Shirley Cruz
Actress
She began her career as an actress in the film 'City of God' (2002, Dir. Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund) and has appeared in various projects since then, such as 'Invisible Life' (2019, Dir. Karim Aïnouz), 'The Malês Revolt' (2023, Dir. Belisario Franca, Jeferson De), 'Legalize It - Friendship Never Dies' (2018, Dir. Johnny Araújo, Gustavo Bonafé), among others. Shirley will debut as the lead actress in the next two feature films by the award-winning director Anna Muylaert: 'The Business Women's Club' and 'The Best Mother in the World,' the latter scheduled for release in 2025.
In her first television series role, she was pre-selected for an Emmy Awards nomination for 'Sons of Carnival' (2006, HBO). In addition to this, she has acted in series such as '3%' (2018, Netflix), 'It Wasn't My Fault' (2022, Star+), 'Thirteen Days Away from the Sun' (2017, Globoplay), among others. In 2024, Shirley is part of the cast of the HBO Max series that continues the film 'City of God.'
On television, she was part of the main cast of the soap opera 'Bom Sucesso' on TV Globo and was a reporter for 'SBT Brasil' under the direction of Ana Paula Padrão. For the internet, she conceived, produced, scripted, and hosted the interview program 'Café Preta.'
Her first play as an author was awarded by the Olympic Development Grant in Rio 2016. 'Women on the Podium' (2017) discusses the trajectory of Brazilian women in Olympic and Paralympic sports. She also has articles published in Raça Magazine.
After working on several projects as Assistant Director and Producer, she signs her first film, the short film 'CALIBRE.180' (2021), also awarded in a grant, focusing on the theme of domestic violence. The cast includes names like Taís Araújo, Sheron Menezzes, Cacau Protasio, and Elisa Lucinda.
She is a master of ceremonies and has hosted important events, such as the 2019 ABC Awards of the Brazilian Cinematography Association.