Netflix has lifted the lid on a quartet of new movies out of Brazil.
The four projects are all in production and the streamer, keen to underscore its contribution to Brazilian cinema and the local production biz, was quick to note they are filming across four Brazilian states.
Rafael Vitti and canine star Amendoim will appear in Caramelo, billed as a heartwarming drama that pays tribute to a Brazilian cultural symbol, the stray mutt. Filmed in São Paulo, the story follows Pedro, an ambitious chef whose life is upended by unexpected diagnosis. With the help of a stray four-legged friend, he embarks on an emotional journey.
Migdal Filmes is producing, its first partnership with Netflix. Diego Freitas, who created the idea, directs.
There will also be an adaptation of Valter Hugo Mãe’s novel The Son of a Thousand Men hitting Netflix screens. Starring Rodrigo Santoro in the lead role, the film is directed and written by Oscar-nominated Daniel Rezende. It follows Crisóstomo, a lonely and childless fisherman who dreams of becoming a father. He meets Camilo, an orphaned boy, and decides to raise him, creating an unconventional family.
Filmed in Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, and in small towns in the countryside of Bahia, Barry Company and Biônica Filmes are on production duty.
Cameras are also rolling on as-yet-untitled family comedy starring Leandro Hassum as Otávio, a father who is forced to travel with his family to Bariloche, Argentina, to meet his daughter’s Argentine fiancé. Filmed in Rio de Janeiro and Bariloche, the movie is being produced by Camisa Listrada, directed by Felipe Joffily and written by Leandro Soares and Lucas Blanco.
Last but not least in the Netflix roster was Vicentina Pede Desculpas, which is directed and written by Gabriel Martins, the creator of Mars One. It is being filmed in Belo Horizonte with actress Rejane Faria in the titular lead role. Filmes de Plástico, Martins’ own label, produces. The movie follows a 75-year-old woman as she confront the death of her son, who was the driver in charge of a crowded bus that fell from a bridge. Vicentina embarks on a journey to seek out the victims’ families and the film explores forgiveness, redemption and grief.
“We want audiences to find a wide variety of high-quality Brazilian films that resonate with different viewers. Our goal is to showcase the creative potential and diversity of national cinema, helping cultivate an audience that values locally made productions,” says Gabriel Gurman, director of Netflix films in Brazil.
