Francisca Alegría and Fernanda Urrejola, Chilean creators, combined elements of magic and realism in bringing Isabel Allende’s popular novel, *The House of the Spirits*, to life as a limited series on Amazon Prime Video. Alongside executive producer Eva Longoria, they shared the story behind the eight-episode series during a keynote speech at the National Association of Latino Independent Producers’ Diverse Women in Media Forum on May 1. Variety praised the Spanish-language version, calling it “sensational and long overdue.” The series premiered on April 29.
Despite not having extensive experience with large-scale period dramas, Alegría and Urrejola were able to succeed thanks to the trust and support from FilmNation and Longoria’s Hyphenate Media.
Alegría emphasized how having producers who believe in you and protect you allows you to focus on creating the best work.
As partners in both life and work, Alegría and Urrejola co-wrote the series and serve as showrunners and executive producers.
Alegría directed half of the episodes, while Urrejola portrays the central character, Blanca. Longoria was brought on as an executive producer by FilmNation because she had shown interest in adapting Allende’s stories. The Chilean author and human rights advocate became internationally famous with her 1982 debut novel, *The House of the Spirits*, which is known for its blend of magical realism and is a classic of Latin American literature in the 20th century.
Alegría and Urrejola, along with *House of the Spirits* executive producer Eva Longoria, talked about the story behind the eight-episode series during their keynote speech on May 1 at the National Association of Latino Independent Producers' Diverse Women in Media Forum. *Variety* gave *House of the Spirits* a great review, calling it "sensational and long overdue." The show premiered on April 29.
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Although Alegría and Urrejola didn't have a lot of experience with big historical projects, the support from FilmNation and Longoria's Hyphenate Media helped them a lot.
Alegría said it's important to have producers who believe in you and help you focus on doing your best work.
Alegría and Urrejola, who are partners in life and in producing, wrote the series and are the showrunners and executive producers.
Alegría directed half of the eight episodes; Urrejola plays the main character, Blanca. Longoria was brought in as an executive producer by FilmNation because she had been talking about adapting Allende's work in the development community. Isabel Allende, a Chilean novelist and human rights advocate, became famous after her 1982 debut with *House of the Spirits*, a powerful story about a family and political dynasty, written in the magical realism style common in Latin America in the 20th century.
Longoria said she has always been fascinated by Isabel Allende and her book *House of Spirits*.
She admired Allende as a woman and a Latina. Longoria said she started writing at the age of 40.
Longoria explained how she helped Alegría and Urrejola.
"I was brought on to add my voice and my influence in this town, to make sure it landed in the right place, that it got the support and the budget it needed," she said.
Urrejola, a well-known Chilean actor, told the crowd at the W Hollywood hotel that the working environment on the project, which was shot in Santiago and other parts of Chile, was similar to the novel's dynamic.
"What is beautiful about this novel is that the female characters are so powerful because they are women.
They don't try to be like men to be powerful," Urrejola said. "That's the power of women. We create community. We really create culture in that sense, and we shouldn't forget that. And we're so lucky that we have our female producers along the way with us, helping us to put our vision forward. But again, the novel talks about that and our point of view. The entry point was the healing process of generational trauma. It's the granddaughter who is able to articulate what the previous generations couldn't."
Alegría said the pair's experienced producing partners helped them with the unfamiliar tasks of preparing for the final cut and getting ready for the marketing, press, distribution conversations with Amazon as well as FilmNation.
This was a new experience for the showrunners.
"As independent filmmakers, working with such a big platform comes with knowing how to navigate.
You need to defend some things, and there are other things that you take the point of view of the platform," Alegría said.
Longoria emphasized this as an important point for the young producers in the room.
"You've got to pick the hill you're going to die on.
I see so many young writers that I try to develop with, and they just dig their heels in on the wrong thing. Studios are not your enemies. Producers are not your enemies. You all want to make something, and you got to defend your vision, and know what you need to defend and know what you need to let go. And that is a talent in and of itself," Longoria said. "The platforms have information you don't. So use that information producers have."
The session, moderated by Cynthia Littleton, Variety co-Editor in Chief, ended with a discussion about the growing film and TV production infrastructure in Chile.
(Longoria called it "Chile-wood.")
Bringing a national treasure like *House of the Spirits* to life in Chile was a dream come true for the pair, Urrejola said.
"I'm lucky enough to have worked in different parts of Latin America, and I can say that Chile has so, so much talent," she said.
"And the landscapes — you can find everything you want in Chile. You can see white, standard, beautiful beaches — very cold, though. And then it will look like the Caribbean. And then you can go to the Patagonia, which is a completely different, unique landscape, and the desert we have. We're still fighting for the [production tax] rebate so we can make it even better, but we have co-production funds, and it's getting better. It was a thrill to work in Chile and to have that amazing crew with us."
