MarianaYoussef
Director, Paranoid Brazil
Since a little girl Mariana always liked advertising/commercials. She was always intrigued by how people must have done it. When the time to choose a career came, she had no doubt about it: Advertising. She became a copywriter and worked at the biggest agencies in Brazil: Grey, Ogilvy, f/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi and Lew Lara TBWA. It was 10 years creating ads and films until she realised that being behind the cameras was what she really liked.
So she took film classes at Academia Internacional de Cinema, learned acting for directors at Judith Weston Studio in Los Angeles, and script techniques with Mr. Guillermo Arriaga in Chile. As a film director, she has shot for renowned clients such as J&J, Rolling Stones, Fiat, Sky, Natura, Samsung, Ford, Coca-cola among others.
She has been part of the jury for D&Ad, Ciclope and, also as a director she was awarded a silver Lion in Film at Cannes, New York Film Festival, Clio Awards and Ciclope. Mariana was chosen as the Brazilian ambassador of the Free the Work, an international initiative for women directors to change the unequal scenario in audiovisual industry (including Free the Bid and the advertising industry).
In the film industry, her last project was B-Flat, shot in India, and which premiered at the 41st Brasilia Film Festival, Cairo International Festival and Madrid International Festival. In 2020 Mariana is going to direct her first feature film The Widowers.