Filmmaker Carolina Markowicz, from Brazil, has been selected for the 2024 Pop Up Residency, where she will work with renowned Romanian producer Ada Solomon for three weeks while she refines her third feature, “The Funeral.”
“Having a conversation with an industry expert like Ada, a producer whose work I genuinely appreciate, is a true honour. bold, unique, and unique. I adore artists that continue to take chances because they are so uncommon in today’s world. Markowicz told Variety, “I’m excited to hear her opinion on my film and feel incredibly honoured to have it chosen.”
Projeto Paradiso, which also gave Markowicz a Paradiso Scholarship this year to attend the TFL ScriptLab for the emerging concept, is the only developer behind the residence programme. The partner programme has given a Brazilian filmmaker a residency for the fifth year running.
“Carolina’s proposal has a lot of creative potential, and this immersion will be crucial to bringing different and interesting perspectives to the movie. According to Josephine Bourgois, Executive Director of Projeto Paradiso, “We created this Pop Up partnership with the aim of offering customised, high-level mentoring in an immersive environment, something that allows the screenwriter to have dedicated, quality time to focus on the process of creating and developing the script.”
The São Paulo-born Markowicz made her festival debut with great success, winning the Emerging Talent prise in 2023 at the Toronto Film Festival for her first two films, “Charcoal” (also known as “Carvão”) and “Toll” (also known as “Pedágio”). In 2018, her short film “The Orphan” (also known as “O Ñrfão”) won several international awards, including the Cannes Queer Palm.
Solomon has contributed to more than 60 films. Most notably, he has worked on multiple projects with Radu Jude, a festival favourite, including “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World,” Radu Jude’s most recent winner of the Locarno Jury Prise.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome Carolina Markowicz and explore the world of Brazilian aristocracy with her. Her project, “The Funeral,” in my opinion, possesses the two essential components for success: letting the public learn about a culture that is not readily accessible and delving into a topic that is quite universal. “‘The Funeral’ appears to me like a Brazilian ‘Succession,'” Solomon said.
The story follows a prosperous São Paulo family as they grieve the loss of their patriarch. A secret daughter from his previous affair shows up at the burial, upending the affluent, high-status lives they have become accustomed to and pushing them towards reluctant inclusion.
“To be honest, I find human complexity fascinating, and I think that relationships and the dark sides of society will always be a part of my works. That is reflected in families. They provide the closeness that lets us reveal both our best and worst sides. Families are one of the most idealised structures in our society, which is incredibly paradoxical, according to Markowicz.
The development stage is the best time to figure out what the movie is trying to tell you, what it needs to be, and for yourself—what you want to discuss and what first drew you in to the concept. She begins by describing her experience with the Torino Script Lab, saying, “The process so far has been so rich and inspiring.”
“I view films as living creatures that interact with their creators throughout the entire process, from conception to editing and release.” They occasionally ask for requests you wouldn’t have considered. “I find the process of hearing suggestions to be really fascinating,” she said in closing.
The Pop Up Film Residency is an initiative by Matthieu Darras, a former Cannes Critics’ Week programmer, and it is aimed at artists developing their second or third feature film. The residence is granted to a Brazilian filmmaker through Projeto Paradiso and takes place in over ten countries, in addition to international labs, festivals, and marketplaces.
Previous projects chosen for the programme include the in-development “Lonely Hearts” by “My Name Is Baghdad” director Caru Alves de Souza, “Red Express” by Daniel Bandeira, “Undetectable” by Esmir Filho, and “While They Sleep” by Beatriz Seigner.
