Lucas Estevan Soares (born 24 July 1990) is a Brazilian film director, screenwriter, producer, actor and musician.
He is active in the area of independent cinema, both in Brazil and abroad, and is known for the films Independent Roads (2012) and Neon Heart (2023).
Early life
Lucas Estevan Soares was born in Curitiba in 1990,[7] and spent his childhood and adolescence in Boqueirão,[c] one of the largest neighborhoods of the capital of Paraná.[9] In 2007 he began his acting career,[10] joined the theater company Teatratividade[d] and acted in several theater shows in Brazil.[7]
In 2011, Soares emigrated to the United States. In Los Angeles he filmed Passports and Dreams, with actors of 10 nationalities and spoken in 5 languages, in which the director and screenwriter also participated as an actor. He received a job offer to work in the Philippines, he accepted and moved to Asia.[7]
In Southeast Asia he directed Ends Meat (in Manila), Bojou (Nagoya, Japan) and the documentary From a New Fernando to Brazil (Phi Phi Islands, Thailand).[17] In Oceania (Melbourne), he filmed Allegories of Us, in which he is the main lead actor.[7]
In Europe, Soares was cast in the film Special Delivery, shot in Rome, Italy, by the director Andrea Traina.[7] For his performance he won the award for "Best Short Film Actor" at the Premio Nazionale Musa D'Argento,[b] held in Sicily in 2016.[6]
Lucas Estevan Soares gathered the works Absence of Us, The Airport Date, Passports and Dreams, Ends Meat, Bojou, From a New Fernando to Brazil and Allegories of Us and released a new product, entitled Independent Roads. Between 2012 and 2013 he traveled to countries in Europe, Africa and Latin America showing his films and sharing his ideas and experiences regarding independent cinema in various exhibitions and festivals such as the 56th Café Com Filmes (CCFilmes 2012), in Portugal,[18] the 10th Oberá en Cortos Film Festival, in Argentina,[19] and the 12th Mostra do Filme Livre (MFL 2013), in Brazil.[7]
International House of Cinema
In October 2012, Soares founded in Curitiba the film production company International House of Cinema (IHC).[20] He began producing commercial videos[21] and collaborating with local musicians.[22]
He married Rhaissa Gonçalves in 2014, who became his partner in IHC and also shares with Soares the function of film producer.[citation needed]
Two years later IHC launched the short film Special Delivery, which earned Soares the award for "Best Short Film Actor"[6] at the Premio Nazionale Musa D'Argento 2016,[b] and the documentary Café em Leves Devaneios.[23]
In 2017 they installed in Miami the second HQ of IHC and released two short films directed by Soares in 2011: Twisted Lines, filmed in New York City, and Portraits in the Water, shot in Singapore.[12] In 2021 IHC created a film distribution company to mainly market its own productions.[20]
The repercussion of the music video "# Boquera", released in 2018,[10] motivated the beginning of work on an idea that emerged in 2014, the production of a feature film with a singing telegram service car in the center of the plot and the Boqueirão neighborhood as a background.[24]
The film, funded with resources from IHC (without support from public and tax incentive programs)[25] in guerrilla filmmaking style, was recorded in late 2019, with post-production taking place the following year, already during the COVID-19 pandemic.[24]
In 2022, Soares' first feature, who in addition to directing, scripting and acting also composed and participated in the production of the film and the soundtrack,[26] toured the national and international circuit of film festivals, being well received by general critics (including being called in Cannes "great example of the new Brazilian popular cinema")[27] and awarded in Houston, Moscow and Brazil.[1][2][4]Neon Heart made its debut on the Brazilian commercial circuit on 9 March 2023.[28]
^ abFestCine Pedra Azul International Film Festival is a film festival that hosts national and international productions. It is held in Espírito Santo state, and its 1st edition took place in 2018. The name of event refers to Pedra Azul, a granite rock formation located in the city of Domingos Martins.[3]
^ abcdThe Premio Nazionale Musa D'Argento is a festival held in Italy since 2016 that awards the outstanding works organized in three predefined areas: Cinema, Talent and Art.[5]
^Boqueirão is a neighborhood located in the southwest region of Curitiba, and one of the largest in the capital of Paraná. The name "Boqueirão" ("big mouth") identified a well-known deep grave existing in the old Farm Boqueirão, property that originated the locality.[8]
^The theatrical company Teatratividade Produções was founded in 2007 in Curitiba by Reikrauss Benemond (1971). The shows were held in the building of the former Cine Glória until closing its activities in this place in 2014.[11]
^Stancki, Rodolfo (19 July 2014). "O adeus do diretor Reikrauss Benemond" [The farewell of director Reikrauss Benemond]. Gazeta do Povo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 12 May 2023.
^Resende, Tiago (7 September 2012). "Arouca Film Festival 2012: Selecção Oficial" [Arouca Film Festival 2012: Official Lineup]. Cinema Sétima Arte (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 May 2023.
^Miziara, Milena (12 December 2014). "Volvo Penta faz homenagem aos marinheiros" [Volvo Penta pays tribute to sailors]. Volvo Penta (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
