Fox Networks Group Latin America (FNGLA), Alazraki Films, EndemolShine Boomdog and Fabula have confirmed their attendance at the inaugural FICG TV Pitchbox, the new co-production market of one of Latin America’s biggest film events, Mexico’s Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG). They join previously announced participants HBO Latin America and Turner Latin America (FNGLA). More attendees, including key Mexican players, are likely to be confirmed in the next days and weeks.
Additionally, the submission deadline for projects looking to participate has been extended to Jan. 24. The seven selected projects, along with 10 honorable mentions, will be unveiled in early February.
“As we are confirming new participants, we know some people who want to know which companies will be attending may now be more interested,” explained Filmarket Hub co-founder and COO Bernardo Gómez. “With the announcement of the new companies we felt we should give one more week.”
The new additions to the forum, a pitching event focused on Latin American fiction series in development, represent four of the most dynamic high-end producers in Latin America.
Fox Networks Group Latin America launched its direct-to-consumer Fox+ last year in Mexico and Brazil, FNGLA is driving hard into higher-end drama series such as Season 2 of the Gael García Bernal political thriller “Here on Earth” as it diversifies into high-end, OTT-friendly content such as “The Host,” with Argentina’s Pol-ka Producciones.
Founded by Gary “Gaz” Alazraki, Alazraki films produced Netflix’s first entire foreign-language drama series, the Intl. Emmy nominated “Club of Crows,” released in August 2015.
EndemolShine Boomdog, an EndemolShine subsidiary, moved waves in September, appointing former Alazraki executive Leonardo Zimbron to drive into drama series production in Mexico and across Latin America.
Founded by brothers Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín, Fabula announced its first big international TV project last October, “La Jauria,” starring “A Fantastic Woman” lead Daniela Vega, showrun by Lucia Puenzo and sold by Freemantle.
While many film festivals are now adding TV markets, the major significance of the FICG TV Pitchbox is that it takes place at a celebrated event in Mexican, one of the most vibrant territories for new TV production. The country was chosen by Netflix and now Amazon Prime Video and YouTube Premium as their first base for original production in Latin America. It has also seen Mexican TV giant Televisa move into premium production. Series are increasingly made with one eye on the Mexican pay TV-SVOD market – along with Brazil the biggest in Latin America – and the other on potential crossover for release on U.S. Hispanic broadcasters or cable TV.
Hollywood studios are also piling into the market, Disney scoring hugely with its first production, “Hasta que te conoci,” a bio-series of Mexican musical icon Juan Gabriel, along with BTF Media and Somos Productions.
Gomez explained: “With so many film companies and festivals moving into TV Guadalajara – for us one of the most important events in Latin America with a great reputation in film – was a good fit. The brand of Guadalajara is already huge in Latin America and we have the expertise of doing TV series Pitchboxes now in Spain and the U.K.”
The 34th Guadalajara Intl. Film Festival will be held March 8-15.ENDS