Samantha | Hispanically Yours

Ciro Guerra is (net)flixing out about a Colombian first…

The 36-year-old Colombian filmmaker and screenwriter is set to executive produce Netflix’s first Colombian original series.

Guerra, who received an Oscar nomination for his film Embrace of the Serpent, will work with Narcos producer Dynamo on the project, which will debut worldwide in 2019.

Written by Carlos Contreras, the as-yet untitled series will follow a young detective and her partner deep into the Amazon, on the border of Brazil and Colombia, to investigate a series of bizarre murders. They soon realize that there’s more mystery to the jungle than the deaths, as they encounter an enigmatic indigenous tribe with an incredible secret that they will take great risks to protect.

Composed of eight hour-long episodes and shot entirely in 4K, the series will showcase the country’s geographic diversity and magnificent landscapes, as well as the region’s complex social and environmental climate.

“We are thrilled to be launching our first Colombian original, featuring great Colombian filmmakers and producers,” said Erik Barmack, Vice President of International Originals. “From 2011, we have been committed to providing a great service in Colombia, and this show, with local talent, will add to our incredible slate of originals throughout Latin America.”

“This is a great opportunity to expand the reach of our local stories and share them with global audiences. Netflix is an extraordinary platform that we are thrilled to collaborate with, and we think this new show will be a great first step in that direction,” added Guerra.

The new series joins a growing slate of original productions being filmed in Latin America, including Ingobernable, Club de Cuervos, La Casa de las Flores, Edha, Narcos, Samantha!, O Mecanismo, O Matador, 3% and Coisa Mais Linda, among others.

Production is slated to begin summer 2018.

Alicia Machado is getting into madame mode…

The 36-year-old Venezuelan actress/singer and former Miss Universe is heading back to television as the beautiful, manipulative madame at a Colombian brothel frequented by politicians, a true story that inspired the book Las Prepago.

In La Madame, which will premiere on August 26 in the United States on UniMas, Machado portrays a strong, passionate woman who risks her life in a forbidden romance with her kidnapper.

“Unlike all the other roles I’ve played before, Madame Rochy is a real-life person,” said Machado, adding that this is jthe kind of challenge she loves as an actress.

“She is a Colombian woman from the coast, very different from me in many ways. She’s colder and more calculating than I could ever be. In every scene, when she speaks she always has a double meaning; every one of her words could signify something else, and you’re never sure exactly what she means by what she says. As an actress, projecting that duality can be a tremendous challenge,” she said.

During the course of the 50-episode series, viewers will be able to witness the sexual indiscretions at the top levels of Colombian politics during the 1990s.

But for Machado, the most interesting element of the story is how certain persistent rumors about the woman are dispelled.

“Though there’s a lot of sex and sensuality, for me this is a very feminist work that refutes the belief some people have, including some women, that a beautiful woman can’t be intelligent,” said Machado.

Machado was crowned Miss Universe in 1996 and a year later starred in her first telenovela, Samantha, in her native country.

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Ciro Guerra Executive-Producing Netflix’s First Colombian Original Series

Machado Starring in the Telenovela “La Madame”