Sobre - GRAFO

Producing stories that captivate Brazil and the world

Movies, Series, and Film Festivals

Inspiration • Humanization • Provocation

Grafo Audiovisual is a film production company that believes in the transformative power of cinema.

Founded in 2007, our mission is to promote culture and impact society through stories that inspire, move, and provoke reflection. We specialize in creating and producing audiovisual content that aims not only to entertain but also to connect people and ideas.

With a history marked by dedication to artistic quality and commitment to cultural diversity, Grafo has been recognized as one of the leading film producers in Brazil. Among our standout projects is Olhar de Cinema | Curitiba International Film Festival, one of the largest festivals of its kind in the country and Latin America, which has been bringing together filmmakers, critics, and audiences passionate about independent cinema since 2012.

Additionally, we organize Cinenaguá, a festival focused on cinema classics, held in the coastal region of Paraná, which started in 2023. Projects like these are of great cultural significance and stimulate relevant discussions about the audiovisual scene, including workshops, seminars, and training activities.

Grafo Audiovisual continues to evolve, exploring new technologies and formats to tell stories that resonate with audiences and leave a lasting impact. Our productions have reached all 5 continents through over 400 festivals and 200 awards. They have also been sold to more than 30 countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Check out some of our productions:

Private Desert (Audience Award at Giornate degli Autori Venice, Brazilian Oscar nominee), Rust (Sundance – USA, Best Film Gramado Festival), To my beloved (7 awards at Brasília Festival, Silver Zenith in Montreal – Canada, San Sebastian – Spain), Jesus Kid (3 awards in Gramado), Circular (Rio Festival), A Gente (UN Award at Dok Leipzig – Germany), Arid Zone (Special Mention at Dok Leipzig – Germany), Remains of a Man (Helena Ignez Award at Tiradentes Film Festival), Foram os Sussurros que me Matavam (Tiradentes Film Festival), The woman who cries (Seattle Latino Film Festival, São Paulo Film Festival), Pátio (Cannes – France), O Estacionamento (Best Short Film Rio Festival), A Fábrica (Oscar shortlist, Special Mention Clermont-Ferrand – France), Ainda Ontem (Clermont-Ferrand – France), Tarântula (Venice – Italy). We co-produced the Portugal-Brazil-Mozambique project Avó Dezenove e o Segredo do Soviético and the feature film Nunca Nada Aconteceu (Portugal-Belgium-Brazil). We also produced the children’s series Manual de Sobrevivência da Literatura Brasileira and the series Us by Us. We are currently finishing the feature films Nó and Horizonte.

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2007

Company foundation

In the beginning, Grafo had a different name. It was founded by film students who met at FAP – Faculdade de Artes do Paraná (Paraná College of Arts).

From the very start, our main goal was to have a production company focused on creating original content for short and feature films.

2011

The first feature film and a great success

We released our first feature film, Circular, with collective direction by Adriano Esturilho, Aly Muritiba, Bruno de Oliveira, Diego Florentino, and Fábio Allon. This film was one of the five winners of the Low-Budget Call for Entries from the Ministry of Culture.

We also premiered the short film A Fábrica by Aly Muritiba, which participated in over 200 festivals and won 72 awards, mostly internationally. Additionally, it made it to the 2013 Oscar shortlist in the fiction short film category.

2013

Prison Trilogy

The short film Pátio and the documentary feature A Gente, both directed by Aly Muritiba, form the Prison Trilogy along with the short film A Fábrica.

Pátio premiered at the Critics’ Week at Cannes and won the award for Best Short Film at É Tudo Verdade.

A Gente was showcased at Dok Leipzig, the oldest documentary festival in the world, in Germany, where it received a financial award from the UN, as well as the production and distribution of physical copies of the film with subtitles in all languages spoken in the European Union to libraries, schools, cultural centers, and more.

2015

Venice and International Sales

The short film Tarântula, by Marja Calafange and Aly Muritiba, had its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

The feature film To my beloved, Aly Muritiba’s first solo fiction feature, won 7 awards at the Brasília Festival, including Best Film by the Critics. Additionally, it was screened at the San Sebastián Festival and secured sales in 6 countries, notably the Netherlands, Germany, and China.

