Building on a solid foundation of critical success, including Cannes Un Certain Regard prizewinners like “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo” and “The Settlers,” Chile’s Quijote Films is officially venturing into scripted television. As reported by Variety, the company has established a new in-house division specifically for developing series, marking a pivotal moment in its growth.
Quijote Films, which operates out of both Chile and Los Angeles, has already committed a substantial investment of up to $250,000 towards development for 2026. This funding aims to cultivate a sustainable pipeline of original series, supporting creative personnel and specific project costs. The company has assembled an in-house screenwriting team and an external development arm, ready to originate new series and collaborate with third-party creators, studios, and production companies as an executive producer.
Giancarlo Nasi, CEO of Quijote Films, articulated the strategic vision behind this expansion. “We’ve shown that independent, auteur-driven cinema can be a viable business,” Nasi stated, adding that their success in arthouse films is now allowing them to “finance our expansion into new genres, formats and more commercial audiences.” This move represents a reversal of the typical industry formula, where commercial success often funds artistic endeavors.
Quijote Films has built a formidable reputation over the years for skillfully orchestrating nearly 30 international co-productions, including pioneering pacts between Chile and countries like Ukraine (“Pamfir”) and South Africa (“The Smell of Apples”). This extensive experience in navigating cross-border collaborations positions them strongly for their new television ventures.
Sergio Karmy, Quijote’s head of strategy, is currently attending Mipcom, where the company is actively seeking international co-development and co-financing partnerships with streaming platforms, studios, and production entities. Karmy, who joined Quijote from Fabula, emphasized their core mission: “to create high-quality content in partnership with key players across different regions, while preserving the identity that independent cinema has helped Quijote build.”
Supporting this ambitious push is Chile’s attractive cash rebate incentive, which offers between 30% and 40% reimbursement for expenses incurred by international productions filmed in the country. This applies to features and series with a minimum investment of $400,000, allowing productions to recover between $120,000 and $3 million. For 2027 and beyond, Quijote is actively welcoming co-development opportunities without geographical or linguistic restrictions, aiming to expand its global footprint and deliver premium scripted series to worldwide audiences.
Nasi reiterated the company’s commitment to its founding principles even as it diversifies. “We’re still Quijote,” he affirmed, highlighting their intention to apply the same exacting creative and production standards to their new scripted ventures, irrespective of genre or format.