Content Americas Copro, Hispanic Kids Programming pitch winners revealed
L-R: Izen’s Sara Fernández-Velasco and Juliana Barrera, who won the factual category, with Henrique Oliveira and Pavel Cherepin, who won in drama
CONTENT AMERICAS: The winners of the inaugural Content Americas Copro Pitch and Hispanic Kids Programming Pitch have been announced, bringing C21’s hugely successful second edition of the Miami event to a close.
The Content Americas Copro Pitch 2024, which received around 80 submissions from prodcos across Latin America as well as countries such as Spain and Portugal, was open to scripted fiction and documentary producers looking for international coproduction partners.
Such was the strength of the pitches on Tuesday here at Content Americas that two winners were picked out of the eight pitches, one for drama and another for factual, with each winning a marketing package worth US$20,000 across C21Media’s digital, print and event products to support the development and pre-sale promotion of the show.
In the drama category, Two Nights in Lisbon (6×50′), described as a gripping political thriller and psychological drama, was the winner, with Portugal’s Hop Films and Heroes Film from Ukraine picking up the award.
Portuguese public broadcaster RTP has commissioned this adaptation of author Chris Pavone’s thriller novel, in which a woman’s life is thrown into turmoil when her new husband is abducted in Lisbon and his kidnappers say they will kill him unless a €3m (US$3.29m) ransom is paid.
Half of the project’s €12m budget has been secured, thanks to a €600,000 investment from RTP, €3m from PIC, a Portuguese public cash rebate and €2.4m from an international distributor. A three-month shoot is scheduled for spring 2025.
“It’s a complex, intelligent, multi-layered thriller filled with twists, turns, secrets and lies,” said Henrique Oliveira, who wrote all episodes alongside Pavone, having previously written, produced and directed Cuba Libre for Netflix in 2022.
In the factual genre, Farruquito, A Flamenco Story, a feature documentary produced by Izen Group-owned Capa in Spain, was the winner. The doc delves into the life and tragedy of a contemporary flamenco dancer from a renowned dynasty.
With a budget of US$1m and US company Jondo Productions on board as a minority partner, most of the funds have been raised and filming is already underway. However, Capa is still looking for copro partners and pre-sale window opportunities, with the aim of completing the project before the end of 2024. Igor Martinovic (Man on Wire) serves as cinematographer, wjuhile Romani activist and poet Noelia Cortes is creative consultant.
The jury said the “universal language of dance, transcending nationality and age, captivated our hearts through its authentic story and passionate pitch.”
The pitch judges were Erik Barmack, CEO of Wild Sheep Content; Marina Williams, co-founding partner/co-CEO at Asacha Media; Steve Matthews, content partnership executive at Banijay; Georgina Gonzalez, director of global scripted series at Universal International Studios; and Karina Dolgiej, VP of content sales at BBC Studios Latin America and US Hispanic. The pitch was hosted by Small World IFT’s Tim Crescenti.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Hispanic Kids Programming Pitch, which beat off competition from six other projects to receive a marketing package worth US$20,000, was The Ballad of the Phoenix from Cinema Fantasma in Mexico.
The Ballad of the Phoenix is an animated fantasy film about a goblin princess who must decide whether to save her dying father the king or save the kingdom from his tyrannical reign.
It is written, directed and produced by Cinema Fantasma co-founder Roy Ambriz, who hopes the film will be picked up by OTT platforms and movie theatres globally. Some 43%, or US$1.2m, of the total budget is still required, after funding commitments from fellow Mexican companies Cine Vendaval and Mr Woo.
“After a great debate, we unanimously selected one project that we think can travel globally but is grounded in a rich foundation of our Hispanic and Latin American culture, story and art, executed with incredible passion, craftmanship and high quality,” said the jury.
Ambriz said: “The Ballad of the Phoenix is a moving story that teaches kids and families about magic, imagination and adventure, as well as lessons on growth, family, change and responsibility. The animation market in Mexico is very limited. By making more animated films and stories for children by Mexican creators, [animation] will be boosted and seen as a more important medium.”
The jury was made up of Adriano Schmid, VP of content at PBS Kids; Adina Pitt, VP of content acquisitions, partnerships and coproductions at WarnerMedia Kids & Family; Agnes Augustin, president and CEO at Shaw Rocket Fund; Pablo Zuccarino senior VP and general manager of kids and animation, Latin America, Warner Bros Discovery; Josh Mandel, senior production executive for originals at Amazon Kids+; and Agustina Dompé, senior manager of content acquisitions at The Walt Disney Company Latin America.
