I’m Dara Oliver Andia, a Brazilian filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer whose work moves between fiction, documentary, queer cinema, and audiovisual preservation. I graduated in Film and Audiovisual from the State University of Paraná (UNESPAR) and I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Film at Queen’s University Belfast.

Cinema has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Long before film school, when people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always the same: I want to be a filmmaker. That desire grew into a professional practice built not only on directing and writing, but on understanding how films are developed, organised, and brought into existence.

Directing short films such as Tinto and 1.5, as well as writing, producing and directing the documentary Piracicaba Never Forgot, was more than a creative achievement; it was a way of recognising myself through cinema. My work is deeply personal, but it is also shaped by a strong practical commitment to making films happen. I have experience across script development, assistant directing, editing, research, and production processes, with a clear understanding of what it takes to move a project from idea to screen.

Alongside my creative practice, I have pursued further training in cultural production and participated in academic research programmes focused on audiovisual preservation. This combination of artistic, organisational, and research experience informs the way I work: with care for the story, attention to structure, and the ability to manage the many layers involved in filmmaking.

Whether working in documentary or fiction, I am interested in cinema as both creation and preservation, a space where memory, identity, and emotion can take form. Above all, my commitment is to making films that are honest in what they feel and rigorous in how they are made.