10 minute read
EVP of International Sales at Calinos Entertainment
from Mipcom 2020
by TodotvMedia
Interview Calinos Entertainment CALINOS PRESENTS TURKISH VERSION OF ‘THIS IS US’
José Luis Gascue, EVP of International Sales at Calinos Entertainment
‘Better Together’, the Turkish version of ‘This Is Us’, is one of Calinos Entertainment’s big new titles for the international market, as revealed by José Luis
Gascue, EVP of International Sales, to ttv.
By Gonzalo Larrea
@GonzaloLarrea glarrea@todotv.tv
As ‘Woman’ continues to flourish in the international market, Calinos Entertainment is already beginning to look to the future, with the addition of new titles to its distribution catalog.
In this regard, one of the company’s biggest new titles is ‘Better Together’ (‘Bir Aile Hikayesi’), the Turkish adaptation of ‘This Is Us’, which comes from its alliance with Fox Turkey.
“Fox has been distributing it internationally, but following the Disney acquisition, all sales business was paused. And now we will be in charge of distributing the series,” José Luis Gascue, EVP of International Sales at Calinos Entertainment, said to ttv
Produced by Med Yapim, the series’ cast is led by Celil Nalçakan, Songül Öden, Elçin Afacan and Olgun Toker, among others, and it aired in Turkey for two seasons in 2019.
“It’s a short series, with 55 episodes. It’s an adaptation of the script for ‘This Is Us’ from the US. It’s very well produced. It will be more accepted by Spanish-speaking audiences than the original is. Its characters and situations are more relatable for Latin audiences,” he explained.
According to the executive, it’s a series with a closed ending. tainment’s catalog is made up by some of its classic titles, starting with ‘Woman’, which has now been sold almost all over the world.
“It’s been sold in all of Latin America and Central Europe. There are still a few territories left in Central America: it’s only made it to El Salvador, Honduras and Panama. Now I would like for a network in Portugal to follow in Antena 3’s footsteps and air it. The same in Italy,” he explained.
Thus, the focus will now be ‘Forbidden Fruit’, which fell behind in terms of sales due to the groundbreaking success of ‘Woman’ and ‘Our Story’.
“It’s been scoring notable ratings in Turkey and it’s now in its fourth season. We still have some countries left to sell it in, because we had two very strong product ahead of it: ‘Woman’ and ‘Our Story’. There’s only a certain amount of product that networks can use at the same time,” he said.
In addition, Calinos is continuing with its format sales strategy, which in spite of the pandemic, continues to represent a good opportunity for growth.
“In Romania, we already adapted ‘Forbidden Fruit’ and we will start producing it now in Bulgaria,” he said.
love for someone in America to adapt it. I believe it would work extremely well,” he added.
In that case, would Calinos be a co-producer? “It’s not something we’ve ruled out, for us to be involved as co-producers if necessary. But normally we are selling the format under the normal model, as international distributors, etc,” he said.
The catalog of fresh new titles is completed by ‘No: 309’, a romantic comedy also from CALINOS SIGNS WITH ISRAEL’S The Turkish distributor announced an agreement with Israeli channel specialized in Turkish dramas, Turkish Dramas + Channel, owned by Achla TV. Under the new deal, Achla TV will be able to select up to 450 hours of content from the extensive Calinos catalog to air on its network. The first titles set to air in Israel as a result of this agreement are the family drama ‘Forbidden Fruit’ (currently in its fourth season), the romantic comedy ‘No: 309’, starring Furkan Palalı and Demet Özdemir, and more than 25 Turkish films in a wide variety of genres.
Our Story Drama
Fox, already sold in Spain and now waiting for its opportunity in Latin America.
“It’s a soft telenovela, a romantic comedy. There are countries that lean more towards romantic comedies and other that prefer content that’s purely drama,” he explained.
“There isn’t a space dedicated to Turkish romantic comedy per se in Latin America, but I think it’s something that can be created. Every now and then there’s a season for comedy in the region, and then the usual drama returns. We have to find that moment,” he
Better Together Drama
VOLUME DEAL ACHLA TV concluded.
IBEROAMERICA 10 BOOKS THAT WILL BECOME PREMIUM SERIES
Literature stands as one of the main sources of inspiration for TV series, with a recent rise in Spanish-language fiction series based on books. Personal discoveries, historic conflicts or journalistic investigations: up next, ttv highlights 10 projects from Latin America and Spain that will soon hit the small screen.
By Pina Mezzera
jmezzera@todotv.tv
Patria HBO Europe
Literature, a classic source of stories for audiovisual fiction, has experienced a revival in recent years as part of the avalanche of series in Spanish announced by production companies or screens.
In fact, in its Fresh TV Drama conference at MipCancun 2019, consulting firm The Wit highlighted as one of the three most nota
01 PATRIA Book: Patria, by Fernando Aramburu (2016) Country: Spain Producer: Alea Media Screen: HBO Europe 8 50-minute episode series. The highly anticipated original production by HBO Spain tells the story of the Basque Country, which for three decades was threatened by ETA’s separatist terrorism. Through its protagonists -two families divided by the consequences of terrorism- the fiction narrates how ordinary people live in the context of a conflict that, despite being local, has many elements in common with any confrontation in many parts of the world.
ble trends in Latin American fiction (along with co-production alliances and the export of scripted formats) the increase in series based on books, which already reached 9% of those produced in the region.
