Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress (MWC), the globe’s premier event for the mobile technology industry, is set to play a starring role in a new international thriller series. Titled ‘Day One’, the six-part drama will use the high-stakes environment of the annual Congress as the backdrop for a story of technological peril and personal redemption. The series is scheduled to launch globally on Prime Video on 13 March, with a later release on the Catalan public broadcaster 3Cat under the title ‘Dia U’.
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For two decades, the MWC has transformed Barcelona into the epicentre of global innovation each year, a milestone the city is already preparing to celebrate. This decision to set a major television series within the event highlights its international significance and deep integration with the city’s identity. The plot centres on Ulises Albet (Álex González), a reclusive computer prodigy who turned his back on the tech world following the tragic death of his sister a decade earlier.
A Return to the Fray
The narrative kicks off when Ulises is drawn back to the MWC by a desperate call from a former partner and friend, Samuel Barrera (Asier Etxeandia). Barrera warns of an imminent catastrophic global threat. This forces Ulises to confront his past, navigate the latest technological advancements, and grapple with a fundamental question: how far can innovation go before humanity is lost? The series also stars Alba Planas, who joins a prominent cast that includes a wealth of Catalan talent, such as Jordi Mollà, Ivan Massagué, David Selvas, and Peter Vives.
According to a report in Ara Cat, producers see the series as a significant opportunity to showcase Barcelona globally. Beyond the Congress itself, held at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, filming has taken place at some of the city’s most emblematic hubs of science and technology.
Barcelona’s Tech Landmarks on Screen
The series takes viewers inside several key locations that define Barcelona’s status as a tech capital. These include the awe-inspiring Barcelona Supercomputing centre (BSC-CNS), home to the MareNostrum supercomputer housed in a former chapel, and the ALBA Synchrotron, a particle accelerator used for cutting-edge scientific research.
Other notable settings include the Norman Foster-designed Torre de Collserola telecommunications tower, which offers panoramic views from the Serra de Collserola Natural Park, the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the Mirador Torre Glòries, and the sprawling 22@ innovation district.
The series consists of six 45-minute episodes, directed by Marta Pahissa and Víctor Cuadrado from a script by Cristina Pons, Luis Arranz, Luis Moreno, and Juan Salvador López. It is a co-production by Zebra Producciones, NewCo Audiovisual, and Documentales en Canarias SL. Crucially, the production also involves the Barcelona Mobile World Capital Foundation as an associate producer, with participation from 3Cat, underscoring the collaborative effort between entertainment and the city’s strategic tech initiatives.
With its worldwide distribution on Prime Video, ‘Day One’ is poised to introduce a massive international audience not only to a tense thriller but also to the real-world infrastructure that makes Barcelona a leading European centre for technology and research.
