Fernanda Faya
Directing
Biography
Fernanda Faya is a filmmaker, director of photography, and educator, born and raised in São Paulo and based in Queens, New York. Her work emphasizes female perspectives and centers on stories on the brink of fading into obscurity. She graduated in Cinema, specializing in cinematography, at Faculdade Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP) in 2008. She earned her Master's in Film from the Graduate Program in Integrated Media Arts at Hunter College, New York. Her first feature film, "NEIRUD" (Temporal Filmes, Sancho Filmes), had its World Premiere at Olhar de Cinema, Curitiba Int’l Film Festival, receiving Best Film and Best Editing awards. Her first short film, "ONE FOR THE ROAD" (Temporal Filmes, 2017), premiered at the DOC NYC festival and screened at various festivals worldwide, including the Buenos Aires Int’l Documentary Festival (FIDBA), Encuentros del Otro Cine Festival Int’l Documentary Festival (EDOC), and the Rhode Island Int’l Film Festival. Her Master’s thesis film, "ALONE TOGETHER" (in post-production), provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of elderly immigrants residing in a low-income home in Queens, New York, and earned her the "Excellence in Film" award from the Hunter College Advisory Board. She is currently writing her first fiction feature film script, "BETE," which was awarded the SpCine developing fund in 2022. Fernanda is a professor of Film at Brooklyn College - CUNY, in New York and a member of the Brazilian Collective of Female and Transgender Cinematographers. She has also taught courses in Cinematography in the graduate program at the Feirstein School of Cinema in New York.
Known For
Neirud died shrouded in mystery, leaving behind no trace of her past. Confronting family secrets, the filmmaker pieces together the life of her enigmatic aunt, who toured Brazil as a wrestler in an underground all-female circus troupe throughout the 60s and 80s. As she investigates Neirud's controversial ring persona, Gorilla Woman, the filmmaker uncovers a taboo-breaking love story, revealing the surprising nature of Neirud's role in her own family.
Neirud
At the end of the World War II, the defeat of Japan divides the Japanese community into radical groups in Brazil. A family of immigrants find themselves in danger. For the little sisters, giant ants threaten their father.