# Prime Video and RTP Acquire Rights to Gisberta True-Crime Series

Leonel Vieira’s four-part docuseries explores the 2006 murder of a Brazilian transgender woman.

- **Source:** [Variety – TV](https://variety.com/v/tv)
- **Published:** 2026-11-12
- **Topic:** [entertainment](https://brifing.si/c/entertainment)
- **Original article:** <https://variety.com/2026/global/global/prime-video-rtp-gisberta-portugal-leonel-vieira-1236945749/>
- **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/4c637131-fdf7-40fa-853a-6e8d2e98b710

## Broadcasting Rights Secured

Prime Video and the Portuguese public broadcaster RTP have officially acquired the rights to the four-part true-crime docuseries titled Gisberta. Prime Video holds the SVOD rights for the Portuguese market, while RTP has secured the free-to-air and AVOD rights. This collaboration marks a significant distribution milestone for the Lisbon-based production company Volf Entertainment.

## Production and Creative Team

The series is a co-production between Lisbon-based Volf Entertainment and Brazil’s Ultravioleta. It is directed by Leonel Vieira and Rodrigo Rebouças, with Vieira also serving as the showrunner. Currently in post-production, the project represents Volf Entertainment’s first foray into the true-crime genre, expanding their portfolio beyond previous thriller and drama works.

## Revisiting a Tragic Case

The docuseries examines the 2006 murder of Gisberta Salce Júnior, a Brazilian transgender woman killed in Porto. The case gained notoriety after the 14 minors responsible, who were from the Catholic-run Oficina de São José, were acquitted of homicide. The series investigates the killing, the judicial aftermath, and the institution’s subsequent closure in 2010.

## Multifaceted Narrative Approach

To reconstruct the events, the production utilizes archive footage, court records, and personal letters written by Salce Júnior. The narrative is further supported by interviews with relatives, journalists, and legal experts. Additionally, the series includes dramatized reconstructions to trace her life journey from Brazil to Europe, providing a comprehensive look at the case.

## Industry Recognition and Funding

The project gained significant momentum after being presented at Conecta Fiction Entertainment in Toledo in 2024. It won two awards, including music-licensing support and an invitation to the Sanfic Industria Series Lab. These accolades acted as a springboard for securing financing from Amazon Prime and utilizing the Portuguese cash rebate system for production.

## International Distribution Strategy

Beyond the domestic Portuguese market, the producers are looking toward global reach. French distributor About Premium Content, which was involved in the project’s development phase, is handling international sales. The production team expresses high confidence in the distributor’s ability to place the series in additional territories, leveraging the universal themes of the story.

## Volf Entertainment’s Strategic Growth

Founded in 2022 and backed by an investment fund managed by Quadrantis Capital, Volf Entertainment is rapidly building its slate. While the company has previously worked on thrillers like Favàritx, Gisberta is their first true-crime production. Vieira indicated that the company is already considering other powerful stories for potential future development projects.

## Context of Portuguese Streaming

Leonel Vieira believes this project is the first true-crime series produced specifically for a streaming platform in Portugal. This development highlights the growing investment in local content by global platforms like Prime Video. The industry is closely watching the performance of this series to gauge audience appetite for localized, high-stakes true-crime narratives.

## Sources covering this story

- https://variety.com/2026/global/global/prime-video-rtp-gisberta-portugal-leonel-vieira-1236945749/ — 

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_Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._
