Aquarius: streaming focuses on wellness content – 05/08/2023 – Equilíbrio

It is not difficult to find content about well-being on social networks. Young people showing their sleep or skincare routines, nutritionists giving recipe tips, people sharing their meditation journeys. However, for those who want to watch more in-depth content on the subject, movies and series may not be so easy to find.

At least that’s what Bruno Wainer, founder of Downtown Filmes, noticed in his journey of self-discovery. In 2020, during the pandemic, the producer went through a process of burnout and mental exhaustion, which he faced with the help of therapy and, also, a good dose of mental and social impact films.

“The content I was consuming throughout my process always arrived in an obscure way, it didn’t have subtitles, it didn’t have that much technical quality”, he says. That’s when the desire to create a channel that organized this type of content on a platform that facilitated access to interested parties began.

Thus came Aquarius, a streaming platform launched just over a month ago that brings together films, documentaries and series on yoga, meditation, sustainability and the environment, among other topics.

Investment in content on this topic in the entertainment market is still in its early stages, and Wainer’s initiative may show what the public’s interest in the subject really is.

On traditional streaming platforms, there is still little variety of this type of audiovisual production, which is often hidden in the catalog, among other themes.

A Sheet, most platforms did not report investing in content on the subject. By Globoplay, some examples cited are podcasts that have a dialogue with well-being, in addition to titles that bring together professionals and specialists in reflections on spirituality and self-knowledge.

Outside the country, an initiative similar to Wainer’s is streaming Gaia, which brings together documentaries and also yoga and meditation classes. However, Aquarius is a pioneering investment in the field in Brazil.

“I made a list of first films, hired an international agent to find these films and see if the rights were available”, says Wainer, about the initial process of creating the platform, which was launched to the public in June of that year. Much of the initial content was available for purchase of rights in Brazil, and thus the curatorship began.

The next steps include diversification of the available content and even the dream of own production in the future. “The work of curatorship is proving to be a treasure. I am a big consumer of my own platform”, says the producer.

The proposal is for the platform to release new content every month, maintaining the constant renewal of the catalogue. In August, for example, the documentary series “Samadhi”, about spirituality, and “Changing of the Gods”, which brings a historical and cultural approach based on astrology, will be included on the platform.

“For me, in addition to the content of each film, a very important piece of data for the curatorship is that they are good films to watch”, comments Wainer. “I would say it’s a hub of knowledge through film.”

For now, the platform only features documentaries, but the producer claims that the team is open to including fiction films that also fit the themes addressed, for example.

Even after launch, the project is still under construction and growth, as the team better understands the relationship with the public and the new possibilities for the platform. For Wainer, it has been a period of intense learning. “The sky is the limit,” he says.

Aquarius can be accessed through the application on cell phones and tablets, and on the computer through the platform’s website. The subscription can be made with the monthly, quarterly and annual plan, for prices ranging from R$ 27.90 to R$ 39.90 per month.