TV adaptation of Allende's House of the Spirits premieres in Berlin

An eight-part Spanish-language adaptation of Isabel Allende's novel screened its first three episodes at the Berlin Film Festival and is set to stream on Amazon Prime Video in April.

An eight-part Spanish-language television adaptation of Isabel Allende's novel The House of the Spirits screened its first three episodes at the Berlin Film Festival. The production was made in Chile by a Latin American creative team and features a predominantly Latin American cast. Showrunners said adapting the multi-generational novel was challenging but rewarding, and Allende served as an executive producer who gave the team freedom to adapt the work. The series follows granddaughter Alba in the 1970s as she uncovers family and national history through her grandmother's diaries. Key details: - The series is eight episodes long and is reported to stream on Amazon Prime Video in April. - The creative team includes Fernanda Urrejola, Francisca Alegria and Andres Wood; Urrejola described working on the project with a Latin American cast as a dream come true. - Isabel Allende is credited as an executive producer and reportedly allowed the adaptation freedom from the original authorial oversight. - The narrative is presented from the viewpoint of Alba; the role of Alba is played by Rochi Hernandez. Clara is portrayed across the timeline by Francesca Turco, Nicole Wallace and Dolores Fonzi. - The showrunners kept the novel's choice not to name Chile explicitly and described the story as a regional tale addressing memory and intergenerational trauma. Summary: The adaptation seeks to present the novel from a Latin American perspective while retaining its multi-generational scope and themes of memory and trauma. The first episodes were shown in Berlin and the full series is scheduled to stream on Amazon Prime Video in April.