Meet Maurício Costa, Director/Writer/Producer originally from Brazil, now based in Houston!
What project are you currently working on? What is your role in the project?
I’m the director/writer/producer of “Dear Brown People," which won the Outstanding Documentary Series Award at Catalyst 2021. At this point, we finished the feature-length version. We are discussing distribution and submitting the project to festivals. We’re going to finish the series by the second semester of 2022.
Do you have a favorite hat under the “creator” umbrella?
Yes, I prefer to be a director. I like to write. I produce because it's necessary to make my projects real.
What were your earliest inspirations? How did you get started as a creator?
As a Brazilian grown in the eighties, my earliest inspirations were the Brazilian Telenovelas. Until today, in Brazil, the telenovelas have the best production value: budget, actors, writer, directors, and all the crew involved. Hence, I can say that TV was my first influence. However, films later started to have a role in my life, mainly due to the VHS era. Since then, I've been a ferocious film buff, from horror to romantic comedies, from documentaries to oscar bait dramas. The movies of my life are Dead Poets Society, Magnolia, Midnight in Paris, and Hereditary. My favorite English language series are The Sopranos, Mad Men, Twilight Zone, Battlestar Galactica, and House. Favorite Sitcom: Seinfeld. I'm also a hardcore Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Back to the future, and Batman fan. Favorite documentaries: Nostalgia for the Light, The Act of Killing, Making a Murderer (Season 1). I'm also a big fan of docuseries.
Whose work do you admire? Who are your dream collaborators?
That's a difficult question. I admire many people, but if I had to choose only one to represent all my ideas on filmmaking, it's Alfred Hitchcock.
What’s your proudest moment as an artist so far?
Winning the Catalyst Award for Outstanding Documentary Series in 2021.
Even though my first two movies went to big festivals in Brazil, I was proud of winning this award in the USA with a project that discusses racial issues.
What’s your creative superpower?
Creating powerful narratives through interviews.
What’s your future memoir title?
"At least he tried his best."
What’s your must-read/must-watch book/show or movie?
Book: Love in time of cholera (Gabriel García Marquez)
Movie: Incendies (Dennis Villeneuve)
Show: Dark (Netflix original)
Stay up to date with Maurício by following his IMDb page: imdb.me/mauriciocosta