A dozen of Brazilian directors have announced the launch of the Brazilian Filmmakers Collective with the aim of creating a hub for filmmakers from the South American country living and working abroad as a way to share resources, opportunities and promote creative enrichment.
The official launch of the collective that was created last year and includes as a members of its creative advisory board directors Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger) and Fernando Meirelles (City of God), will take place on February 16 at the Berlin Film Festival's European Film Market.
“Everything started very organically, with some of us calling one another, asking for creative advice or career recommendations, and then there was that moment when we realized we should start supporting each other more rather than competing against each other,” says member Alexandre Moratto, director of Netflix's 7 Prisoners.
To best serve its members the collective will hold weekly meetings where they discuss the artists' needs as well as strategies to best support each of them. “Our meeting agendas include our everyday challenges as artists such as ‘how to get proper representation as filmmakers’ or ‘how to best navigate the complex film festival circuit,’ or even ‘how to find a producer who’s a good fit for a particular project,’” explains member Débora Souza Silva, director of Black Mother's, an SFFILM and Sundance Labs supported documentary feature currently in post-production. “But we also address our big picture needs as a collective, such as finding ways to promote visibility towards our work as Brazilian filmmakers working internationally, both individually and collectively. We also share creative feedback on our projects, such as on each others’ scripts or work-in-progress edits.”
As a Brazilian entity representing the diversity of Latin American culture, the collective is committed to lead by example when it comes to equality. The organization includes filmmakers from the LGBTQIA+ community and different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, as well as several women in its inaugural membership. “For us, it’s very important that our group and the stories we want to tell reflect the reality of our country and our cultural identities,” says member Rafael Thomaseto, director of MixBrasil Festival entry Próprio.
Filmmakers in the collective come from a range of professional experiences but all identify primarily as directors. Collectively, their directorial work has premiered at top tier film festivals around the world such as Toronto, Venice, Sundance, SXSW, New York and more. Members are at similar stages in their careers — they have each premiered their 1st or 2nd feature films at A-list festivals or are working on their 1st feature projects with the support of competitive A-list fellowships such as the Torino Screenwriting Lab, TIFF Filmmaker Lab, Sundance Labs, Tribeca Institute Fellowships, SFFILM Residencies, Hola Mexico, and more. Members specialize in documentaries, narrative films, or a hybrid of both. Despite the differences in approach and diverse styles, BRFC artists share a common interest in using their work in their examinations of contemporary issues affecting communities worldwide, especially those which share a parallel with Latin America. Collectively, their work has addressed Immigration, LGBTQIA+ Issues, Gender Issues, Racial and Economic Justice, Health and Technology, and more.
"We hope to shine a light on how diverse Brazilian cinema can be,” says member Iuli Gerbase, director of Sundance entry The Pink Cloud. “The collective's work, though free and independent, investigates themes on the cutting edge of life in a global world today," says member Moara Passoni, director of MoMA Doc Fortnight entry Êxtase. "My hope is that we can continue to grow the collective to include more Brazilian filmmakers living and working abroad who share our passion and commitment to collaboration over competition. And that we can build an enriching bridge between the Brazilian and international cinema industry. Right now, our members are based in North America, but we've been discussing expanding to Europe and beyond."
"One of the highlights of this group is that we all trust each other creatively," says member Mario Furloni, director of SXSW entry Freeland. "We give each other feedback on our projects, watch each other's films, read each other's scripts. All in an effort to uplift each other's work and contribute to the medium through quality. We like to let the work take the forefront, and I've seen my own work improve as a result."
For more information visit: www.brazilianfilmmakers.com
