Globo’s ‘Aruanas’: Estela Renner on a Female-Centric Amazon Thriller
Cannes — Do yourself a Netflix. On July 2, Brazilian media giant Globo launched Amazon.set thriller “Aruanas,” a single scripted series produced for Ott service Globoplay, in 150 countries worldwide using Vimeo-powered platform aruanas.tv. It offers subtitles in 11 languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish and Korean.
That global initiative reflects “Aruanas”’ urgency.
A domestic co-production – as is the case now with many top Globo series – between the TV broadcast-pay-svod giant and Maria Farina Films, “Aruanas” turns on three childhood friends, top lawyer Veronica, played by Tais Araujo (“Mister Brau”), TV talk show host Natalie, and deering-do activist Luiza who set up an Sao Paulo environmental Ngo.
A journalist, Otávio, promises them a damning report on Km, an Amazon mining corporation whose practices risk “environmental tragedy,” he says. Meanwhile, when Km thinks it’s discovered gold deposits under an indigenous community rainforest reserve which is “Serra Pelada times two,