2017

The First Series

Our first series, Us By Us, consisting of 5 episodes of 26 minutes each, aired on TV Brasil, TV Cultura, and later on TV Futura.

The series was also edited into a feature-length format for a theatrical release.

2018

Sundance

The feature film Ferrugem, directed by Aly Muritiba, is selected for the Sundance Film Festival in the USA. In Brazil, the film wins the Best Film award at the Festival de Gramado.

We also released the short film Ainda Ontem by Jessica Candal, which was selected for the world’s largest short film festival, Clermont-Ferrand.

2019

Award at Dok Leipzig

Zona Árida, directed by Fernanda Pessoa, received an Honorable Mention at the Dok Leipzig Festival in Germany.

The short film Chacal, by Marja Calafange, won the Fantastic Women Award at Cinefantasy.

2020

First International Co-Production

Our first international co-production, Avó Dezenove e o Segredo do Soviético, by João Ribeiro, is released with minority participation from Brazil and Mozambique and majority participation from Portugal. The film is an adaptation of the book of the same name written by Angolan author Ondjaki.

2021

Three Features and the Oscar

The year we released three feature films. The first was A Mesma Parte de um Homem by Ana Johann, which received the Helena Ignez Award at the Mostra de Tiradentes.

Next, we released Jesus Kid by Aly Muritiba, which won three awards at the Festival de Gramado (Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor).

Finally, Private Desert, also directed by Aly Muritiba, premiered at the Giornate degli Autori in Venice, winning the Audience Award and being nominated as Brazil’s official entry for the Oscar.

2022

Solidifying Our International Market Presence

We released our second minority co-production with Portugal, Nunca Nada Aconteceu by Gonçalo Galvão Teles, which was screened at the Punta del Este Festival and the Mostra de São Paulo.

With this, we consolidated our partnership with the Portuguese company Fado Filmes, with which, in addition to this film, we also produced Private Desert and Avó Dezenove e o Segredo do Soviético.

2024

One Series and Two Features

The feature film The whispers that killed me, by Arthur Tuoto, starring Mel Lisboa, premiered at the Mostra de Tiradentes.

The feature film The woman who cries by George Walker was showcased at the Chicago Latino Film Festival, Seattle Latino Film Festival, and Mostra de São Paulo.

Finally, we premiered the children’s series Manual de Sobrevivência da Literatura Brasileira, consisting of 10 episodes of 26 minutes each, on TV Brasil.

Film licensing across five continents

Our team

Meet the talents that make our productions happen

Antonio Gonçalves Junior

Creative Producer / General Director

Has a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations (UEL) and Cinema and Video (FAP), with a specialization in Communication and Culture (UTFPR). Antonio creates, develops, and manages all original content projects for the audiovisual production company. He is the Artistic Director of Olhar de Cinema and Cinenaguá.

Milena Fransolino

Creative Content Creator

Designer and visual artist. Also responsible for creating content for the audiovisual production company’s and Olhar de Cinema’s social media.

Fabiana Pimentel

Executive Producer

Has been working in the audiovisual field since 2015, in content production and coordination of educational projects. She also has a bachelor’s degree in Law, with experience in developing projects for incentive laws and cultural programs proposed by the private sector.

Gabriel Borges

Artistic Director Cinenaguá / Co-artistic director Olhar de Cinema

Gabriel Borges is a curator, editor and film director. With a Master’s degree in Cinema from Unespar, Gabriel is currently co-artistic director of Olhar de Cinema – Festival Internacional de Curitiba, artistic director of Metrô – Festival do Cinema Universitário Brasileiro and one of the curators of Cineclube São Bernardo.

Tomás Deola

Financial Administrator

Responsible for financial reporting and execution of film and festival projects produced by Grafo, he also handles administrative and financial functions related to the daily operations of the company.

Andressa Neto

Marketing Coordinator

Marketing professional, specialized in Digital Communication and E-Branding, with over 14 years of experience in marketing, communication, and events. She also has a technical degree in Performing Arts from the Technical School of UFPR.

Leonardo Vieira Mendonça

Production Assistant intern

Student of Cinema and Audiovisual at the College of Arts of Paraná, he also has a technical degree in Administration from Senac São Paulo. He works at Grafo Audiovisual as a Production Assistant intern.