Veteran British producer Ellis is ushering Desvia into its next chapter following Gabriel Mascaro's exit to launch Trema label alongside Paula Cosenza earlier this year Very few production companies can boast about landing major international festival premieres for every project in their slate. Brazil’s Desvia Filmes is one of them, with all of its 16 features launching at festivals such as Berlin, Cannes, and Locarno. Founded in 2010 by “The Blue Trail” director Gabriel Mascaro and British producer Rachel Daisy Ellis – who has long been based in Recife – Desvia is behind films such as Bruno Santamaría’s “Six Months In the Pink and Blue Building,” Benjamin Naishtat’s “Rojo,” Manuel Abramovich’s “Pornomelancholia” and all of Mascaro’s films, including “Divine Love” and “Neon Bull.” Earlier this year, the company underwent a major transition, as Mascaro left Desvia to launch Trema alongside veteran producer Paula Cosenza.
Trema will focus on international co-productions, scripted series and auteur-driven cinema with global reach, while Desvia will keep its laser-sharp focus on films, backing auteurs and filmmakers playing with form and genre. Speaking with Variety out of San Sebastián, where she presented “The Last Cruise” at the festival’s prestigious Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, Ellis reiterates how thrilled she is for Mascaro and Cosenza’s new venture and the opportunities it will open up for both companies. We’ve reached incredible heights together, but had arrived at a moment when both of us wanted to branch out, so it was an organic process.” The producer says she and Mascaro have “an incredible history together,” with “nothing stopping them” from working together again in the future.
He also told me a lot of retirees prefer to take one last big trip in life rather than settle into a care home, and many didn’t want to—or couldn’t—fly. So the option was a major around-the-world cruise.” The producer wanted to make a documentary about the phenomenon at first and then, during the pandemic, she read an article about the growing phenomenon of people choosing to live in these lavish boats as it costs less than living in many major cities during a cost of living crisis. I also realized this film is about love and companionship.
Given Reis’s limited bandwidth, Ellis brought in renowned Argentinian producer Gema Juárez Allen (“Reas,” “Plaza Catedral”) to lead on “The Last Cruise,” with the duo seeking a co-production with Argentina. Once she boarded ‘The Last Cruise,’ I knew we would be good to go.” As for the next steps with the company, the producer says they are “very focused on cinema.” “We haven’t had the drive to branch into TV or other formats. When I look back at all the projects I’ve worked on with Gabriel, and all the co-productions we’ve worked on, they are all very daring films, with a latent desire to provoke.
This is something that attracts me both as a producer and director, and we want to continue to bring Desvia towards that pathway.” And it is indeed an exciting pathway, with Desvia’s slate including Clarisa Navas’s “They Burn the Same Way,” which was a buzzy project at this year’s Venice Gap-Financing Bridge; Filipa Reis’ “Lontra,” a co-production with Portugal, Spain, France and Argentina; and “Who Named the Earth?” an exciting feature debut by Indigenous filmmaker Wara.
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