Ventana Sur SoloSeries: Netflix, Some of Chile’s Finest Producers, & Web Series From Ultra New Talent
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Featuring a women screenwriters pitching session sponsored by Netflix, the biggest fiction series commissioner in Latin America, Ventana Sur has added this year a big spread from Chile’s TV agency Consejo National de Televisión, which could be a reaction to global platforms pulling out of Chile.
In terms of original titles there’s good word on Colombia’s Laura Otálora (“Impermanence”) and Argentina’s Carlos Lascano (“Lina”). Talent track records vary from the multiple near neophytes pitching in Tuesday’s Flixxo session, to name producers in the CNTV spread, from Gabriela Sandoval on “Box 205” and Leonera González on “Dangerous Love.” The CNTV showcase also features animation hit “Petit.”
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A quick breakdown of titles:
Netflix
“Divorce Hotel,” (“Hotel de Divorcio,” Guadalupe Yepes, Gabriela Tagliavini, Argentina)
The latest from Yepes, winner of SoloSeries’ 2022 BBC Studios award with “Fugitives” and Tagliavini (“Christmas with you”). In this project, a jaundiced divorce attorney with anger issues gets a job at Divorce Hotel, touting 48-hour, stress-free annulments, and offering a little encouragement when needed for couples to cut the knot. Tagliavini and Yepes are co-producing and co-writing the series.
“Ivory Tower,” (“Torre de Marfil,” Vanessa Tomasino, El Salvador)
A political action drama with Isadora Lopez-Rodríguez, a second generation Salvadoran American, is hired by a unit of the U.S. government to investigate a series of assassinations in he homeland, which she’s never visited. The mission, however, is a set-up. Creator Tomasino had a guest role in Netflix’s “Virgin River.”
“Numana,” (Soledad Velasco, Jesica Urán, Argentina)
Created by Argentine writers Arán (“Pájaros Negros”) and Velasco (Disney+’s “Dreaming High”) and backed by Chile’s Clara Films and Barcelona-based VFX studio Unbound Hub, a dystopian drama pitched at Conecta Fiction about two custom-made babies, now adults, rebel against the company, Numana, which manufactured them.
“Impermanence,” (“Impermanentes,” Laura Otálora, Colombia)
A journey across Latin America exploring women’s takes on menstruation and how they perceive their feminity, the synopsis reads. From Laura Otálora, director of “Chef’s Diaries: Scotland” and“Distil Your World,” on Prime Video and Filmin, as well as the content director of the Apichatpong Weerasethakul Lab.
“Murder Between Shoots,” (“Asesinato Entre Cámaras,” Anna Grajales, Mexico)
From Grajales, co-writer on Wattpad Webtoon Studios’ “Perfectos Mentirosos,” and writer of two episodes of Netflix’s “Cindy La Regia: The High School Years,” a TV-set comedy thriller as a reality show contestant is murdered and Lina, a borderline emo make up artist is blamed.
Flixxo Projects
“Apparently,” (“Aparentemente,” Carlos Indriago: prod: Carlos Indriago: Spain)
An omnibus of short stories, focusing on characters during a crucial day of their lives. From Indriago, a Spanish-Venezuelan actor (“Merlí: Sapere Aude,” “Las Invisibles”), producer (“La noche del crocodile”) and budding screenwriter (“Las Realidades de Lola”).
“Callback,” (Dir: Juan Francisco Chapur; prod: Agustin Maradel, Argentina)
Walter, 33, attends a casting session for a commercial, buts heads with Gaspar (45), the psychotic owner of Polilla Casting. A suspense comedy.
“Excursionists,” (“Excursionistas,” Writer: Florencia Pessarini; Prod: Clara Gonzalez Bunster, Argentina)
Two friends find a new business line, picking up things left by exes in a former school bus. Written by Pessarini, a former producer for Australia’s ABC TV; Al Jazeera and Paramount.
“Fuzzy,” (“Cabezon”; Sebastián Ortiz, Cristian Fernandez Scriva; prod: Romina Iacono; Argentina)
After breakup, Iván finds relief in the company of Fuzzy, a monster which personifies his feelings. Iacono’s first project as an executive producer.
“I Have a Whale Inside Me, and I Want to Charge It Rent”: writer: Ladislao Gigli La Manna; prod: Jeronimo Geldart, Argentina)
Minnie, 18, is diagnosed with a lung tumor.
“The Magical Jonsons,” (“Los Mágicos Jonson,” Franco Dadone, Peru) Helmed by Dadone, behind short “Corte’ and co-creator of “Fauna,” a fantasy with three friends discovering the secret to magic. Their use, however, just cause bigger problems.
“Non Essentials,” (“No Esenciales,” Ignacio Pozzi; prod: Lucía Corral; C.A.S.A Productora, Argentina)
Opened by Pozzi, whose “Gordo “(San Martin Theater) won 2021’s Portraits of Masculinities Contest. Paloma, the long owner of the Boedo theater, gets together the cast of the play that ran there to re-stage and save Boedo from going to the wall.
“Setbacks,” (“Contratiempos,” Ezequiel Landritsky, Argentina)
A comedic thriller anthology of shorts about people locked in potentially explosive conflicts. From Argentine stand-up Landritsky, creator of “Open Theatre,” a 2022 cable TV Martín Fierro winner.
“Unfollow,” (“No Me Sigas,” Author: Raul Riquelme; Prod: Valentina Vio; Company: La Vieja Rara Producciones, Chile)
After her ASMR YouTube cannel shutters, Leticia decides to embody her character on social media, which leads her to fall victim of her own lies. From Chilean playwright and screenwriter Riquelme, and producer Valentina Vix, behindA rape-revenge body horror thriller “The Whisperer,” in Blood Window Lab.
