Personal stories that make a "magical Andes".

What is the magic of the Andes? The documentary series Magical Andes part of that question. Inhabitants of the mountain range that stretches from Venezuela and Colombia to Chile and Argentina, they answer what, according to their experience, makes living in the high mountains special. This production has two seasons to date and is available on Netflix.

The chapters travel through the different countries, located in the western part of South America, which have between their borders a part of the 8,500 km long Andes. Each city shows how they relate to the landscape and how they live their lives. One of the most important factors in the area is solidarity. Those who are born, raised or live in the Latin American Andes tend to be cooperative and empathetic with what is going on around them.

This series has become popular on the Netflix platform, appearing as a recommendation on several websites. The adventurous and curious can find in this series a final push to visit the Andes or to learn more about these great mountains.

True stories that explain the magic

For many of those who live in one of the seven countries united by the Andean mountain range, its power, beauty and tranquillity is more than well known, a sensation that perhaps has never been explained, on a personal level, but now for two seasons of 10 chapters in total, it is sought to do so.

Each chapter of Magical AndesThe docuseries, directed by Luis Ara, focuses on one or two of the seven countries, although in its first season Venezuela was not included in the filming and there were some errors in the presentation of the map of the area. Each nation presents from sport, customs and alternative educational models how life is lived in the Andes.

The participants in these chapters have become ambassadors, and even in their own countries, the work of certain groups or how this majestic landscape has changed the lives of many is unknown.

Extreme sports, such as climbing, are one of the most common. The second season shows how a woman in the south of the American continent climbs mountains full of snow when she is pregnant, although many people think the opposite. Another story is also about the witness pass and how climbing the highest peak of the Venezuelan mountain range, Pico Bolivar, becomes a family affair, the father showing the son, a tradition that is not broken.

In addition to these two, there are other magical stories that are accompanied by great shots of the landscape.

Travelling seven countries without taking a plane

For the first season, which premiered in 2019, the production was able to visit the mountain range and experience it live. For its sequel, the process was expected to be the same; however, the covid-19 pandemic meant that plan could not be executed.

They did not stop. They decided to continue filming the four new episodes from afar, contacting production companies in each city that could carry out the necessary recordings.

The director, Luis Ara, says on Instagram: "The plan was to shoot it in 2020. For a moment it seemed that everything was falling apart, but we didn't give up and we looked for a way back to make it. Filming in 7 countries without being able to travel was a huge challenge and almost impossible. But we were able to do it.

Ara attributes the achievement of travelling the mountain range from afar to his team, made up of the production company Trailer Films and other collaborators. To this he adds the "sacrifice, conviction and hard work" put into the project.

Luis Ara, the documentary maker in search of the truth

Magical Andes is a production conceived and directed by Uruguayan filmmaker Luis Ara with the production company Trailer Films, which he founded in 2005, in co-production with DmFilm Germany. During his career, he has not focused on a single theme for his feature films; however, his quest to portray the truth of life stories, culture, sports and landscapes is common.

Prior to this documentary series for Netflix, Ara had made the documentary The power of centennials (2019) which brings together six young people born after 1993 and some CEOs of major companies, Peru: hidden treasure (2017) on Peruvian culture, Teros, world dream (2015) narrating a campaign carried out by the Uruguayan rugby team, 12 hours 2 minutes (2012) on organ donation, among others.

12 hours 2 minutes, Ara's first documentary is available on Netflix. The streaming giant has become a great ally of the independent production company Trailer Films, making the documentary filmmaker the Uruguayan with the largest presence on the platform.

Ara lets nature surprise him, for him it is important that by placing us next to immense landscapes he feels how tiny we really are.

"Knowing our past will surely help us to preserve it and take care of it for those who come in the future," says Ara.