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Brazil’s Spcine, the city of São Paulo’s film-tv body, is delivering tangible results with its cash rebate program as it prepares for its third edition later this year. Four projects have advanced under the second rebate, including dark medical thriller “Suture,” created by Fabio Montanari and produced by Boutique Filmes for Amazon Prime Video, which secured R$3 million.

The series follows Ícaro (Humberto Morais), a debt-ridden doctor and Dr. Mancini (Cláudia Abreu), a top surgeon battling trauma-induced tremors, as they lead a double life performing illegal procedures.

Other partially funded projects include a Portuguese-language remake of Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis starrer “Friends with Benefits”, the telenovela “Scars of Beauty”, and “Maníaco do Parque”, a dramatization of Brazil’s most infamous serial killer.

Launched in 2021, the initiative stood alone in Brazil as the country’s first and at the time, only, production incentive.

Ary Scapin, Director of economic...

Exclusive: The Eastern Gate will open again on Max.

The Warner Bros. Discovery (Wbd) streamer has ordered a second season of the drama, which stars Lena Góra and Karol Pocheć, with a script already in development.

The news came during a wide-ranging interview with Dorota Eberhardt, VP Programming at Wbd in Poland, during which she discussed content spend for 2025 that we understand is in the eight figure range, addressed local competition and talked about the impact of shows such as Netflix’s Adolescence.

The Eastern Gate‘s recommission should come as no surprise, given its outsized impact for Wbd streamer Max, where it has set several records.

Tapping into concerns around the precarious political environment in Europe, the series is billed as “a modern espionage game amid brewing international conflict and rising tensions.” It is set in the spring of 2021 and follows the story of Polish spy Ewa Oginiec (Góra...

Spoiler Alert: This post contains details of the final episode of Max’s Beleza Fatal.

After 40 episodes, Beleza Fatal (Scars of Beauty) ended, and viewers finally found out what happened to Lola (Camila Pitanga), Sofía (Camila Queiroz), and Elvirinha (Giovanna Antonelli).

Max Brazil’s first telenovela didn’t have a happy ending for its lead characters, as is customary in the genre.

The lead question in the episode was about who killed Benjamin Argentino (Caio Blat). A woman with a head scarf and oversized shades ended Benjamin’s life, and all signs pointed to Lola. However, she denied being the culprit of the murder and was visibly devastated over her husband’s death.

Before viewers find out who killed Benjamin, we find out what happens to the rest of the characters.

With Benjamin’s death, Gisela (Julia Stockler) and Carol (Manu Morelli) inherit the Argento hospital and rename it after...

Beleza Fatal (Scars of Beauty) wraps up its run after 40 episodes and has viewers guessing what will happen to all the characters.

The Max series is the first Brazilian telenovela made exclusively for the streamer. It stars Camila Pitanga, Camila Queiroz, and Giovanna Antonelli.

What is Beleza Fatal about?

Pitanga plays Lola, who made her cousin take the blame for killing her husband, assuring her she would help her get out of jail. However, Lola had no intention of keeping her word and instead was part of a plot to have her killed in prison.

Queiroz plays Sofía, a woman avenging her mother who befriends Lola under the identity of Júlia. Sofía’s mission is to get close to her aunt Lola, take her down, and have her pay for all the harm she has done.

When does the Beleza Fatal series finale air?

Max premiered Beleza Fatal on January...

Spoiler Alert: This post contains details of the latest episode drop of Max’s Beleza Fatal.

Max produced its first Brazilian telenovela with Beleza Fatal, known in English as Scars of Beauty. For its series finale, it borrowed from the classic whodunit plotline to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

The streamer has been releasing five episodes every Monday since its premiere on January 27. However, the final drop on Monday, March 17, was only four episodes, leaving the grand finale to premiere on Friday, March 21, at 4 p.m. Pt and 7 p.m. Et.

In the era of streaming, with everyone watching at their most convenient time, leaving the last episode to premiere at a specific time allows viewers to catch up and turns the finale into an event.

Social media has been abuzz with the series, with viewers creating memes of Camila Pitanga’s extravagant and quotable Lola, the main villain of the telenovela.

As São Paulo State and Brazil at large gears up its funding for film, TV, vid games and beyond, there is a distinct possibility that Brazil’s Congress will approve this year a global streamer investment quota for Brazilian films and series. If that happens, it could see R$700 million-r$800 million ($122 million-$140 million) being invested in independent Brazilian production, producer Fabiano Gullane (“Senna”) estimates.

Already Brazil is Latin America’s comeback story and its players, thanks to “I’m Still Here” and “Senna” walk the world stage. Following, the often remarkable São Paulo companies known to be at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, often aided in their attendance by São Paulo State. As often frequent international co-producers, they are well worth knowing. A drill-down on companies at Berlin, with some more to come.

44 Toons, Ale McHaddo

An animation studio and, from 2016, live action producer behind toon series “Osmar” and Netflix...

Say goodbye to the old and hello to the new! This January, you can stream The Pitt, Harley Quinn, Fast Friends, and more on Max. Here’s the full list of all the movies and TV shows coming to Max in January 2025:

Originals & featured: January 2: Isadora Moon (Max Original Series)

Based on the globally best-selling beloved book series by Harriet Muncaster, Isadora Moon follows the delightful adventures of a half-vampire, half-fairy girl, her friends at human school, and her wider magical family.

January 3: The Front Room (A24 Film)

Everything goes to hell for newly pregnant Belinda (Brandy) after her mother-in-law (Kathryn Hunter) moves in. As the diabolical guest tries to get her claws on the child, Belinda must draw the line somewhere…

January 9: The Pitt (Max Original Drama Series)

The Pitt is a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America as...

Out with the old, in with the new. Stream The Pitt, Harley Quinn, Fast Friends, and more on Max this January. Here’s the list of every movie and TV show coming to Max in January 2025:

Originals & featured: January 2: Isadora Moon (Max Original Series)

Based on the globally best-selling beloved book series by Harriet Muncaster, Isadora Moon follows the delightful adventures of a half-vampire, half-fairy girl, her friends at human school, and her wider magical family.

January 3: The Front Room (A24 Film)

Everything goes to hell for newly pregnant Belinda (Brandy) after her mother-in-law (Kathryn Hunter) moves in. As the diabolical guest tries to get her claws on the child, Belinda must draw the line somewhere…

January 9: The Pitt (Max Original Drama Series)

The Pitt is a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America as seen through the lens of the...

In an exclusive one-on-one interview with Variety, Fernando Medin, president and managing director of Warner Bros. Discovery (Wbd) Latin America and U.S. Hispanic, drilled down on the company’s programming and growth strategy for the region where it launches its rebranded streaming platform, Max, on Feb. 27. This will be Wbd’s first major international roll-out of Max after the U.S.

“To truly reach all segments of the population with a product like ours, it’s essential to not only offer our international content but also provide something that resonates with people, something relevant to their lives. Hence, we’ve been diligently curating a lineup of local content,” said Medin.

Leading the Max Latin American pack are shows based on internationally renowned IP, led by a Salma Hayek-executive produced series based on Laura Esquivel’s bestseller “Like Water for Chocolate” (“Como agua para chocolate”), adapted by director Alfonso Arau...