Brazilian director to give masterclass at Massey

Monday 26 August 2019

Brazilian Producer and Director David Schurmann is coming to New Zealand as part of this year's Latin American and Spain Film Festival.

David Schurmann

David Schurmann.

Last updated: Friday 20 May 2022

Brazilian Producer and Director David Schurmann is coming to New Zealand as part of this year’s Latin American and Spain Film Festival.

Run by the Latin American and Spanish Embassies and hosted in Wellington at Massey University, the festival is a cultural event showcasing contemporary films from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Spain and Brazil, this year’s host country.

David Schurmann is coming as a guest of the Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (Latin America CAPE), and has a strong connection to New Zealand. As a child his family became the first Brazilian family to circumnavigate the globe on a sailboat and the only Brazilian family to have done it three times. They docked in New Zealand when he was 16 years-old, and he ended up staying for six years, studying filmmaking and then working as a television director.

His film in the festival Little Secret (Pequeno Segredo) is a co-production between Brazil and New Zealand and tells a story inspired by events from his own life. Adopted at childhood after facing the loss of her parents, protagonist Kat discovers a secret that threatens her dreams for the future. The film will screen at Massey University on September 14.

While in the country, Mr Schurmann will also launch his latest documentary, The Inside Guide: Exploring Kiwi Success in Brazil, which tracks the journeys of six New Zealanders who have created business and academic success in Brazil. The documentary has been produced in partnership with the Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (Latin America CAPE).

Fluent in four languages and with productions in 64 countries under his belt, Mr Schurmann’s award-winning films and television series have screened around the world on National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, Netflix and more.

The director will visit Massey University’s School of Music and Creative Media Production for a ‘Facts & Fiction in Filmmaking' masterclass for students, graduates and invited guests. After the masterclass, he’ll meet with three student documentary groups to provide feedback and respond to their provocations.

The film festival is free, enabling a larger number of New Zealanders to have access to movies from Latin America and Spain. This year’s selection includes a wide range of genres, so the public can immerse themselves in the varied and complex cultures of Latin America and Spain.

The Latin American and Spain Film Festival runs at Massey University from September 4 until September 13, before travelling to Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Kāpiti, Nelson, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Waiheke, and Whanganui.

Find the full schedule of films here.