VACATIONLAND x HARPO

”A Good, Long Life”

FOLLOW (US)
@chica_barbosa
@thiagozanato

INQUIRIES
chicabbarbosa@gmail.com
thiago.zanato@gmail.com

Chica Barbosa and Thiago Zanato are a directing duo based in Los Angeles. Originally from Brasil and Mexico, they work in both commercial and narrative and they are fascinated by new forms of representation and magical realism. With projects in Brazil, USA, Europe and Africa, they take an experimental approach to film that blends reality and fiction as a way of telling compelling stories. They’re interested in developing creative collaborations with artists from different backgrounds and territories that push the limits of aesthetics and representation as well as always working with a diverse crew behind and in front of the cameras. Their work has been featured at numerous film festivals around the world like IDFA, Frameline, Outfest, LALIFF, DOC NYC, Leeds International Film Festival, and have won several awards.

Robinhood: We are all investors

Mini-doc | Advertising

Short documentary and TVC produced for brand Robinhood, produced by Media Monks.

Arely Vazquez's personal story as an immigrant and transgender woman is the starting point of the short movie "La Flaca", that attempts to show what the Santa Muerte (Holy Death) cult is about - a cult formed by those marginalized in our society. The movie blurs the line between documentary and fiction when bringing together real characters and events with a fictional plot, based on the day of the 9th Anniversary of the Santa Muerte. Arely gathers the devotees annually in a celebration through the night, idealized by her as a form of fulfilling her vows to the Skeleton Saint.

"La Flaca" is above all a documentary about the overcoming of prejudices and the breaking of tabus, that also questions social superficial morals. It is a movie about life, but it is also a movie about death - the death that is always just for she'll come to meet us all, sooner or later.

I had the pleasure to direct a series of films for PUMA Football, with some of the greatest soccer players around: Marco Reus, Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suárez, Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku. The campaign promoted their new HACKED line of boots and the films highlighted the glitchy texture on the boots, that spreads around the scenes to create crazy effects and weird situations involving each player.

Esu is a popular African deity of thousands of years and we might never know its exact origin. But it is possible to understand how Esu went from being a God in Africa to becoming the Devil in Brazil. This tragic story, that passes through colonization and slavery, has not ended yet. “Esu & The Universe” follows the complex path of a culture turned into resistance over the course of several centuries.

Xfinity: Stories of Us

Mini-doc | Advertising

4 videos of the digital campaign for Xfinity “Fabric of America - Stories of Us”, produced by Mitú.
Mitú is a digital media company that brings a Latino POV to mainstream entertainment across multiple platforms.

Mastercard: Anna+Liu’Fan

3” Mini-doc | Advertising

Mastercard produced a series of videos around the world to promote their League of Legends partnership and Anna was chosen to represent Brazil. This mini-doc features Anna’s inspiring story about how she created Liu’Fan, a character that represents many of her struggles - and also how she overcame them to become a true artist.

PHOTO ESSAY - NIGERIA+BRAZIL

These are a few pictures that I took while doing the research for “Esu and the Universe”. Some in Nigeria, some in Brazil.

PHOTO ESSAY #3 - HIDALGO PENITENTIARY, MEXICO

These are a few pictures that I took while doing the research for “La Flaca”, at the Hidalgo State penitentiary, Mexico.

Every year after the Day of the Dead in November, Enriqueta used to visit several locations to hold a mass for the Santa Muerte (Holy Death) devotees. One of these locations is the Hidalgo State prison. More than half the inmates are devotees and they wait for Enriqueta to bless them and talk about their future and what their life will be like when they come out of prison. Enriqueta passed away a few years ago.