Quijote Films Commits $250,000 to New Scripted Series Arm

Chile's Quijote Films, the producer behind Cannes Un Certain Regard prizewinners "The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo" and "The Settlers," has invested up to $250,000 in development and launched an in-house scripted series division.

The company announced the move ahead of Mipcom, where Quijote head of strategy Sergio Karmy will seek international co-development and co-financing partnerships with streaming platforms, studios and production companies.

What does the new division do?

Operating from Chile and Los Angeles, the roughly $250,000 investment in 2026 covers creative personnel and project-specific costs. Quijote aims to build a sustainable pipeline of original series.

Key elements of the plan:

• An in-house screenwriting and external development team originating original series
• Partnerships with third-party creators, studios and production companies in an executive producer role
• Co-development opportunities across territories and languages, with no geographical or linguistic boundaries, starting in 2027

"We've shown that independent, auteur-driven cinema can be a viable business. I'm proud that at Quijote we've reversed the usual formula: our arthouse films are allowing us to finance our expansion into new genres, formats and more commercial audiences," said Quijote CEO Giancarlo Nasi.

Why series, and why now?

Quijote has built its reputation on assembling multiple territories to co-produce auteur projects. The company has lead produced or participated in close to 30 international co-productions to date, including Chile's first co-production pacts with Ukraine ("Pamfir") and South Africa ("The Smell of Apples").

Chile's cash rebate incentive supports the strategy. It reimburses between 30% and 40% of expenses incurred by international productions filmed in Chile, applying to feature films and series with a minimum investment of $400,000. Productions can recover between $120,000 and $3 million.

"Our mission is clear: to create high-quality content in partnership with key players across different regions, while preserving the identity and reputation that independent cinema has helped Quijote build over the years. We're incredibly excited about where we stand today, how far Quijote has come, and the opportunities that lie ahead," said Karmy, who joined Quijote from Fabula, the company run by director Pablo Larrain ("My Sad Dead," "The Count") and his producing partner Juan de Dios Larrain.

Can an arthouse producer scale into premium series?

Nasi argues that independent producers bring specific advantages to the format. "We, independent producers, have a lot to bring to the table: we have a meticulous eye for detail, know how to produce efficiently, put together co-financing structures, and work with teams across countries and cultures," he said.

In a recent masterclass at the Vancouver Film Festival, Nasi stressed that the best co-productions are those that make both creative and financial sense — a principle Quijote intends to carry from film into series.

"We're still Quijote. We're looking to replicate our co-production experience by looking for international partners who can help us bring out the best in every story, with the same exacting creative and production standards that define our work, whatever the genre or format," Nasi said.

The company now combines original IP development with executive production and international co-production expertise, targeting a pipeline of premium scripted series for worldwide audiences. Whether the arthouse-to-series formula works at scale will become clear as Quijote's first co-development deals take shape after Mipcom and into 2027.