The Disney-backed “How to Be a Carioca,” from “Ice Age” creator Carlos Saldanha, and “Allende, the Thousand Days,” an adventurous Chilean-Spanish pick-up from Spanish pubcaster RTVE, will both world premiere at Iberscreenings, catching new evolution on the Spain-Portugal-Latin America TV scene.
A comedy, showrun by Saldanha, consolidating his exploration of live action after Netflix’s 2021 “Invisible City,” “Carioca,” whose first episode will be screened at I&PI, is produced by the Star Original Productions label, bowing soon on Star+ in Latin America and on the Walt Disney Company’s streaming services globally, such as Disney+ Spain.
An international co-production, “Allende, the Thousand Days” was originated by Chile’s Parox (“Invisible Heroes”), partnered by Spain’s Mediterráneo Media Entertainment and Argentina’s Aleph, Mente Colectiva and HD Argentina. A character focused chronicle of Allende’s three years in government before Pinochet’s 1973 military coup, the series has been acquired for broadcast by Chile’s TVN, RTVE in Spain and HD Argentina and Onza Distribution for international.
For eight years, growth on the Ibero-American TV scene has been driven by global streamers. Netflix, for example, released one Latin American title in 2015, 73 in 2022: Amazon bowed 4 titles in 2018, 23 in 2022, according to an Omdia analysis.
Now, however, production energies are more equally balanced between streamers, incumbents and new entrants.
Of the 11 new titles premiering or sneak-peeked at Iberseries, Amazon Studios or Prime Video is the biggest player, involved in four, led by Secuoya Studios’ “Zorro,” with Bernardeau as the masked Mexican, set to unveil first look excerpts in Madrid.
Yet Spain’s biggest players, broadcasters and pay TV, are re-energizing, re-setting VOD as a more central or the central part of their operations.
Both with series at Iberseries, Movistar Plus+ and Atresmedia reset their VOD operations this summer, Atresmedia relaunching its high-profile streaming service, Atresplayer, on July 5, Movistar Plus+ bowing an amped up OTT basic offer a few weeks later, available to non-Movistar telephony clients.
RTVE Play, RTVE’s VOD platform, also provides a ready first window for much, though not all, of its international co-production. The size of RTVE series bowing on it has escalated, José Pastor, RTVE’s director of film and fiction, has noted.
As streamers recalibrate production volume or downscale activity in smaller markets, more production companies are likely to explore international co-production, a route taken by both “Allende, The Thousand Days,” backed by broadcasters TVN in Chile, Spain’s RTVE and Argentina’s Channel 9, and “Godless João,” the latter hailed by Ventre Studio’s Paola Cosenza as one of the first independent Brazil-Portugal co-productions.
Production in Spain and Latin America is mixing it up.
A drill-down on titles:
Chapter One
A first episode of upcoming series:
“Allende, The Thousand Days,” (Parox, Mediterráneo Media Entertainment, Aleph, Mente Colectiva, HD Argentina, Chile, Spain, Argentina)
Starring the “reliably superb” Alfredo Castro as Allende, though hidden under heavy prosthetics, as Allende after becoming Chile’s first socialist government. “We want to show the president in his complexity” and the “light, joy, and hope” of his “left wing project, democratic, peaceful, with political and press freedoms,”showrunner Leonora González told Variety. Sold by Onza Distribution.
Allende, The Thousand Days
Courtesy of Parox
“Galgos,” (Movistar Plus+, Buendía Estudios)
A family business drama which is one of Spain’s big plays this fall Carmen Somarribia, co-heir of food giant Galgo which is in danger of going under, battles for the company’s control and survival. A top notch cast led by Adriana Ozores (“Velvet Collection”), directed by Felix Viscarret (“Patria”), Nely Reguera (“Welcome to the Family”).
“Godless João,” (“João Sem Deus,” (Ventre Studio, Brazil)
A first Brazilian series at Iberseries & Platino Industria and a flagship for pioneering independent production-distribution, created by Brazil’s Ventre Studio co-producing with Canal Brasil, TVI Portugal and Coral Europa. A three-part mini-series directed by Marina Person inspired by Brazil’s biggest modern-day sex scandal, focused on self-proclaimed psychic surgeon João de Deus.
