Anita Rocha da Silveira
Director and Screenwriter
Photo: João Atala
Anita Rocha da Silveira is a director and screenwriter. She graduated in Film from PUC-Rio, specializing in Screenwriting, and wrote and directed three short films: “O Vampiro do Meio-Dia” (2008), “Handebol” (2010, FIPRESCI Prize at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen), and “Os Mortos-Vivos” (2012, selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes).
Her first feature as director, “Mate-Me Por Favor” (2015), premiered in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival and screened at festivals such as SXSW, New Directors/New Films, AFI Fest, IndieLisboa, Filmfest München, Göteborg Film Festival, Festival do Rio (Best Director and Best Actress), the Cali International Film Festival (Best Film), and Panorama Internacional Coisa de Cinema (Best Film). It is currently available on Netflix.
“Medusa” (2021) is her second feature and premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. It later screened at festivals including TIFF, Sitges Film Festival (Best Director), Tromsø International Film Festival (Best Film), IndieLisboa (Special Jury Prize), Festival do Rio (Best Film, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress), Raindance Film Festival (Best International Feature), Palm Springs International Film Festival (Honorable Mention), Viennale, Jeonju IFF, and IFFR. It had theatrical releases in countries such as France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. In Brazil, it was released theatrically in March 2023 and is currently available on Globoplay and Claro TV.
In 2023, Anita was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and developed the screenplay for her next feature with support from Torino Film Lab.