danilobaracho
films are social tools that have the power to change lives.
I had the luck of being born in a middle-class family in Brazil, where I was taught the value of education. I grew up in a politicized environment seeing and experiencing firsthand, the extreme social differences that exist in the country. With the idea of contributing to the development of a fairer society, at the age of 18, I went to study Politics and Economics in Spain. Years later, disappointed with brazilian politics, I discovered cinema as a tool for social transformation.
Ten years ago I immigrated to Canada to continue to pursue my dream of creating films that aim for positive change.
My passion is about using the camera’s potential to promote empathy and offer new perspectives, which I hope will contribute to a better world. I've produced and directed 5 short films. They have been screened at over 100 film festivals around the world.
I am also a proud Canadian citizen and I work as a freelance director, cinematographer, and editor in Toronto. In 2014, I was one of the 20 emerging filmmakers selected by the Toronto International Film Festival for the prestigious TIFF Talent Lab.
I am also an alumni of the Reykjavik Director’s Lab and TIFF Writer’s Studio 2018.
short film | LOS TOMATES DE CARMELO
Castile and León, 1941. Carmelo is old and he has an honest pact with solitude. It hasn't rained this spring and the soil is too hard. For the first time, Carmelo may not be able to plant his tomatoes.
In 2008, when I was still studying at the University of Salamanca, I explored for the first time the theme of loneliness in old age with the short film "Vivencias, A short documentary about long lives". "Carmelo" is a story of loneliness that happens in times of postwar and famine. It approaches the conception that one has of the grandfather as a burden for his relatives. "In the young man's eyes, the flame burns, in the old man's, the light shines" Victor Hugo
During history, in different cultures, the elderly have always had a fundamental role in different sectors of society. The experience of the elderly always served as a base of knowledge and learning for the youngest.
In the nineteenth century, with the beginning of the industrial revolution, the elderly began to be displaced by the strong hand of the young, and during the twentieth century the media began to show the importance of the young strong and strong as opposed to the old.
Currently, not only do these trends persist, but they have increased significantly with advances in technology. The social structure and values have changed, and society has largely forgotten the importance of our older adults in the construction of today's society. The lack of interest of society towards them, has become lack of respect, loneliness and abandonment.
In "Carmelo", we show from the perspective of our character, the physical difficulties of living in old age, loneliness and the scars of time and with that, seek to raise awareness and teach the importance of recognition and attention by the his, without taking into account his physical or mental weaknesses.
Finally, this project has as a social function to encourage young people to respect and above all, spread the love we have received from these people while we are still on time.
short film | HARSH
Severino lives a harsh live. His brother is a thief and his mother doesn't want her children to go to school. She prefers that they hit the streets to help out financially. Severino has dreams of playing soccer for the national team. The opportunities he has been given in life already dictate his future.
A child's dream is the same everywhere around the world. In some places these dreams can become reality, however, in others they can't. 'SEVERO' is the story of yet another young boy whose dreams are stolen by poverty.
In 2007, Recife was named the most dangerous capital city in Brazil. In 2013, it was ranked 39th in world on the "Most Dangerous City in the World" ranking. "Um Sonho Severino" was shot from November 18th to 24th, 2013 in Recife. 5 of these days were shot in the "Favela do Coque" (Coque Slum), known to be the most dangerous favela in the metropolitan area of Recife. On 4 of these 5 days, we shot with a small crew and absolutely no security.
We had lots of questions about some of the technical aspects of the filming, but one thing we were sure of was that we would do absolutely anything to ensure the safety of our cast and crew; if someone asked us for something, we would hand it over with no questions asked. With that being said, walking in and around the slum we felt safe and very welcome. People were curious, nice and helpful. When we were shooting in public around the city, however, we were a little scared and always on the alert.
On the last day of shooting in the favela, we needed a police car for a pursuit scene. To use a cop car inside the slum, we required the permission of the local police. To ensure the safety of the cast, crew and the local population, they brought more than 30 policemen to close off the area. There were more than 200 people watching the scene. Although there were a few moments of tension, thankfully there were no incidents and everything ended well.
Even though the experiences we had shooting in the slums were indescribable, we still hope we were able to transmit a little of this shocking reality into our film.
short film | BILL’S BILLS (2018)
A distrustful oyster fisherman, patiently, waits for the opportunity to bring together the pieces of his broken home.
Alcoholism have affected my life directly multiple times. I’ve lost some battles but fortunately, I have also won some important ones. This film touches the topic from harsh and rought perspective. The idea is not to promote empathy for someone who has already won or lost a battle, but to give energy and strength to those who are fighting one right now.
In September 2017, We went back to PEI and shot, Bill's Bills , a proof-of-concept short film of our feature film, Unkept Garden.
feature film | UNKEPT GARDEN (202?)
“Pearls are the result of pain and suffering. A broken family from the east coast struggles to make a living from their Oyster farm. The family is falling apart but the discovery of a “pearl” will put together the "pieces" of their broken-home.”
This story is a mission and it came to me as I curiously contemplated the process of the creation of pearls inside oysters. Around that time, I was simultaneously experiencing battles with cancer and with alcoholism in my family. I hope this project can help others who are struggling with detrimental diseases.
Cancer has affected everybody’s life in some way, most often in a painful and heartbreaking way. Our project is intended to offer a different perspective on cancer, tracing a parallel between a pearl in an oyster and cancer in a human being. ‘Through pain and suffering a treasure can be discovered’. We are also incorporating a persistent problem in our society and the reality of my characters, alcoholism. Getting to know the ill and how to best help and support people suffering from this tragic disease is another one of the objectives of this project. Cancer and alcoholism have affected my life directly multiple times. I’ve lost some battles but fortunately, I have also won some important ones. I would love to touch on these topics from a positive perspective and share my gratitude while inspiring others to do the same. My intention is not to promote empathy for someone who has already won or lost a battle, but to give energy and strength to those who are fighting one right now.
This project is an indie micro-budget film that I’ve been working on for over 5 years now. In 2016, I’ve finished the first draft and went to the East Coast for an investigation period of 25 days. I visited and stayed with oyster farmers in PEI and in Cape Breton and this experience made me realize the need to rewrite my story in order to be loyal to their reality.
I envision this project as raw and rough. The characters are bold and full of unexpressed emotions. We will follow the story and the characters as if we are a member of this family. We will put our life into perspective and start to appreciate our own gardens.
“I don't need to archive my dreams but I am already very grateful for having the chance of living trying.”
— Me