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About Entertainment: Cromañón is our most important project, aiming to tell what happened to new generations
Cynthia Plohn| 11 de diciembre de 2024
Mercedes Reincke: Despite the tragedy and pain, we wanted to highlight the light and energy within this story, where friendship holds incredible power
Since its premiere on November 8, the Amazon Original series Cromañón, produced by About Entertainment, has become the most-watched show on the platform in Argentina. Directed by Marialy Rivas and Fabiana Tiscornia, who also led the creative team, the series was written by Josefina Licitra, Pablo Plotkin, and Martín Vatenberg. Executive producers include Armando Bo, Natacha Cervi, Mercedes Reincke, Rivas, and Tiscornia.
The series follows a group of fictionalized teenage friends from Greater Buenos Aires whose lives were profoundly affected by the real events surrounding the December 30, 2004, fire at República Cromañón during a concert by the rock band Callejeros, which claimed 194 lives.
Additionally, About Entertainment produced a documentary about the events of December 30, featuring witness and survivor testimonies from the trial. Prime Video released it on November 28. Narrated by Miguel Granados, the documentary was produced by Armando Bo, Natacha Cervi, Mercedes Reincke, and Ezequiel Olemberg, with Silvana Di Francesco as executive producer.
Reincke spoke with PRODU about this project, the company’s most significant undertaking since its founding in 2019.
“This idea emerged from a conversation my partner Armando had with his father Víctor, a renowned Argentine actor and producer. For me, Víctor is a serial identifier of great stories. Just as the tragedy’s 15th anniversary approached, we spoke with Javiera Balmaceda from Prime Video, who loved the idea, and we began working on it with two objectives: to build the story alongside survivors and to assemble a premium creative team. Despite the tragedy and pain, we wanted to highlight the light and energy within this story, where friendship holds incredible power—a group of friends who loved rock and Callejeros and were willing to do anything for each other. This event changed the lives of an entire generation,” Reincke shared.
The creators aimed to convey the story to younger generations who weren’t born when it happened and to illustrate how the tragedy prompted cultural and safety changes.
They were mindful of the victims’ families and survivors, bringing in top-tier writers. With Amazon’s support, they developed characters reflective of the era: “Youthful, sexy, full of life and insecurities, experiencing first love, so today’s young people could relate to the story.”
Filming took several months in Argentina and Uruguay. Reincke described it as physically and emotionally grueling, with long shoots from dawn to night, in both cold and hot conditions, despite the summer setting of the story.
The cast bonded as a group of friends, which enriched the story and performances. Notably, the fire scenes took weeks to film, described as “truly masterful yet harrowing.” Survivors were invited to the set twice, both to ensure authenticity and as extras. “We tried to make it as real as possible, and I believe we achieved a solid story from start to finish that everyone is talking about.”
NEW PROJECTS
About Entertainment is now working on Las Malas, an adaptation of Camila Sosa Villada’s 2019 autobiographical novel about a 19-year-old trans woman who moves to a big city and joins a community of trans sex workers.
“This project excites us and defines us as a production company,” said Reincke.
They’re also developing a biographical series about Ricardo Barreda, a well-known figure in Argentina who killed his wife, mother-in-law, and two daughters in 1992, was sentenced, and later remarried while in prison.
Additionally, they have sealed a deal with Netflix to produce a series about Moria Casán, a prominent Argentine personality known for her intelligence and charisma across generations. Filming will begin in 2025, focusing on key moments of her life.
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