Film Director +
Creative Director

⌖Los Angeles, CA
@thiagozanato

A Nigerian professor, who lives in between Brazil, travels the world to reclaim the true history of Èṣù and prove to the world that this orixá is not the Devil.

AWARDS & FESTIVALS:

• 25th Rio Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Documentary

• 45th São Paulo International Film Festival, Critics’ Award for Best Documentary

• ABD Award, Best Documentary Editing

• Ecofalante Environmental Film Festival, Audience Award

• Bushwick Film Festival (October 2023), Honorable Mention

• SVA Film & Media Festival, Best Film

• LALIFF 2023 Latino International Film Festival

• 62nd FICCI (Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival)

• OJU Roda SESX Black Cinema Showcase

• Kinoarte Film Festival

MARKETS/LABS:

• Points North Fellowship

• "Only in NY" Industry Meetings at the DOC NYC.

• Latino Media Market - NALIP Media Summit

• WIP Latino - Festival de Cine Internacional de Guadalajara in LA. Awarded with the Marketing Movie Runner. 

• Industry Meetings at DocSP - International Documentary Meeting of Sao Paulo. 

• VI Chile Conecta Encuentro Internacional de Industria Documental

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.

As a powerful storm sweeps through Southeast Mexico, a family takes refuge in their small meatshop. In the dead of night, their grandmother weaves an ancient tale of the Xtbay—a spirit born of grief and longing—to help them confront their fears and hold onto hope as their father is lost in the storm.

This short film emerged from a filmmaking lab in the Yucatán Peninsula, led by Pedro Costa. Participants developed and shot their projects on location, collaborating with local non-actors and drawing inspiration from the region. Blending fiction and reality, the film captures the resilience of family amidst the Yucatán’s raw beauty and cultural depth.

NIKE BOOK 1

Product photos for Nike’s Book 1 new Haven, Hike and Rattlesnake.

PHOTO ESSAY #1 - NIGERIA

These are a few pictures that I took while doing the research for “Esu and the Universe”.

This photo series was created during the research for my documentary Esu and the Universe. Shot across Nigeria, the images capture moments of daily life where Yoruba traditions, Catholicism, Islam, and modernity coexist and collide. From street corners where offerings to orixás sit beside mosque walls, to roadside shrines tucked between churches and markets, these photographs offer a glimpse into a world where faiths blend seamlessly into the fabric of everyday life. What might seem curious or unexpected to Western eyes is simply reality in a place where the sacred and the ordinary are one and the same.

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.

PHOTO ESSAY #2 - TEPITO, MEXICO

These are a few pictures that I took while doing the research for “La Flaca”, in Tepito, Mexico City.

Natalia lives in São Paulo, Brazil.
Natalia has two jobs.
Natalia is a woman.
Natalia’s orisha is Exu.
Natalia builds mannequins.
Natalia has two names.
Natalia plays videogames.
Natalia's favorite color is red.
Natalia has a dream.
Natalia is not russian but she is a doll.
Natalia is somebody else's dream.
Natalia smokes two packs a day.

JetBlue Brazil: They’re Up There

CAMPAIGN

Film | Advertising | Brazil
Agency: DENTSU

JetBlue Brazil (also knows as "Azul") is the airline with the largest number of female pilots in the country but they think that is still not enough. So for women's history month, they wanted to inspire future generations to become pilots, specially the girls. For the whole month or March, children were encouraged to visit the cockpit of their airliners.

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.

PHOTO ESSAY #4 - REPÚBLICA, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Street photography of República, the neighborhood I lived in São Paulo a few years ago.

República is a central neighborhood in downtown São Paulo, where I lived for about 2 years recently. Once the richest area of São Paulo, now it is known for being a hub of prostitution and drug use - it is also becoming rapidly gentrified, further accentuating the already indisputable inequality that plagues the city, the state and the country. It felt to me like the heart of the city was bloated and throbbing with pain - but still hopeful.

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.

A ḍākinī (Sanskrit: डाकिनी; Tibetan: མཁའ་འགྲོ་མ་, Wylie: mkha' 'gro ma, THL: khandroma; Mongolian: хандарма; Chinese: 空行母; pinyin: kōngxíngmǔ; lit. 'sky-going mother'; alternatively 荼枳尼, pinyin: túzhǐní; 荼吉尼, pinyin: tújíní; or 吒枳尼, pinyin: zhāzhǐní; Japanese: 荼枳尼 / 吒枳尼 / 荼吉尼, dakini) is a type of female spirit or demon in Hinduism and Buddhism.

The 'ḍākinī' (also wisdom ḍākinī) can refer to both a fierce-looking female embodiments of enlightened energy and to human women with a certain amount of spiritual development.

Film Director +
Creative Director

⌖Los Angeles, CA
@thiagozanato