Valentina, the first feature film by Brazilian filmmaker Cássio Pereira dos Santos, will have its world premiere at the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival, taking place from August 20 to 30, followed by a screening at the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Miami and Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, August 29. A hopeful and inspiring reflection of the real-life struggles faced by a young girl seeking to embrace who she is, Valentina marks the film debut of influential Brazilian trans YouTuber Thiessa Woinbackk in the title role.
The film follows Valentina, a 17-year-old girl who moves to the countryside of Brazil with her mother, Márcia (played by renowned actress Guta Stresser), for a fresh start. To avoid being bullied at her new school, Valentina tries to enroll using her new name, hoping to keep her personal gender history private. However, the girl and her mother quickly face dilemmas when the local school begins to require her father’s signature (Rômulo Braga) to complete the enrollment.
Gay filmmaker Pereira dos Santos began developing the project in 2013 with his sister Erika – also a gay filmmaker and producer of the film – before the release of several trans films and the rise of the far-right in Brazilian politics. The film finally went into production in May 2019 and is being released at a time when Brazil – much like the U.S. – faces an ultraconservative backlash that threatens to reverse many of the achievements of the LGBTQ community.
With executive production by Hebe Tabachnik, Natália Brandino, and Walder Junior, the cast and crew of Valentina were largely composed of members of the LGBTQ community. The film was independently produced by Campo Cerrado, with sponsorship from the Low Budget Feature Film Notice of the Audiovisual Secretariat and Ancine, along with the Audiovisual Sector Fund.
Joining a powerful generation of Brazilian filmmakers known for innovating representations of sexuality and identity in cinema, Valentina shifts the narrative of trans films through an affirmative and inspiring approach, and shines with Woinbackk’s performance, a renowned national figure ready for her international debut. Brazil, 2020, 95 min.
In Portuguese with English subtitles. Writer/director: Cássio Pereira dos Santos; Producer: Érika Pereira dos Santos; Executive Producers: Natália Brandino, Walder Junior, and Hebe Tabachnik; Director of Photography: Leonardo Feliciano; Sound Engineer: Francisco Craesmeyer; Sound Design: Camila Machado; Production Design: Denise Vieira; Editor: Alexandre Taira; Original Song: “Eu Nasci Ali,” by Tuyo & Xan; Production Company: Campo Cerrado Produções; Coproducers: Kocria; Corriola Filmes. Script development support: DF Cultural Support Fund. Logistical support: Cultural Workshop of Uberlândia, Federal University of Uberlândia, and the City Hall of Estrela do Sul. Starring Thiessa Woinbackk (Valentina), Guta Stresser (Márcia, Valentina’s mother), Rômulo Braga (Renato, Valentina’s father), Letícia Franco (Amanda), Ronaldo Bonafro (Júlio), Pedro Diniz (Marco), and João Gott (Lauro).