Personal growth, inspiration, and contributions to society. At least one of these three elements is always present in the films produced by Trailer Films, the production company run by Luis Ara, who holds a degree in Business Management from Universidad ORT Uruguay.
Following the recent release of his film *Por siempre, Chape*, which tells the story of the Brazilian soccer team that suffered a tragic plane crash just hours before playing in its first Copa Sudamericana final, the documentary has hit theaters in Brazil and Colombia, and is now available on Netflix worldwide. Two other films by Ara—*Gonchi* and *12 horas 2 minutos*— are already available on that platform . Also available today is Peru, Hidden Treasure, which, like the Chapecoense film, has been translated into more than 12 languages.
Ara, who manages and directs his own productions, shared some details about his most recent films and the challenge of creating content of the highest quality so that it can reach internationally renowned channels and platforms.
How does a production company ensure that its content reaches the major streaming platforms or cable channels?
There is no magic formula. For a local production company to get its content onto major streaming platforms, major cable channels, or into theaters, the key is to meet a set of quality standards that allow you to measure up to what audiences around the world expect from those platforms and channels.
I’m referring to the quality of the filmmaking, the production, and, of course, the ability to tell more universal stories that are of international interest. That said, it doesn’t mean that a local story can’t be international; in fact, my first documentary , *12 Hours 2 Minutes*, premiered on HBO in Latin America and later on Netflix, and it was a story based on and told from a local perspective.
We are fully committed to bringing our content to audiences around the world, and we work every day to create content that is increasingly high-quality and thought-provoking. We currently have a documentary division that has brought us great satisfaction, but we are also developing television formats, fiction films, and documentary series. We are working on various formats with the hope of distributing them through the best platforms available.
One of your most recent films—*Por siempre, Chape*—was released in early August in theaters in Brazil and Colombia and is available worldwide on Netflix. What kind of feedback have you received?
"Por siempre, Chape " is a film that has received a mixed reception. It was released in theaters in Brazil and Colombia on August 9, and a few days earlier it had premiered worldwide on Netflix.
The feedback I’ve received has all been very positive. The reviews are incredible and have appeared in many major media outlets around the world. On social media, you see the “unofficial” opinions—those of the general public; just search for the movie’s title on Twitter, for example, and you’ll find very positive comments from all over the world.
It was a film made with a great deal of respect and care. We took great care to ensure that a number of elements we had committed to were handled properly, and I’m proud that the media and the public are highlighting precisely that intention. We sought to avoid creating a sensationalist or tabloid-style product and not to focus on the tragedy.
All but one of your films involve interviews and archival footage. The one set in Peru is, for that very reason, a completely different kind of documentary in that regard. Was that film your greatest visual challenge to date?
"Peru, Hidden Treasure " is a film that really stuck with me—I really wanted to make it, so I just went ahead and did it. I didn't overthink it.
Then it turned into a huge challenge, because it was a style of film I’d never made before. I was excited to test myself at a new level and in a new format. In the end, it just fell into place on its own. I had stories and characters, but I thought it would be much more visually appealing to make it a journey through a country, letting the images speak for themselves, with the narrator telling just a single story. Although he refers to small stories, he’s the one who tells them. It’s a different format.
The visuals, the music, and the narrator's script were the three most important elements of this film, and that's why I think it's such a great strength of the film. It was a challenge, but at the time I didn't see it that way.
The Chapecoense film, for example, also had its own merits and challenges—something that only one media outlet in Brazil picked up on. It’s a movie about the history of a soccer club with a tragedy at its core, but it shows practically no soccer and definitely nothing of the tragedy itself.
That was definitely a challenge, because there’s no crashed plane, no rescue workers, no blood—none of that. I found this film much more challenging to make, because we show a different side of the story; the rest has been seen everywhere.
With a few exceptions, Trailer Films’ movies tend to share several common themes: sports, the documentary genre, and elements of tragedy or the struggle between life and death. Six of your ten titles—including both those that have already been released and those yet to come—share this last element. What does making this kind of film mean to you? What makes them special?
I’d like to add one word to the ones you mentioned: resilience. If I had to choose one word that cuts across virtually all my works, it would be that—the human capacity to face difficult situations in life and overcome them.
The other word I would add is inspiration. I like my films to be inspiring, to help people become better versions of themselves, and to contribute to building a better society.
In fact, my films have a lot to do with society. Sports feature prominently because I believe they are a powerful tool for education and integration—if used properly. And by “sports,” I mean the kinds of sports that ordinary people play: those who play soccer on a small field, those who play hockey, handball, or volleyball, or those who go for a run along the promenade.
When I'm looking at stories, I'm always particularly drawn to the ones that have all those elements: overcoming adversity, inspiration, and making a positive contribution to society. I think that when all those elements come together, the result is a really great story.
"12 Hours 2 Minutes " was a film that sought to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation. "Players with a License " explored the rivalry in sports and the absurdity of violence, given that the two captains of Peñarol and Nacional at the time were friends off the field.
Gonchi is about overcoming adversity. Teros is about the importance of amateur sports and the desire to compete against the best, even in the face of many challenges.
"Peru, Hidden Treasure " is about society at its finest; it explores the origins of our continent—where we come from. "Per sempre, Chape " is about the team's journey from the fourth division to the final of the Copa Sudamericana, and the strength it found after the accident.
The upcoming movies are also following the same trend…
Yes, *Alexis Viera: A Story of Overcoming Adversity* is about personal growth and achieving something that seemed impossible. I’m also working on a film about a CIA case from the 1950s, *The Mystery of Pont-Saint-Esprit*, which is about opening one’s eyes to certain things. On the other hand, I’m working on another one about the Holocaust, *The Coldest Winter*. All of them deal with those words I mentioned.
They're always documentaries. Do you think that format is better at conveying all those concepts you mentioned?
For me, yes, but all formats are acceptable.
I'm working on some fiction projects, but I really like the documentary genre because, as the name suggests, it documents reality. Documenting reality has a lot to do with helping to create a historical record of what is happening in societies in Uruguay and around the world.
What are the main challenges you face today when managing a production company in Uruguay?
A producer's job is a constant series of challenges that arise at every stage of the process: finding a story, filming it, financing it, producing it, and distributing it. Each of these stages is a challenge in itself, and that's what I enjoy about this business. I'm about to finish one film and immediately start another—it's a never-ending cycle.
And at what point do you actually apply what you learned in college?
Generally speaking, studying is something that always provides you with a wealth of tools. It gives you knowledge about various topics and trains your mind to be open to the world.
My time at ORT has helped me tremendously on a personal level, because it’s undoubtedly the toolkit I use every day—from how to give a presentation, how to stand in front of people and speak, how to meet deadlines, how to work in teams and lead them, how to share knowledge, to learning how to listen. I could name a million things that I still use today, even after all these years.
The degree program definitely helped me grow both professionally and personally. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Administration and learned how to manage resources, people, investments, and projects—skills that are applicable to a film, a factory, or a software company. The program and the university gave me so many tools that I can apply to anything I do.