BIO
Juliana Curi is an award-winning Brazilian-Latina film director whose work centers on feminism, diversity, and social change. Her work has been described as 'captivating and one-of-a-kind' (Golden Globes Hollywood Press Association), 'dazzling performance art' (Deadline), 'bold and expressive cinema' (The Hollywood Times), and "transcendental visual approach" (East Bay Times).
With a decade of experience directing for renowned global brands and special recognition from UN Women for defying gender stereotypes, Juliana debuted her first feature film, the critically acclaimed 'UÝRA – The Rising Forest', in 2022. The film has been showcased at prestigious venues such as the Barbican in London, BAM in Brooklyn, Fondazione Prada in Milan, and DGA Theater in Los Angeles, earning 19 awards, including accolades from London Film Week, New Filmmakers LA, One World Media, and Outfest.
Most Recently, Juliana was selected for the Director’s Guild of America’s Director Development Initiative Program (DDI Mentor Program). This opportunity allows her to receive mentorship from veteran directors, enhancing her episodic directing skills as part of the DGA’s commitment to providing exposure for highly qualified candidates from underrepresented communities.
Juliana believes in storytelling as a powerful tool for social transformation. She founded an organization that offers film mentorship and professional development to youth from peripheral communities and regions of socioeconomic vulnerability in Brazil.
PRESS
CINE NINJA - MEET FILMMAKER JULIANA CURI
DGA Announces 2024 Television Mentorship Program Participants - DEADLINE
GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS NOMINEE: Outstanding Documentary
DEADLINE
GLAAD Media Awards Nominations Revealed
Jan 17th 2024 by Erik Pedersen
VARIETY
Jan 17th 2024 by Diego Ramos Bechara
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Full list of nominees
Jan 17th 2024 by Chris Gardner
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
October 22, 2022 by Abbey White
VARIETY
July 27, 2022 by Wilson Chapman
DEADLINE PBS Series ‘POV’ Reveals Film Lineup For 36th Season, Packed With Oscar Contenders, Award Winners
July 27, 2022 by Wilson Chapman
GOLDEN GLOBES HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION
June 23, 2022 by Brent Simon
LETTERBOXD JOURNAL
Indigiqueer Spirit
DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE: NewFilmmakers LA has today unveiled the winners
June 03, 2023 by Matt Grobar
DEADLINE Outfest L.A. 2022: Winners Revealed
July 27, 2022 by Tom Tapp
EYE FOR FILM
July 27, 2022 by Jennie Kermode
THE HOLLYWOOD TIMES
July 21, 2022 by Jim Gilles
POP MATTERS
July 11, 2022 by Rhea Rollmann
CINEMA CRAZED
July 1, 2022 by Emilie Black
ATMOS MAGAZINE
June 27, 2022 by Madeleine Gregory
FILM THREAT
June 20, 2022 by Alan Ng
MOVIEWEB - June 23, 2022 by Jericho Tadeo
MÍDIA NINJA - July 11, 2022 by Juliana Gusman
BAY AREA REPORTER - June 21, 2022 by Brian Bromberger
STAGE & CINEMA
June 17, 2022 by Nia Liat
BAY AREA REPORTER
June 16, 2022 by Jim Provenzano
BULLETIN REPORTER
June 15, 2022 by Chris Hughes
EAST BAY TIMES
June 14, 2022 by Randy Myers
ARTICLE/WRITER - FEMINISM AND MERITOCRACY - LATIN SPOTS 2019
Bric Brooklyn Lab Film + TV 2020/2021 Selected Filmmaker BRIC BROOKLYN
P&G SHARING MAKE US BETTER - Best work in Latin America that seek to bring down gender stereotypes - UN WOMEN AWARD 2019
PINK INTERVENTION - JOURNAL TRANSGENDER STUDIES QUARTERLY - DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS 2018
WOMEN IN A MAD MEN’S WORLD - FILM FACTORY VIENNA 2017
PINK INTERVENTION EXHIBITION - ARTSY
PINK INTERVENTION EXHIBITION - SPOTTE ART NY
