Episode 45: Pedro Freire
Season 2 Episode 45 with Pedro Freire
There's not been another episode like it. And maybe that's because I've never had a Brazilian filmmaker on the show. But that changes with Pedro Freire, director of Sundance favorite MALU.
It's stunning the amount of ground and insight we cover in this episode, and a recap feels a little inadequate to the brilliance of Pedro's mind, but here goes: we talk about how he got his start in filmmaking (watching films with an obsession for years); teaching film in Cuba; the state of Brazilian filmmaking; the unique way in which he shot MALU that should resonate for all independent filmmakers; how to use color in service to the story; how work doesn't mean a film will be successful.
And that's not all, not even close: the versatility of directors; his "personal relationship" with the Sundance Film Festival; if his film resonates specifically in Latin America because of his portrayal of families; what he would go back and tell himself at the beginning of his career; what's next for him and MALU. His next film is a love story, "two women who fall in love...but they are in their 80s."
Whenever we talk about the most promising filmmakers of the future, Pedro Freire has to be on the list.
Pedro's Indie Filmmaker Highlight: Gabriel Mascaro; HEARTLESS (2023) dir. by Nara Normande; Eduardo Nunes
Links:
Pedro Freire's Instagram
MALU On Letterboxd