Directing
Film
To Kill a Dragon in Cappadocia
in development
FILM, FICTION, 120’, DIGITAL, BRAZIL. 2026.
SCRIPT AND DIRECTION
Fear paralyzes, devours the soul, and weakens; but it also brings courage and desire. It is through fear that Mariana, a young Brazilian woman, finds love, faith, and belonging when she moves to Turkey. There, she must face political and personal crises, wars, and epidemics alone.
Received development funding from the Paulo Gustavo Paraná Law 2023/2024 (Brazil)
Part of the SELO ELAS project, by ELO DISTRIBUIDORA, in 2022 (Brazil)
Rosilete’s Belt
in production
FILM, DOCUMENTARY, 70’, DIGITAL, BRAZIL. 2025.
DIRECTION, SCRIPT, AND EDITING
Red nails, leopard-print boxing gloves, gladiator skirt, scars all over her body, a past as a sugarcane cutter, a mother, a daughter, a great love, and a champion’s belt: this is Rosilete dos Santos.
Dragon Skin
in finalization
DANCE FILM, 10’, DIGITAL, BRAZIL, GERMANY. 2024.
DIRECTION, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND EDITING
Mariana lives in a deep sleep. In her dream world, she battles a dragon that wants to take over her body. In the few moments she is awake, Mariana tries to find ways to go to Cappadocia, Turkey, where it is said Saint George, the dragon slayer, lives.
Funded by the Schloss Solitude Akademie, Germany
Encantaria
in production
FILM, HYBRID, 140’, DIGITAL AND SUPER 16MM. 2026.
DIRECTION, SCRIPT, AND EDITING
In the invisible world of Encantaria, the enchanted beings are worried because, for the first time in two million years, they have begun to age. The enchanted king Dom Sebastião and his three adopted daughters, Jarina, Herondina, and Mariana, decide to set out across the world in search of re-enchantment. They traverse the Brazilian seas, where they reside, and go to Portugal, Spain, Angola, and Morocco, encountering people, animals, and other magical beings.
Received circulation funding from the Paulo Gustavo Paraná Law 2023/2024 (Brazil)
Walking on Water
in production
FILM, HYBRID, 40’, DIGITAL, BRAZIL. 2025.
DIRECTION, SCRIPT, AND EDITING
On the Maranhão coast, the tide is called the "great banzeiro," which comes and goes, crossing the entire world and returning every six hours. Each hour is a mystery; each hour a man ceases to be a man and becomes an animal, becomes the sea, becomes the sky, becomes a man again. This film is about them, who walk on water and across time.
The Bull
completed
FILM, HYBRID, 78’, DIGITAL, BRAZIL. 2015.
DIRECTION, SCRIPT, AND EDITING
The body of the Portuguese king Dom Sebastião was swallowed by the sands of Morocco and disappeared when he lost the Battle of Alcácer Quibir. However, his spirit organized an army that began exploring new lands until it reached Brazil. On the Island of Lençóis, in the Northeast of the country, Dom Sebastião founded his enchanted kingdom. He roams in the form of a black bull, with a star on his forehead. One day, his daughter will return to the island wielding a golden sword.
Received the Vision Sud Est Award (Switzerland)
Nominated for the FIPRESCI Prize
Carte Blanche at the 67th Locarno International Film Festival (as work-in-progress)
WP - 44th Rotterdam International Film Festival
Avaiable for rent here
The King
completed
FILM, HYBRID, 24’, DIGITAL, BRAZIL. 2014.
DIRECTION, SCRIPT, AND EDITING
One day, Old Chico dreamed that King Dom Sebastião invited him to visit his enchanted kingdom beneath the dunes of the Island of Lençóis, in Maranhão. The old man, believing it was just a dream, told his companions what he had seen. Furious, the king left him unconscious for seven days and seven nights in the desert under the hot sun and hid from everyone. Since then, Dom Sebastião roams in the form of a magical bull under the full moon. One day, his daughter will come to break the enchantment of him, the island, and all the people.
