Gustavo Galvão

Biography

Gustavo Galvão is a film director, producer, and screenwriter. Over more than two decades, he has directed seven short films, released between 2002 and 2008, which screened internationally and were acquired by television broadcasters, platforms, and audience-development programs. Highlights include the award-winning A Vida ao Lado (2006) and A Minha Maneira de Estar Sozinho (2008), selected for the 22nd Rencontres Cinémas d’Amérique Latine de Toulouse, France. He made his feature-film debut with Nove Crônicas para um Coração aos Berros (2012), which received a FIPRESCI Jury Mention at the 31st International Film Festival of Uruguay and the Best Director Award at the 10th Maringá Film Festival (2013). Released theatrically in ten Brazilian cities, the film became available throughout Latin America on Apple TV and was also on Netflix from 2015 to 2017. His second feature, Uma Dose Violenta de Qualquer Coisa (2013), was well received by Brazilian film critics and distributed theatrically in 17 cities. In 2019, Galvão released Ainda Temos a Imensidão da Noite, his third feature as director and screenwriter, filmed on location in Brasília and Berlin. The film won awards for cinematography and editing at the Brasília Showcase of the 52nd Brasília Film Festival, as well as Best Performance in the American Competition at the 22nd BAFICI in Argentina. It screened theatrically in 18 Brazilian cities and later became available on streaming platforms across 118 countries and territories, including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Latin America. In 2023, Galvão reached five feature films with the release of two productions: Inventário de Imagens Perdidas, selected for eight international festivals, awarded in Brazil, and theatrically released in 14 cities in 2025; and O Vazio de Domingo à Tarde, which won an award in Italy and was selected for eight festivals, with screenings at major events in Argentina, Uruguay, Spain, and India. The film was released theatrically in 20 cities between 2024 and 2025. In 2026, he released his sixth feature as director, screenwriter, and producer, Ela Foi Ali Guardar o Coração na Geladeira, an official selection of the 38th Cinélatino Rencontres de Toulouse and the 28th Rio Film Festival. Co-directed with Cristiane Oliveira, the film was also selected for three major work-in-progress and film-finishing programs in 2025: Cinéma en Construction Toulouse-São Paulo, Mostra WIP, and Ventana Sur – Copia Final. Throughout his career, Galvão has worked with leading Brazilian film and theater actors, including Leonardo Medeiros, Simone Spoladore, Denise Weinberg, Mário Bortolotto, Marat Descartes, Júlio Andrade, Silvia Lourenço, Cacá Amaral, Fernando Teixeira, and Erom Cordeiro. For Ainda Temos a Imensidão da Noite, he worked with professional musicians to form the film’s rock band, with the original soundtrack produced by Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. Galvão also works as a film curator, having organized 12 programs for Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília, as well as projects for Caixa Cultural Rio and CineSesc, and collaborations with festivals including the Brasília International Festival and the São Paulo International Short Film Festival.