everyone likes it. You can enjoy the movie with your family,” Haya described.
As the producer, whenever Haya takes on a new film, she knows how vital it is to find worldwide distributors and raise money for production. For Incoming, Haya knew the action genre could sell everywhere, particularly in Asia. Therefore, she took on the responsibility for the sales in both Spain and Asia, using her immense contacts in the industry to help the film get off the ground. She has since sold it to China, Japan, India, Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, to name a few. This past week in Cannes, she showcased the trailer and sold rights to various North American theatres and VOD services.
“When you produce a film the most important part is to be able to distribute and sell it after it’s done. You can have a great film but if you don’t find distributors, no one will watch it. In order to recoup the money invested in the production, you have to sell it all over the world, in as many countries as you can,” she said.
Haya’s favorite part of working on the film was the amazing cast and crew. The film stars Scott Adkins (Doctor Strange) and Vahidin Prelic (Sword of Vengeance), and was directed by Eric Zaragoza (Jurassic School, The Last Heist).
“Eric is very good at what he does. He is able to inspire and motivate people when he is working. He is amazing at managing people and creating a nice atmosphere,” said Haya.
Undoubtedly, Haya is a force to be reckoned with in the industry. She has come a long way from the little girl that painted in Madrid, Spain, and is now a prominent producer. For those looking to follow in her footsteps, she offered the following words of encouragement:
“Do not see this as a job, see it as a passion and a way of life. You spend more hours at the office than with your family and you spend a lot of time talking with people that share the same passion as you. There is a lot of competition and only when you truly love what you do, you are able to excel from the rest. This is like a marathon, it takes time to prepare yourself and the key is being persistent and determined and never give up on achieving your goals. Follow your heart and instincts and everything will fall into place,” she advised.
Be sure to check out Incoming at a theatre near you.