CNTV TITLES
“Mama Gol” (Claudio Del Valle; prod:Ignacio Aliaga Romero; Mas Cine and TVM, Chile)
After an accident, a nurse is charged with training the local soccer team. She’s quickly confronted by resounding macho attitudes, eventually facing the club’s owners and taking players, and the neighborhood, on a journey away from their collective ignorance.
“Quique H Detective” (Writer: Sergio Gómez; Dir: Javier Cabieses; prod:Ignacio Aliaga; Polosur Motion Graphics SPA, Chile)
Charismatic Quique Hache lives a double life after completing online courses to become a private investigator. With his family in the dark, he sets out to commandeer interesting cases while trying to maintain his down-to-earth facade.
“Foremothers” (“Ancestras,” Author: Camila Rodó Carvallo; Dir:Eva Vera Cuadra; prod: Daniela Olivares Herrera; La Alborada Films, Chile)
Honoring the emancipation of women in Chile, the documentary curates voices from various generations to trace the trajectory, laying bare the memory of a feminist resistance that remains relevant to this day.
“Wonderful Woman” (“Extraordinarias,” Author and Prod: Susana Espinoza Garcia; Dir: Guillermo Helo, Juan Oliver; Producciones Audiovisuales Altiro (Altirosapiens), Chile)
A documentary series that centers strength while addressing the discrimination faced by disabled Latin American women, who work double time to fight the stigmas associated with their gender and disability to achieve their dreams.
“Sissi and César” (Gabriela Villalobos, Sebastián Bisbal, Ignacio Mardones; Prod: Allan Bortnic; Tres Tercios, Chile)
An animated adventure feature that follows two Rainbow-hued penguins and their animal kingdom pals as they travel the globe to recover nature’s colors, increasingly fading due to an expanding chromatic crisis that’s turning the world gray.
“Kalkutún: Trial of the Witches” (“Kalkutún: Juicio a los brujos,” Jorge Olguin; Prod: Carol Campos; Olguinfilms, Chile)
Inspired by real events, a disturbing murder on the island of 1879 Chiloé triggers an investigation of a coven by a young prosecutor, who questions his sanity as he dives deeper into the witches’ underworld. The four-episode series is now in pre-production.
“Box 205” (“Habitación 205,” Pablo Díaz Del Río; Prod: Gabriela Sandoval; Río Estudios, Storyboard Media, Chile; Magma Cine, Argentina)
Two decades after the suspicious death of former President Frei, his daughter Carmen starts a perilous investigation to prove that Gen. Pinochet ordered intelligence agents to assassinate her father. 4 x 40” episodes. In development.
“The Summit” (“La Cima,” Alison Rose; Prod: Romina Cano; Sónica Films, Chile)
From the producers of documentary “Kadima, el tiempo contenido.” The 8 x 30” episodes chronicle the Rubin Observatory’s history, from inception to the installation of the world’s largest camera by 2025, exploring the conflicts and challenges faced by the $1.5 billion project. In development.
“Asphalt Farmers” (“Agricultores del asfalto,” Paulina Ferretti; Prod: Daniel Rebolledo; Diente de León Prods.,Chile)
Amidst the ongoing environmental, health, and economic crises in major cities, six Latin American urban farmers are sharing their stories about battling for their communities’ food sovereignty. 6 x 25” episodes. In development.
“Arrau” (“Arrau,” Cristian Vega, Prod: Daniel Rebolledo Parra; Reinos Cine, Chile)
The 4 x 40” episode historical docu series delves into the intertwining of humanity and music, portraying the life of Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau León. An archetypal figure of the Romantic era, Arrau’s life in music unfolds across the 20th century. In development.
“Petit,” (Chile; prod: Pájaro)
Going from strength to strength, “Petit” is a charming series based on Argentine author Isol’s beloved books. It follows the imaginative adventures of Petit, a child whose everyday experiences turn into extraordinary journeys. Currently in its third season, the series continues to captivate young audiences, having won Prix Jeunesse Latinoamérica : Award for best TV series in 2019.
“The Invisible Travelers,” (“Los viajeros invisibles,” Chile; prod: The Magic Factory Producciones Limitada)
This studio has declared interest to export elements of Chilean traditional culture internationally through their work. In the heart of this animated series, a group of goblins and elves find themselves unexpectedly aboard a 19th-century ship bound for the colonization of southern Chile. As involuntary passengers, these magical beings embark on a journey fraught with peril and adventure in a strange new land.
“Robinsones,” (Chile; prod: Motorfilms Ltda.)
A drama-comedy starring “Money Heist’s” Itziar Ituño that spins the tale of a family stumbling upon a fortune, a $200 million fortune. “We don’t have a plan” a character says in the trailer. This unexpected treasure launches them into choppy challenges. Written and directed by Marcos Moreno known for his doc “Assault to Freedom,” and produced by Chilean TV+ exec Juan Diego Garretón.
“Dangerous Love,” (“El peligro de quererte,” Chile; prod: Parox S.A.)
Set in the romantic yet turbulent era of the 1950s, “Dangerous Love” delves into the forbidden love affair of Alba and a Zahira. As their passion unfolds, they find themselves entangled in a web of secrets and danger given Zahira’s drug clan family background. Currently in development, this series is written by Leonora Gonzalez whose extensive work in series production (“Allende: The 1,000 Days”) should stand it in good stead.
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