Winner of the 9th Rucker Vieira Screenplay Contest (Brazil)
WP – Rio International Film Festival 2014
Available for free here
The Last Vodunsi
completed
FILM, DOCUMENTARY, 25’, DIGITAL, BRAZIL. 2015.
DIRECTION, SCRIPT, AND EDITING
“This is the House of Mines. The owner of the house is Zomadônu. Since he doesn't have a body like ours, I am here as the leader; but the one in charge is him.” Deni Prata Jardim, the last vodunsi of the House of Mines in Maranhão.
WP – 26th FID Marseille (France)
Available for free here
The Waters
completed
EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO, 10', SWITZERLAND, BRAZIL, THAILAND. 2014.
DIRECTION, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND EDITING
In a village in northern Thailand, a young woman is destined to marry a man she does not know. Believing in the spiritual power of the waters, she decides to go to the river and thank it for the fortune she has received. On that day, a tragic event will change her fate, the fate of the waters, and the entire village. Documentary images and sounds bring this fictional story to life, inspired by a blend of Thai and Brazilian tales.
WP – Olhar de Cinema 2014 (Brazil)
Available for free here
I went to Cappadocia and I thought of you
completed
EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO, 9', BRAZIL/TURKEY. 2013.
DIRECTION, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND EDITING
I wanted to fly;
you told me to plant my feet on the ground.
I got tired of being a tourist.
I decided to return.
I'll be back soon.
WP – Tiradentes Film Festival (Brazil)
Exhibited at MALBA – Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Available for free here
Postcards from Kapadokya
PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOS/LITERATURE
PHOTOS AND TEXTS
I see you. I see you and glimpse my shadow, my past, my future. We are stone, dust, and water. You and I. One day, we will return to the earth together and grow wings. For now, we are just the whispers of the old dervishes. Open your eyes and your heart. I am still here.
Developed and presented as part of the Babayan Culture House Foundation's artistic residency, Ibraimpasa (Turkey)
April Times
completed
FILM, FICTION, 10’, DIGITAL, SWITZERLAND. 2010.
SCRIPT, DIRECTION, AND EDITING
After experiencing intense grief, a photographer revisits her childhood home, where she encounters her first experience with death and the desire to capture time.
WP – Shnit International Film Festival (Switzerland)
Bordering
completed
FILM, DOCUMENTARY, 3', 16mm, SWITZERLAND. 2011.
DIRECTION, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND EDITING
An American basketball player retires and decides to open a bakery on the border between Switzerland and France. At his door, he listens to stories and witnesses the struggles of those who cross from one side to the other every day.
WP – FIDÉ – Festival du Film Étudiant Documentaire
Television
Women of Enchantment
completed
SERIES, HYBRID, 5X72’, DIGITAL, BRAZIL. 2023.
DIRECTION, SCRIPT, AND PRODUCTION
Renata lives on the Island of Lençóis, where she runs a guesthouse with her husband, Nango, who is also a fisherman. Times are tough financially. Shrimp – the family’s main source of income – is scarce, and the off-season does not help with the flow of tourists. While trying to find solutions to these problems, Renata begins to have strange dreams, which her mother-in-law, Dona Nem, the wife of the island's spiritual leader, claims are calls from Encantaria for her to follow her spiritual path. Confused and scared, Renata tries to deal with the challenges in her life.
Currently airing on the CinebrasiTv channel (Brazil)
Loneliness
Completed
SERIES, FICTION, EP 8, 15', DIGITAL, BRAZIL. 2019.
DIRECTION AND EDITING
Tanya is an Angolan woman trying to survive with her two sisters in Curitiba. Between her double shifts at a restaurant and a bakery, Tanya dreams about the stories she hears on the radio program "Quadro Casamenteiro," while waiting for her true love.
Premiered in 2019 on Canal Brasil.