Entertainment
Ventre Studio Sets ‘Coligay’, about legendary LGBTQ football supporters
Ventre Studio Sets ‘Coligay’, about legendary LGBTQ football supporters, TOLEDO, Spain – Brazil’s Ventre Studio is readying a powerful slate of scripted series that mines the burgeoning co-production axis between Portugal and Brazil, which Ventre himself helped forge with “Godless John,” produced by Ventre Studio and Canal Brasil, as well as Coral Europa and TVI in Portugal.
Taking first place in the titles is the dramatic miniseries “Coligay,” directed by Oscar nominee Paulo Machline (“A Soccer Story”) and Rafael Gomes, director of the LGBTQ romantic drama “45 Days Away From You.” Canal Brasil is on board “Coligay” and licensing Brazilian First Window TV rights.
A scripted series about Brazil’s remarkable first LGBTQ football supporters group, ‘Coligay’ focuses on the flamboyant gay fan collective of football club Grêmio, which flourished between 1977 and 1983.
It was a symbol of courage and resistance in Brazil in the late 1970s and showed its support for Grêmio in the hitherto homophobic context of Brazilian football. This happened at a time when Brazil’s military dictatorship was still detaining, torturing and killing dissidents, while the US government turned a blind eye.
“They confronted prejudice, promoted inclusivity and broke taboos, attracted media attention and even learned karate for self-defense. Despite initial hostility, Coligay grew to more than 200 members, organized events and supported Grêmio across the country,” according to press reports.
Although Coligay disappeared in 1983, it paved the way for greater visibility and inclusivity of the LCBTQ in Brazilian football, the legacy of which continues to this day, the series’ creators have noted.
Ventre’s slate rolls off the success of the series “Godless John,” one of the first independent scripted series co-productions between Brazil and Portugal, which was just sold to A&E for Latin America.
Produced by Ventre and Canal Brasil in Brazil and Coral Europa and network TVI in Portugal, the three-part miniseries is directed by Marina Person and inspired by Brazil’s biggest modern sex scandal, centering on self-proclaimed paranormal surgeon João de Deus. .
“Ventre Studio’s core positioning is to tell Brazilian stories to a global audience and be creative not only on screen, but also with the business models,” Ventre producing partner Paula Cosenza said. Variety on the eve of Conecta Fiction, where she will speak on an overview panel, part of the forum’s 2024 Brazil Focus.
Co-creator and head writer of “Godless John” Patricia Corso (“Natalia”) is writing the scripts of “Coligay.”
Leveraging financing from Brazil’s powerful Fondo Setorial do Audiovisual (FSA), “Coligay” will use the same business model. “The experience on ‘Godless John’ was excellent. Creatively, Brazil and Portugal have always shared mutual interests and the exchange was natural and fruitful. As a company, we have combined Brazilian Public Funds (FSA) with private financing, building a healthy budget and financing plan and significantly increasing the production value of the series,” said Cosenza.
Onza Distribution, the Madrid-based production sales company, has sold “Godless John” to “dozens” of countries, Cosenza added.
“All parties (including the FSA) will see a financial return. Last but not least, co-production also meant that what started as a small Brazilian series, only for a domestic audience, reached another audience and grew into a global project,” said Cosenza.
“All this was possible simply because of this important word: ‘independent’. The series is owned by the independent producers [retaining IP ownership]and could therefore be sold worldwide.”
In further plans, Ventre Studios has two projects in the pipeline with Portugal’s Coral Europe. One of them, ‘a light comedy’, focuses on a Brazilian psychologist who drives through the streets of Lisbon in an application car and gets involved in the personal problems of her clients. “No Direction” (“Sem Direçao”) is also a multi-season film, designed for a combined Portuguese and Brazilian cast.
A second with Coral is a limited true crime series, which is already licensed to announce Brazilian and Portuguese channels soon.
Ventre Studio also develops series with partners in Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and the US. “Co-production is essential for us, in all formats and genres,” says Cosenza.
