‘The House of the Ghosts’, ‘Raza Brava’, ‘Hidden Island’ in Berlinale

From Pablo Larraín’s ‘Jackie’, ‘Spencer’ and ‘Maria’ to Sebastián Lelio’s Oscar-winning ‘A Fantastic Woman’, Chile has built its international reputation on auteur cinema.

However, at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2026, the country will attract just as much attention with its television shows. With three series in the line-up – “The House of the Spirits” (Berlinale Special), football-themed “Raza Brava” and the thriller “Hidden Island” (both at the Berlinale Series Market Selects) – Chile has one of the largest presences at the drama series festival of any country after Spain.

“Chilean filmmakers are taking slightly bigger risks than many other parts of Latin America, making very high-quality productions on low budgets, allowing them to be made and then hopefully distributed around the world,” says former Netflix international Erik Barmack, now at LA-based Wild Sheep Content, which co-produced “Raza Brava.”

“I believe it is an industry that is constantly evolving and expanding, with an incredible amount of talent. That said, there is still significant work to be done, especially in the area of financing. While we receive some government support, it is not enough to fully fund a series. And compared to the United States, there are very few private investments willing to take risks in the industry, which remains one of our biggest challenges,” says Fernanda Urrejola, writer-showrunner-actress in “The House of the Spirits.”

“The House of the Spirits”

The highly anticipated limited series features an Ibero-American cast and crew and was shot entirely in Chile. It is Prime Video’s most ambitious series in the region to date, and in fact the most expensive ever made in Chile.

Adapted from Chilean author Isabel Allende’s 1982 debut novel, which has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide, the series features a formidable troika of Chilean talent, Francisca Alegría (“The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future”), Andrés Wood (Sundance winner “Violeta Went to Heaven”) and Fernanda Urrejola (“Narcos: Mexico”) who take on the duties of showrunner writer shared. While Wood and Alegria each directed four episodes, Urrejola played a key role in the show.

The family saga, which has been told for half a century, revolves around three generations of women: Clara, Blanca and Alba. Told by Alba in the 1970s, the story alternates between past and present as she turns to her grandmother Clara’s diaries to understand her family’s history and her country’s divided soul. Through Clara’s memories, we follow the rise of the Truebas amid ever-widening social divisions, where love, power and politics collide, from estates to elite salons.

Alegría, who is also at EFM with producer Giancarlo Nasi of Quijote Films to present her second feature, “Nativity” (“Nacimiento”), recalls the challenges of casting across generations and working with a cast of at least 200 on any given day. “We had to think about it very carefully: at what age should we cast them? When should we change actors or actresses? How many actresses would play each character?,” she recalls.

The series is produced by FilmNation Entertainment (“Anora” and “Conclave”). Pablo and Juan de Dios Larráins Fabula provided production services.

“Raza Brava”

Of the 17 scripted series showing exclusively at the Berlinale Series Market Selects, “Raza Brava” is set in the Chilean football underworld, where it follows Barti, a boy from the slums who rises through the ranks of Garra Blanca, fanatical supporters of the Colo Colo football team. As power struggles and crime lead to betrayal, he must choose between loyalty and survival.

Created and co-directed by Intl. Emmy winner Hernán Caffiero (‘The Suspended Mourning’), who says he drew inspiration from the ‘City of God’ in Brazil, Fernando Meirelles’ moving portrayal of a young boy growing up in the brutal world of gang violence, drugs and poverty in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

Presenting the show at the Iberseries in Madrid last October, Barmack pointed out that Colo-Colo is one of the five or six best clubs in Latin America and that Caffiero created a story where football opens the door, but the drama within resonates universally – especially in Latin America, where the sport is closely linked to identity, pride and struggle.

It is produced by DeCulto along with co-producers Wild Sheep Content and Atomica Group.

The Spanish The Mediapro Studio Distribution is responsible for world sales. It competes for the newly introduced Studio Babelsberg Production Excellence Award.

“Hidden Island” (“Isla oculta”)

Also one of the scripted series participating in the Berlinale Series Market Selects, with a screening scheduled for February 16. “Hidden Island” is set in southern Patagonia, where a detective investigates the disappearance of a Mexican archeology student who was looking for Chile’s mythical Friendship Island, where alien activity and human disappearances have been reported. The detective is played by Daniela Ramirez, who was internationally nominated for an Emmy for her performance in HBO Max’s limited series “Isabel: The Intimate Story of Isabel Allende.”

Part thriller, part mystery, the show is created by Pablo Díaz del Río of Rio Estudios, which handles Latin American sales, while TVCO handles the rest of the world. It features a top team of writers led by Julio Rojas (“Case 63” podcast, “Midnight Family”), Felipe Carmona (“Prison in the Andes”) and Juan Dartizio (“An Unknown Enemy”).

Rodrigo Susarte, whose credits include “Gen Mishima” and “Invunche,” directed all six episodes.

“Hidden Island” is also competing for the newly introduced Studio Babelsberg Production Excellence Award, which recognizes standout production qualities including creative vision, execution, innovative approaches and international appeal.