Interview with Guernslye Honorés
Believe in yourself, otherwise nobody will.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Marcus Baldini.
Producer and director of the hit film ‘Bruna Surfistinha’ (Confessions of a Brazilian Call Girl), showrunner for ‘PSI’ (Emmy nominee series), directed ‘Preamar’ episodes, and the feature films ‘O Homem Perfeito’ and ‘Uma Quase Dupla’. Also signed episodes in Emmy-winning ‘Ninguém tá olhando’ and created the series ‘Rei da TV’ for Disney. In 2023 is releasing ‘O Sequestro do Voo 375’ and working on ‘Angosta’, an international series adapting a key Colombian book.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
I come from a family of doctors, both my mom and my dad work at the University of Sao Paulo where they teach Physiology and work as researchers at the university. I think the first time I saw something related to movies and cinema was when I was working at the television department of the University of Sao Paulo at 14 or 15 years old. The television department used to record surgeries, and videos of doctors during surgeries, oftentimes they would film autopsies, so I dealt with a lot of corpses at the time. That experience connected me to the idea of image and photography and it made me realize that there was something beyond medicine that I could do. On the other hand, when I really thought about making movies, I always thought about spreading and sharing a certain point of view with others. I was a young man traveling around Europe by train, my family was not with me and I remember seeing something that I wanted them to see. I wanted people from my family to see what I was seeing, so I connected the idea of making movies because somehow you can show people a different point of view. That’s what I try to show and connect to people when I shoot my movies and tell my stories.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I grew up in a middle-class family in Sao Paulo, Brazil. As I told you both of my parents were professors and doctors at the university and were more involved in research, they were very well connected in Biological Sciences all over the world and I am the first filmmaker in the family. I have studied at the University of Sao Paulo, as well as my parents, and started making my movies in Brazil. I was always searching for something that makes sense as a regional voice but for an international path too.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
The most interesting part of my job is to get out of my own bubble. When you are making movies, you can dive into many different subjects. I am the kind of director who loves to make films about different themes, subjects, environments and because of that, I am able to leave for a while. Going to places I thought I would never go and connecting with other people is something that I love about making movies.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I started my career as a commercial director, so I worked with a lot of video clips and commercials before I became a director with my first feature film called, “Confessions of a Brazilian Call Girl”. This film follows a Call Girl who is widely known in Brazil as Bruna Surfistinha. Bruna gained national attention with her blog where she shared her experiences and stories as a prostitute in Brazil. While shooting this film I was able to immerse myself in her story and to get to know the environment girls like Bruna live in. I can say it is life-changing, and highly recommend watching the movie.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
In the beginning of my career, there was a person who was very important to me and I was strongly connected to him and his son, who I was partnering with directing. Washington Oliveto is very prestigious in the advertising industry in Brazil, he won several awards and I think he is the person who opened the doors for me so I could be a director. He made me believe that I could make an interesting hole in the movie industry and in videos and commercials. It was very important to me to connect with him and get his help because he was the one who believed in me at the very beginning.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Big changes start with small gestures.”
This is something I use as an inner thought to prepare myself to face big challenges. That’s what I think every time I start a movie, trying to fulfill a challenge that always seems unbeatable.
I am very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
I think there is a very good story because in Brazil we had a very right-leaning president named Bolsonaro and he somehow had a point of view and perspective of the culture and the way that he dealt with the political culture. He wanted to control what should be said or not be said, what should be made or not made, and what could be somehow judged by him or by someone on what exactly we should be producing as a culture and country. He wanted to control all of the stories and films and everything and I think that that’s strongly connected to the idea of diversity and that’s exactly what Bolsonaro was trying to avoid. He was trying to concentrate all of the money and establishment of the Brazilian cultural productions that were connected ideologically to him. It’s terrible and it was a destructive era for Brazilian cinema, but I am proud that he quoted “Confessions of Brazilian Call Girl” with a film that should not be made with Brazilian incentives and resources. This means to me that I am strongly connected to the idea of making movies in a way that the diversity of the stories and all aspects of society can have an interesting story behind them. That narrow-minded and narrow way of seeing things is something to fight against and to pursue the diversity of the stories and characters as much as I can.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
“Hijacking of Flight 375” is my current big project, it is on the festival round and soon will get to the theatres and streaming. With this feature film, I am trying to make people thoughtful of Brasilia in 1988 and also to inspire people to deep-dive into the story, characters, and period of time and think about it in a more detailed and solid way. This is an action film based on a true story, considered Brazilian 9/11. When they exploded Bin Laden’s bunker, they found notes he had been studying to craft the 9/11 attacks. This hijacking was one of them.
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
Creating a movie is something that you need to focus on and bring everybody to jump in the boat with you. You are the captain and you need to make everybody believe that your way is the better way to go and understand why we are going that way. I think that is a true perspective with the financial part, with the producers, and the crew, so convincing people to enter a journey with you and believe in your artistic vision is very important. Everyone needs to be motivated and energized in the way you think and your vision. That’s why I work a lot with the cinematographers and show them exactly what I want to do and somehow try to make everyone see the same movie in terms of expectations and the script. It is something that I focus on a lot and try to make sure everyone is on board with me.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
- It’s all about the time. Pay attention to managing it right.
- Almost every talented person sees himself as a fraud.
- Read, read, and read. Books will make a difference, enrich your knowledge, enhance your creativity, and help you make wise decisions.
- The correct pace is slow and steady. Don’t worry, you will get there.
- Believe in yourself, otherwise nobody will.
When you create a film, which stakeholders have the greatest impact on the artistic and cinematic choices you make? Is it the viewers, the critics, the financiers, or your own personal artistic vision? Can you share a story with us or give an example about what you mean?
I think in Brazil as a movie maker one of my goals is to make and shoot movies that the audience can see in cinemas. I have done important blockbusters in Brazil and some films that a lot of people watched and know in the streets of Sao Paulo. If you stop someone and ask if they know “Confessions of a Brazilian Call Girl”, everybody knows the film. To me that is very interesting and satisfying in terms of feedback and how I see my job. On the other hand I try to surprise the audience and the people who are going to watch my movie in terms of having a fun side, a pop side, a thriller side, but also having some message to leave the audience in a position of reflection or thinking about the words left. I think this is something important that we need to work on not only in entertainment but in all artistic perspectives and how they see the world. I try to make people think but at the same they are having fun watching a thriller.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I love the way movies can work for entertainment and also for reflection and critical thinking. That’s a movement I trigger with my work. I try to make films that subvert an initial idea, or at least surprise people with a new perspective about something that happens in the world. One of my goals with Confessions of a Brazilian Call Girl was to subvert the ideas around prostitution, psychology, and addiction. That is also well reflected in the Hijacking of Flight 375. Cinema is a social matter, and it’s important to make it not only entertaining but also a social public space.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
I would love to have breakfast or lunch with the director, David Fincher. He is an inspiration to me. I love his movies and the way he makes them so I would love to meet him.
How can our readers further follow you online?
My instagram is @marcusbaldini so you can follow me there and keep up with my work!
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.
Marcus Baldini: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.