Netflix : opens debate about the importance of Brazilian storytelling, with focus on development and new creators →

Sao Paulo, November 23, 2021 - Reinforcing the commitment to bring More Brazil on Screen Netflix will invest in the development of approximately 40 ideas in 2022 to promote more Brazilian stories to entertain all audiences across Brazil. The announcement was made at an event of the same name this Tuesday, with the participation of more than 25 actors, creators, Netflix executives and key industry players, who debated challenges and opportunities for a more robust and diverse local industry. The event marks five years of Netflix's local production, taking Brazilian stories to the world.

"We are doubling down our efforts in Brazil with an amazing local team made up of the best creative, production and post-production executives to support the extraordinary production ecosystem in Brazil, with the goal to bring more Brazilian stories to your screens. We want to provide a platform for diverse Brazilian talent to tell their stories, both behind and in front of the camera," said Francisco Ramos, Vice President of Latin American Content for Netflix.

New voices and perspectives on Brazil were raised during remarks by industry players, as they addressed the opportunities brought by the moment of increased growth and demand for Brazilian content in the audiovisual sector. Rodrigo Antonio (APAN), Mauro Garcia (BRAVI), Leonardo Edde (SICAV), Belise Mofeoli (writer), Paulo Rogério Nunes (AFRO.TV), and Ana Luiza Azevedo (Casa de Cinema de Porto Alegre) reflected on the need fordecentralizationin the creation and production of stories, the role of streaming to foster new genres and formats and the importance of representation to reflect the country in its entirety.

"Brazilians want more stories told by different voices that reflect their lives, their roots and ancestry...to find characters and plots with which to identify and to see the diversity of Brazil on screen. That's why our ambition is to make more stories made by us and for us, and our success will depend on the ability to deliver the best version of those stories so that they connect with more audiences across Brazil," commented Elisabetta Zenatti, Vice President of Brazilian Content for Netflix.

Zenatti also celebrated the renewal of Sintonia, Love is Blind Brazil and Too Hot to Handle Brazil; new productions like The Nutty Boy and Wake up, Carlo, the first of the Brazilian kids and family offering; Biônicos, sci-fi and action movie from Afonso Poyart, and a brand new Christmas film starred by GKAY, Sérgio Malheiros and Vera Fischer. New behind-the-scenes images were also revealed for action film Overhaul alongside details of a new limited series drama, Todo dia a mesma noite, inspired by the book of the same name about the real life tragedy of the Boate Kiss fire. Leandro Hassum, Whindersson Nunes and Rodrigo Sant'Anna also announced their new comedy projects first hand during the event.

"The challenge for me is to always be truthful, human and sincere - and to be simple. Sometimes we are looking for adornments for a story, and the most important is to be real. I think the power of Netflix to speak to so many countries makes it so that I look deeper inside myself. I know our stories are so beautiful and powerful that we have to show them to the world. This individuality is what makes us one, and this is my biggest challenge here at Netflix," reveals the actor, screenwriter and producer Rodrigo Sant'Anna.

Please see HERE the full list of new Brazilian productions announced during the event and download photos and videos

In addition to the upcoming slate, Zenatti spoke to the path Netflix will need to travel to meet the demand for an ever-increasing variety of Brazilian stories. The first step forward will be a focus on development, a stage previous to production that allows creators to further develop the story ahead of the decision to greenlight. In 2022, Netflix will develop 40 new ideas, between films, series, realities and documentaries. The second path forward is investment in the next generation of creators, through programs such as the Colaboratório Criativo, a collaboration between AFAR Ventures and WIP with funding from Netflix. Screenwriter Marina Luísa commented on her experience developing her original idea in the lab's second year: "Everything we learned was very enriching, from the classes to the mentoring and masterclasses.Everything was really preparing us to be competitive in the market and to know exactly what the industry is looking for and how can we connect our willingness to tell original stories to what the audience has been looking for and wanting to watch. I really hope that other people have this opportunity to believe in their dreams and to see themselves as professionals that the market needs to hear."

Creators who already work with Netflix, Carina Schulze (Menino Maluquinho), Carlos Saldanha (Invisible City), Fernando Meirelles (Two Popes, 7 Prisoners), Paula Cosenza (É o Amor: Família Camargo) and Rodrigo Sant'Anna (A Sogra que Te Pariu) spoke about developing for streaming and how great ideas are born across different formats.

"7 Prisoners wouldn't have had this result without the debate and exchange of ideas with Netflix. It was a very enriching process. There was a big partnership, from the script development to the aesthetic choices, and now we see that it worked," states filmmaker Fernando Meirelles.

"The tip for anyone producing with Netflix is ​​to be open, to listen. A recommendation [I received]...was don't try to create a project for the international market, the more local it is, the more the chances of it traveling. That's the beauty of how Netflix produces: it's a place of content from the world to the world," he adds.

7Prisoners is one of the many Brazilian stories that are also traveling beyond boundaries, having ranked #2 in the Top 10 Global List for Non-English Films in its first week. At the event, Reed Hastings spoke to the opportunity created when global audiences have access to Brazilian stories and reinforced Netflix's commitment to continue taking More Brazil to the World.

Reed Hastings Video HERE

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