Maria is an American Film Institute (AFI) graduate (Los Angeles, CA,) and has already created an impressive body of work.
Maria has directed six short films, fashion commercials and a web series. In addition, she has worked as an assistant director for a number of feature films and TV series.
Meu Amigo Hindu
My Hindu Friend starring Willem Dafoe
Film Trailer
She had the opportunity of working closely with renowned directors like Hector Babenco (Academy award nominee for Kiss of the Spider Woman) and Eduardo Coutinho (Edifício Master). Maria worked as an AD on the last two movies of Babenco’s career (My Hindu Friend and The Man Who Stole a Duck.)
The first short she directed À Margem dos Olhos had Clarissa Kiste as one of the main actors. Clarissa is now playing a character in the first Brazilian Netflix series called 3%.
"My main focus as a writer-director is to tell female driven stories. Thriller and horror are my favorite genres. Nightcrawler, Under the Skin, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and Let the Right One In are movies that have truly influenced me as a director.
Exploring the dark side of human nature is a recurrent theme of my work. However, there's a dark side of women that’s usually not portrayed in films and TV shows. Female characters are usually portrayed as delicate, sweet, and loving. But what happens when the dark side of our souls takes over? This is a question I’ve often asked myself and the main theme I want to examine as a filmmaker.”
