The Mediapro Studio Distribution heads to Mipcom with a robust slate co-led by Chilean scripted series “Raza Brava,” International Emmy winner Hernán Caffiero’s gripping four-part series produced by DeCulto, Atómica and Erik Barmack’s Wild Sheep Content.
The first fictional portrayal of an actual Latin American soccer fan club, it follows a young boy from a working-class neighborhood who rises alongside his best friend to lead the Garra Blanca – rabid supporters of the wildly popular Colo Colo soccer team.
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In a panel held at the recent Iberseries & Platino Industria confab in Madrid, The Mediapro Studio’s Head of International Javier Esteban joined Caffiero (“The Suspended Mourning”) and fellow backers Magdalena Tocornal, head of development at CNTV Chile, and Barmack to discuss the upcoming series.
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“This is a series that explores universal themes: passion, family, loyalty, identity, betrayal — all of it connected through soccer, one of the most universal sports there is,” said Esteban who added, “One of ‘Raza Brava’’s key commercial strengths is that it’s a timeless series, with a kind of real-world relevance that could easily match today’s headlines.”
Caffiero said he drew inspiration from Brazil’s “City of God,” Fernando Meirelles’ raw portrayal of a young boy who grows up amidst a brutal world of gang violence, drugs and poverty in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas.
In fact, to prepare his actors for the series, he not only had them go through rigorous physical training in a gym a year before but shot in a particularly dangerous neighborhood of Santiago de Chile where even the police won’t go. “That allowed us to build a connection to the physical space where we were filming,” he said. “When the community saw the actors involved and immersed in this process, it allowed us to begin building a direct bond with them. And this wasn’t about social or cultural extractivism — where someone comes in, takes an idea and profits from it. That was never our intention. What ended up happening is that we spoke with everyone in the community and made them part of the filming process.”
“We ended up creating a kind of small city over 20 shooting days — and I think it became the place where the crew felt most at ease. So, from that perspective – and with all the prior knowledge we brought with us from immersing ourselves in this world – we managed to stay very respectful, which was one of our core principles,” he related.
“It wasn’t easy. It was an odyssey – with the pandemic in the middle of it all – and that hit all of us, in one way or another,” Tocornal agreed, who said they had a chance to visit the set which she described as “incredible to see the team’s ability to transform, convey and deliver that realistic vision of what Colo Colo is.”
“We’re not just talking about Colo Colo as a soccer team, but as a social phenomenon — and how that opens the door to discussing topics that are highly relevant today: the social phenomenon of soccer, the violence, Chile’s past military dictatorship and it manages to bring all of that together into a single series, while also making it universally resonant,” she pointed out.
For Barmack, boarding “Raza Brava” was rooted in a very personal experience from the time he was five years old when he watched the final match between Liverpool and Roma with his father. “Roma lost that night from penalty kicks and people were crying around me. And when I think about that moment, I think it is the first time I cried in my life,” he said, reflecting on how soccer can rouse such deep passions.
Barmack pointed out that Colo-Colo is one of the top five or six clubs in Latin America and what Caffiero crafted was a narrative where soccer opens the door, but the drama inside is universally resonant—especially in Latin America, where the sport is closely tied to identity, pride and struggle.
The panel concluded by extolling the advantages of co-productions: “International producers should take a closer look at Chile. The country has rich narrative and directorial talent and its stories are unique and compelling. But because Chile is often outside the main production circuits, its producers struggle to gain visibility in global markets,” said CNTV’s Tocornal.
“Chile’s national fund—now nearing its 33rd year—offers co-production options across eight competitive lines, but this model still needs greater development. As co-production becomes the industry standard, early-stage support is more important than ever. In Chile, development funding is limited, yet this stage is crucial—it defines the project’s structure, vision and international viability,” she stressed, adding: “Chilean producers have the talent, but they need more early investment to bring their projects to the global stage. Content should remain local in voice, but strong archetypes can travel if shaped well from the start. International co-producers can play a key role—not just when a project is fully packaged, but from its earliest stages.”
Pointing out that co-productions have become an increasingly standard model for The Mediapro Studio – one that indeed it pioneered with Latin America and Europe in TV. It now uses co-production regularly to get ambitious projects off the ground, Esteban said: “The industry has been evolving rapidly and when it comes to structure, the best one is simply the one that gets projects made. In this case, that meant a co-production model – partnering across companies with diverse profiles to bring complementary strengths.”
He added: “For The Mediapro Studio, flexibility is key. It’s part of our DNA. When Erik Barmack brought the parties to the table, each contributed something essential and The Mediapro Studio added a critical piece to complete the puzzle. It was the collaboration – the sum of all parts – that made the project possible.”
The Mediapro Studio’s notable credits include “The Head,” “Iosi, the Regretful Spy,” “Las Bravas,” “Consuelo” and “Intercambiadas.”
Its Mipcom slate this year includes badminton-themed series “Yakarta” and comedy thriller series “Celeste,” both from Diego San José, Daniel Burman’s “So Far So Good” (“El resto bien”) and “Quiet,” a thriller by Lluís Arcarazo.