Prime Video Spain is looking for local fiction that can travel, says head of scripted
María Contreras, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of scripted
CONECTA: Amazon Studios and Prime Video in Spain are seeking local content with global potential, according to Amazon MGM Studios’ head of scripted.
María Contreras, who has led the film strategy since 2021 and expanded her role in September last year to also include series, shared this vision at Conecta Fiction & Entertainment.
“What we’re looking for are stories that connect with the viewer, that connect with our audience, and, in our case, we also want stories that can travel from the local level and attract international audiences,” the executive explained.
Prime Video Spain has actually been achieving international hits with titles like Culpa mía (My Fault), which at the time became the most-watched non-English film in Prime Video history; its sequel Culpa tuya (Your Fault), which became the most successful international Prime Video original; and Apocalypse Z, which was the streamer’s second most-watched international production last year.
“Culpa mía and Apocalypse Z have shown that you can also do other types of genres, like horror, which also interests us,” she explained. “Really, what we want is to do something for everyone,” she added.
The executive cited as examples of this diversity titles such as the comedies En fin (Finally), A Hipster in Empty Spain and the drama La virgen roja (The Red Virgin), which had a run in cinemas before arriving on the platform.
“We want our originals to have a theatrical release, and we believe that’s the way forward. It’s important to us that each project has its own space,” Contreras said.
Another area in which Prime Video will continue to strengthen its strategy is youth content.
In addition to Culpa mía, Culpa tuya, and the yet-to-be-released Culpa nuestra, the platform is preparing other content in this vein, such as Dímelo bajito and Enfrentados, which also adapt stories that emerged on online platform Wattpad.
“I promise we don’t just do this,” Contreras joked. “Besides, youth isn’t a genre, it’s an audience, and in this segment we can include comedies like His Majesty, which was great for all audiences but also very youth-focused, or Journey to the End of Year.”
Insisting on the idea that they don’t just make young adult content, the executive explained that Prime Video is looking to balance its slate, which is also being worked on in conjunction with the acquisitions team.
“It’s important to understand the originals strategy alongside the acquisitions strategy. The two teams work together and view the strategy as a whole. So, when they get more comedies, we look for fewer. And if they don’t get horror, we start looking for horror,” she explained.
In that sense, the executive revealed that, currently, many comedies have arrived through acquisitions, so it’s a genre that’s not a priority right now.
“We work closely together to see what the service needs. Because in the end, we’re still a home of entertainment, a place where you can find a little something for everyone,” she concluded.