ARTIST PROFILE - SPOTTE ART NY
THE BATTLE OF THE BODY EXHIBITION - Brazilian National Commission for Cultural Incentive Prize
THE BATTLE OF THE BODY EXHIBITION - MONICA BERGAMO
THE BATTLE OF THE BODY EXHIBITION - FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO
THE BATTLE OF THE BODY EXHIBITION - MARIE CLAIRE
AWARDS | FESTIVALS | GRANTS
*Awards*
35th One Media Award | Best Feature Documentary 2023
2023 NewFilmmakers LA Winner | Juliana Curi’s UÝRA – The Rising Forest (Best Documentary Feature)
Grand Jury Award - NewFest’s 34th annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival
The Mark Haslam Awar- Planet in Focus 2022
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature - 46th Frameline LGBTQ Film Festival 2022
Jury Prize - London Film Week
Special Programming Award for Freedom - 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival
Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature - Reeling 2022: The 40th Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival Best
Documentary Feature Award - 32. Oslo/Fusion Int. Film Festival
Best Indigenous Feature - BendFilm Festival 2022
Best Documentary Jury Award Winner - 2022 OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival
Special Jury Mention - Humans of Film Festival
Best First Feature Documentary - Melbourne Queer Film Festival
MUIRAQUITÃ TROPHY for Best Performance (Jury Prize) and Best Feature (Popular Jury) - CineAlter
Jury Prize for Best Feature Film Legal Amazon - Amazonia Fi-Doc #8 - Festival Pan-Amazônico de Cinema
*Official Selection*
46th Frameline LGBTQ Film Festival 2022, San Franciso/USA
2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA
DokuFest // Manifesta14 (European Nomadic Biennial), Prizren/Kosovo
Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest @ The Barbican Center, London/England
Chicago LGBT International Film Festival: REELING, Chicago/USA
32. Oslo/Fusion Int. Film Festival, Oslo/Norway
Panoramica – Festival de Cinema Latino- Americano de Estocolmo, Stockolm/Sweden
BendFilm Festival 2022, Bend (Oregon)/USA
Buenos Aires International Film Festival 2022, Buenos Aires/Argentina
Humans of Film Festival, Amsterdam/The Netherlands
Planet in Focus, Toronto/Canadá
NewFest's 34th annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, New York/USA
Wicked Queer Documentary Film Festival, Boston/USA
Q Fest, Eau Claire (Wisconsin)/USA
MIX COPENHAGEN LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Copenhagen/Denmark
2022 OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Ft. Lauderdale/USA
Bergen International Film Festival, Bergen/Norway
Adelaide Film Festival, - Adelaide/Australia
Mostra Internacional de Cinema em São Paulo, São Paulo/Brazil
St. Louis International Film Festival, St. Louis/USA
CineAlter 2022, Alter do Chão/Brazil
FACT Festival de Artes e Criação Trans, Lyon/France
The Guelph Film Festival, Guelph/Canada
Pink Screens Film Festival, Brussels/Belgium
Amazonia Fi-Doc #8 - Festival Pan-Amazônico de Cinema, Santarém/Brasil
QDoc Film Festival, Portland (OR)/USA
Twisted Arts Film Festival, Tulsa (OK)/USA
MixBrasil Festival de Cultura e Diversidade, São Paulo/Brazil
Festival de Brasília do Cinema Brasileiro, Brasília/Brazil
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, Los Angeles/USA
Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Melbourne/Australia
Festival de Cinema das Periferias de Maceió, Maceió/Brazil
4o Festival Imaginários Urbanos, Fortaleza/Brazil
Queer Porto, Porto/Portugal
Caring Futures @ NeueHouse Hollywood, Los Angeles/USA
*Grants, Fellowships and Labs*
2020 BRIClab Film+TV
Doc Society Climate Story Fund 2021
Climate Story Lab Amazônia 2021