“How To Be a Carioca,” (Star Original Productions, Brazil)
Starring Swell Ariel Or (“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem”), Débora Nascimento (“Brazil Avenue”) and Seu Jorge (“Marighella”), “Carioca” turns on an American writer needing a quick fix adaptation guide when he moves to Rio. Saldanha and co-creator Joana Mariani will feature on a panel for the show alongside Leonardo Aranguibel, VP of production, head of production operations and strategy, The Walt Disney Company Latin America.
Soon
First-look images, including excerpts, from upcoming series:
“Amar É Para os Fortes,” (Pródigo Filmes, Amazon Studios,Brazil)
The saga of two Black women from Rio lives intertwine forever when Cida loses her 11-year-old son, Sushi, to police violence. shot by Edna’s son, a policeman. Cida sees justice, helped by an artists community. From Pródigo (“Invisible City”), the final title in Amazon Studios’ first slate of scripted shows in Brazil, announced by Jennifer Salke in late 2019.
“Camilo Superstar,” (Atresmedia, Buendía Estudios, Spain)
The battle suffered by singer-songwriter Camilo Sesto in 1975 to stage “Jesucristo Superstar” in Spain while dictator Francisco Franco was still alive. The staging marked one milestone in Spain’s helter-skelter passage to modernity. Telefonica/Atresmedia j.v. Buendía produces for Atresplayer, Atresmedia’s adventurous SVOD service.
“Detective Touré,” (RTVE, Detective Touré AIE, Tornasol Media, DeAPlaneta, EITB, Spain)
Part of a build in lighter, episodic crime procedural dramas, turning on the charismatic Mahamoud Touré, a paperless immigrant in Bilbao, whose powers of education and wit make him the best detective in the city. Produced by Mariela Besuievsky and Elena Bort for Tornasol and DeAPlaneta respectively. Written by triple Goya Award winner David Pérez Sañudo (“Ane is Missing”) and Carlos Vila (“Laura’s Miracles”), adapting novels by Jon Arretxe.
“Los Farad,” (Mod Producciones, Prime Video, ESPotlight)
The first series from Mariano Barroso, after scoring with two titles with Movistar Plus: “What the Future Holds,” “La Línea Invisible.” “Los Farad” plumbs the bling-bling 1980s Málaga as Oscar dreams of opening a gym, but instead falls in with Sara Farad, a jet-set member and arms-trafficker. “Money Heist’s” Miguel Herrán stars. One of Prime Video’s biggest upcoming plays, also backed by Alejandro Amenábar producer Mod Producciones and ESPotlight, which teams with Legendary Ent.
“Memento Mori,” (Zebra Producciones, Amazon Prime Video, Spain)
A crime thriller adapting the first novel of César Pérez Gellida’s trilogy “Versos, canciones y trocitos de carne,” which sees a killer and the policeman pitted in a life-and-death duel. iZen’s Zebra Producciones produces. Yon Gonzalez (“Grand Hotel,” “Cable Girls”) stars. Zebra, part of the iZen Group, produces.
Memento Mori
Credit: Txuca Pereira/Zebra Prods/iZen
“Operación Barrio Inglés,” (RTVE, Onza Producciones, Emociona Media, Spain)
A genre-blending mix of WWII espionage thriller and across-the-tracks love story set in Andalusia’s Huelva, a singular mining enclave, produced by RTVE and regular partner Onza. Shot on sometime spectacular location. RTVE’s José Pastor, Onza’s Gonzalo Sagardia present at Iberseries.
“Zorro,” (Secuoya Studios, Spain)
The big one. Starring “Elite” lead Miguel Bernardeau, set to world premiere con Mipcom’s opening night. Mediawan Rights has dropped a very brief teaser. Madrid-based Secuoya now looks set to unveil what’s described as “the first shots” from the series in what looks like one of the highlights of Iberseries.
Prime Video has Latin America, U.S, Spain and Portugal, making the series available first half, 2024.