Netflix has unveiled a new Brazilian original, prepping an adaptation of Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s Happy Old Year with Amaia and O2 Filmes.
Happy Old Year (Feliz Ano Velho), the Brazilian novelist and playwright’s autobiography, was published in 1982. Its adaptation is being produced by Amaia and O2 Filmes. The announcement was made during the 24th edition of Flip (Paraty International Literary Festival).
“Happy Old Year is a story that, starting from an intensely personal account, manages to reach the universal theme of what it means to be young,” said Haná Vaisman, Netflix’s director of series for Brazil. “Perhaps that’s why it created such a strong emotional connection with an entire generation of readers. With this adaptation, we want those who already know the story to be moved by seeing it on screen, and new generations of fans to fall in love with it.”
“Happy Old Year has already been adapted into a play, a musical and an opera, and now, finally, this work, which is so vital to Brazilian culture, is coming to streaming,” said Paiva. “I’m thrilled to see another marriage between Brazilian literature and the audiovisual arts, bringing our stories from the pages to the screen.”
“Adapting Happy Old Year for the screen is also a way of engaging with Marcelo’s journey and the courage he had to transform his personal experience into universal literature,” said producers Diane Maia at Amaia and Andrea Barata Ribeiro at O2 Filmes. “There are stories we produce, and there are stories we feel a true need to tell. It’s an honor, as well as a responsibility, to bring it to the screen with all the subtlety and truth it demands.”