Faced with unprecedented levels of demand for new series, the commitment to best-sellers, classic works or unknown gems can mean, on the one hand, saving
02 LA AUTÉNTICA ODESSA Book: La auténtica Odessa: la fuga nazi a la Argentina de Perón, by Uki Goñi (2002) Country: Argentina Producer: BTF Media Screen: TBD The book is the result of a long investigation by Goñi, who had access to archives of the Argentine, Swiss, American, British and Belgian governments. It narrates the way in which Nazi high command found refuge in Argentina, and how way the escape mechanisms were organized, with the enthusiastic support of President Juan Domingo Perón himself.
time and taking a more measured risk, and on the other, having an audience in advance, as there is already a community of expectant readers.
In the following report, ttv presents 10 outstanding projects of Ibero-American series that are in different stages of development or production, and that are inspired by literary works.
03
INÉS DEL ALMA MÍA
Book: Inés del alma mía, by Isabel Allende (2006) Country: Chile, Spain Producer: Chilevisión, RTVE, Boomerang TV Screen: Amazon Prime Video, TVE, Chilevisión
In 8 episodes, the series tells the story of Inés Suárez, a young and audacious woman from Extremadura who sets sail for the New World in search of her lost husband on the other side of the Atlantic, with dreams of having a life of adventure. In the Indies she will discover the true love of her life, the famous Spanish conqueror Pedro de Valdivia. Together they will embark on an adventure that will make them the main architects of the birth of a nation. Her vital journey will transport the audience in time and space from Plasencia in the 16th century to the colorful viceregal Peru of Pizarro, through the wild jungles of Panama and the desolate beauty of the Atacama desert in Chile.
04 05 06
EL FILO DE TU PIEL
Book: El filo de tu piel, by José Ignacio Valenzuela (2006) Country: LatAm Producer: Sony Pictures Television Latin America Screen: TBD
An innocent trip to New York changes the life of Diego Valderrama, who in this city meets Ulises, a Puerto Rican who has survived the madness of the nights in Chelsea, the seductive New York neighborhood. What for Diego seems, at last, like he’s finding his place in the world, is transformed into a telluric love, which will lead him to rethink his self-esteem and his destiny. A novel that delves into a love disguised as definitive and a man in search of his identity.
NOTICIA DE UN SECUESTRO
Book: Noticia de un secuestro, by Gabriel García Márquez (1996) Country: Colombia Producer: Invercine & Wood, AGC Television Screen: Amazon Prime Video
Limited series of 6 one-hour episodes, based on the non-fiction bestseller by the legendary Gabriel García Márquez. It tells the thrilling, suspenseful story of the ordeal of a small group of individuals captured in 1990 by Colombian drug lords, and the extraordinary efforts of their loved ones to free them.
DIME QUIÉN SOY
Book: Dime quién soy, by Julia Navarro (2010) Country: Spain, US Hispanic Producer: DLO Producciones, Telemundo International Studios Screen: Movistar+, Telemundo
Series of 9 50-minute episodes. Through a book that he receives at his small publishing house, Javier will learn about the turbulent biography of Amelia Garayoa, a woman who, driven by her ideals, leaves her entire life behind to fight for freedom. Due to the encounter with the four men who mark her life, Amelia will be involved in the most relevant events in the history of the 20th century, from the Franco uprising to the liberation of Berlin; going through the communist rise in Stalin’s Moscow, the barbarism of the Warsaw of the ghettos, the Rome of the last years of the Duce or the decline of Nazi Germany in occupied Athens.
07
08
CORAZÓN SICARIO
Book: Corazón sicario, by Gibrán Valle Alarcón (2016) Country: Mexico Producer: Infinito Studios, Ledafilms Screen: TBD
Series of 8 one-hour episodes, based on true events. This thriller follows the story of a young Argentine intelligence agent, on a mission of redemption after he infiltrates a Jewish community for many years to gather information that is said to have later been used to carry out two of the worst terrorist attacks in the country. history of Latin America, leaving more than 100 dead. In 2015, David Jiménez was appointed editor of the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, after two decades covering conflicts, revolutions and natural disasters around the world. What seemed like an exciting challenge soon turned into a battle to defend independence against the political and economic establishments determined to bring it down. 366 editions of the newspaper later, he was fired. It would be the beginning of an unprecedented legal battle in which the author challenged the system and broke a code of silence, exposing an alliance of political parties, large corporations and media executives working to suppress press freedom in the country. From an altar boy he becomes a santero, until he thinks he has found his place as a hitman for Sebastián, one of Mexico City’s drug trafficking leaders. For the first time, he does not feel alone. Sometimes life leads you to believe that you can find happiness in unexpected places and circumstances.
IOSI, EL ESPÍA ARREPENTIDO
Book: Book: Iosi, el espía arrepentido, by Horacio Lutzky and Miriam Lewin (2015) Country: Argentina Producer: Oficina Burman (The Mediapro Studio) Screen: Amazon Prime Video
EL DIRECTOR
Book: El Director: Secretos e intrigas de la prensa narrados por el exdirector de El Mundo, by David Jiménez (2019) Country: Spain Producer: Fremantle Spain Screen: TBD
10
LA COCINERA DE CASTAMAR
Book: La cocinera de Castamar, by Fernando J. Múñez (2019) Country: Spain Producer: Atresmedia Studios Screen: Antena 3, Atresplayer Premium
Set in Madrid in 1720, it tells the story of Clara Belmonte and Diego, the Duke of Castamar, both with a painful past, but whose lives will change when they meet. They will have to fight against one of the great obstacles of the time if they want to be together: the difference between classes, in addition to facing Enrique de Arcona’s thirst for revenge.
