Person to Person: 'We became friends over pints...now we are co-directing a film'

Tell us about yourselves:

Renata: I’m a proud Carioca and Cork-based filmmaker, living in Ireland for eight years. And Silvio is a multidisciplinary artist from Brazil, based in Cork. We are from totally different backgrounds in Brazil and we met six years ago in Cork.

We became friends after a few pints in The Friary. Fast-forward to now when we are co-directing the film The Peculiar Saga Of Gubu Man which is premiering at IndieCork on October 8! We crowdfunded our film and couldn’t be more excited to share the final result in our beloved Cork and with our friends!

Where were you born?

Renata - Born in Brasilia, Brazil, but raised in Rio.

Silvio - Born and raised in Porto Alegre, in South Brazil.

Where do you live?

Cork city.

Family?

Renata - Half single child, half older sister. Family living in Brazil.

Silvio - My partner Pascal Cottier and my sisters in Brazil.

Best friend?

Renata - If I name only one, I might get pulled aside after this…

Silvio - My partner - 25 years together across five countries.

Earliest childhood memory?

Renata - My memory is a disaster. Maybe my birthday parties where my mom used to make all the decorations and cake by herself!

Silvio - My grandmother’s love.

Person you most admire?

Renata - It will sound cliché, but the women from my life, my granny and my mom, who taught me resilience and kindness. Also, my dad, who is driven and is always pushing me, in a good way!

Silvio - It changes all the time .This week Brian Eno, I just watched his documentary.

Person who most irritates you?

Renata - Some politicians out there…

Silvio - I’m not giving him the pleasure to have his name on my interview.

Where was your most memorable holiday?

Renata - Hawaii and Alter do Chão, in the Amazon region.

Silvio - Trans Siberia Express - From Saint Petersburg to Beijing by train.

Favourite TV programme?

Renata - Breaking Bad and Friends. I also love Bates Motel and Euphoria.

Silvio - Probably some Nordic Noir - The Killing, The Bridge - and of course Twin Peaks needs to be mentioned!

But I have to confess, I’m really enjoying The Traitors- especially the Irish one!

Favourite radio show?

Renata - Does a podcast count? The Louis Theroux podcast and What Now? with Trevor Noah. Both incredible interviewers.

Silvio - Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC 6 Music - her music curation is simply phenomenal.

Your signature dish if cooking?

Renata - Bacalhau in Brazilian style (cod fish marinated in olive oil, spices, etc).

Silvio - Vegan Feijoada (Brazilian stew) after some bad starts, I think I got it.

Favourite restaurant?

Renata - In Cork, Bunsen and Wabisabi.

Silvio - Izz cafe in Cork, Govinda in Dublin.

Last book you read?

Renata - The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.

Silvio - At the moment - Simon Raymonde ‘s In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor and Me.

Best book you read?

Renata - Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews, holds a special place in my teenage memories. Also Cosmicomics from Italo Calvino, is genius.

Silvio - Chega de Saudade: The Story of Bossa Nova by Ruy Castro.

Last album/CD/download you bought?

Renata - Alegria by Elia Y Elizabeth.

Silvio - Drive My Car Original Soundtrack by Eiko Ishibashi is playing non-stop. And this week - Blood Orange, Essex Honey.

Favourite song?

Renata - there can’t be such a thing as ONE favourite song! Current obsessions are Sapato Chique by Mali Cruz (my sister) and Baby from DakhaBrakha, which I have just been to recently at their gig in Cork!

Silvio - Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No.1 - probably the most perfect track ever written. A proto-ambient piece that helped me understand that less is more - and that the distance between the elements, the negative space, is just as important as the subject itself.

One person you would like to see in concert?

Renata - Brittany Howard and Amy Winehouse, if she was still alive - two magnificent jazzy/blues voices!

Silvio - PJ Harvey, Thom Yorke, Nick Cave, Ryuichi Sakamoto (if he was still here). But the list can go on forever.

Do you have a pet?

Renata - No, sadly! But I grew up with dogs, tortoises and a parrot back home.

Silvio - No.

Morning person or night owl?

Renata - Not a morning person, definitely. I’m a mix of both, I think.

Silvio - Morning! A Brazilian artist who’s a morning person, I know - but I like to think there are a few of us out there.

Your proudest moment?

Renata - Hmm… perhaps my Irish citizenship after seven hard-working years and being away from family.

Silvio - Taking my mother to Poland, becoming vegan.

Spendthrift or saver?

Renata - saver.

Silvio - A saver who fails badly to save.

Name one thing you would improve in your area in which you live?

Renata - Public transportation, it drives me mad in Cork. And hills… flatten them, please!

Silvio - There should be better traffic lights for pedestrians. It’s ridiculous how long you have to wait just to cross the street in Cork.

What makes you happy?

Renata - sunny days, making my loved ones laugh, or even the feeling of accomplishment after a film is made, and you get to see the audience engagement.

Silvio - Creating something new - giving life to an artwork that didn’t exist before and seeing it take on a life of its own.

How would you like to be remembered?

Renata - I don’t think about it much. But I identify with the verse from Rita Lee’s song Saúde that goes “And if by any chance I die from a heart attack it’s a signal that I have loved too much. But while I’m still alive, and full of grace, maybe I’ll still make a bunch of people happy”.

Silvio - “In the end, he wasn’t that bad.”

What else are you up to at the moment?

Renata - Besides our film screening at ‘Made in Cork’ programme from IndieCork Film Festival, on October 8… finishing up my trip details to Southeast Asia - it has been a dream!

Silvio - Preparing for my solo show at GalleryX in Dublin.