Netflix will produce its first Peruvian film

Over the years, the Peruvian film industry has managed to earn its place on the international stage. Films such as The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada), awarded at Berlinale in 2009 and nominated for the 2010 Oscar's, and the more recent box office hit Retablo, nominated for the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut, are proof that Peruvian film talent is already being exported.

The quality of the productions, the attractive local settings where they are shot, and the variety of Peruvian actors involved in the films have been enough to make the giant streaming platform Netflix extremely interested in producing two films in Peru.

Peru via streaming                                                                                      

The first film will be worked on with Tondero, and will be written by actor and filmmaker Bruno Ascenzo. It will tell the story of a successful Spanish architect who, after losing a tender in the hotel consortium created by his family, seeks to reinvent himself and travels to Peru to turn one of his most ambitious projects into a reality: building a seven-star hotel in the city of Cusco.

However, the architect didn’t anticipate that along the way he would encounter a mysterious and mystical woman – played by Peruvian actress Stephanie Cayo, with whom Ascenzo co-starred in the memorable telenovela Travesuras del Corazón in the 90s – who will steal his heart and help him to change his rigid outlook on life. A date hasn’t been set yet for its release, but it is expected that it will be for next year.

In this respect, the young filmmaker appeared very excited and grateful for the opportunity. And he said that he is working long and hard with the streaming giant so that the resulting film is on a par with the international productions that are shown by the site.

“I’ve sent them the storyline – to Netflix – the script, several versions. They’ve given me some suggestions, we worked together until we finally achieved a version of the script that we both like, and we are now starting pre-production," he said.

“The guys at Netflix are really involved with everything, casting, publicity, it's a team I'm just getting to know with huge logistics. I’ve enjoyed this process of working together, during which they’ve given me a lot of feedback, because a lot can be learned from these very capable people," he added.

Guerrero on Netflix

The legal battle that put Peruvian soccer captain Paolo Guerrero in the international spotlight after he was disqualified from playing in the Russia 2018 World Cup will also be brought to the entertainment platform.

The six-episode series will made by the Argentinean production house Torneos. This will be the first time that the story of a Peruvian player is brought to the screens of Netflix. As with the film made by Ascenzo, a release date has yet to be set.

Previous Peruvian participation on Netflix

In 2017, Netflix included Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez – owner, with his wife Pia León, of Central, considered one of the best restaurants in Latin America – in an episode of Chef’s Table, one of its most prominent culinary series.

Peruvian landscapes were also featured in the documentary Our Planet, which was narrated by internationally-renowned figures David Attenborough, Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz.

Details

Netflix has chosen to invest in world-class series, films and documentaries, and so far, they have had an important reception for its thousands of spectators worldwide.