"Cangaço Novo": a decade-long journey to success

In Brazil, the trajectory of the filmmaking process, from writing, financing, and getting into production to finally reach an appreciative audience is often a herculean process. The creation of "Cangaço Novo" did not escape this trajectory, involving years of writing, countless rejections, and moments of wanting to give up—familiar feelings to anyone in filmmaking or TV determined to bring their vision to life. This standout series on Amazon Prime Video is a successful case study of a  Brazilian rooted story with a universal and global appeal.

"Cangaço Novo" follows Ubaldo, a banker in São Paulo facing financial difficulties while caring for his sick adoptive father. His life changes when he discovers an inheritance from his biological father, an influential man from the fictional town of Cratará in Ceará. Debuting on Prime Video in August 2023, the series quickly reached the top 10 in over 50 countries and secured a second season to be filmed later this year.

The creators, Mariana Bardan and Eduardo Melo, met at film school, with Mariana specializing in photography and Eduardo in directing. Eduardo, formerly an economics student working in a bank, quit to pursue filmmaking. "We realized we needed to create our own projects to break into the market," Mariana explains. With no screenwriting experience, they studied screenwriting in Los Angeles for six months. "We left college as a photographer and director and returned as screenwriters," Eduardo adds.

The idea for the series came during a car trip to visit Mariana's family. Inspired by the film "The Prophet," they envisioned a character from the film placed in the backwoods of Brazil. Eduardo, born to parents from Bahia and Ceará, infused the story with personal memories and references. Mariana wanted a female bandit to portray feminine strength, while Eduardo drew from reports of spectacularbank robberies happening at the time in Ceará.

Creating a Brazilian Western

Their vision was a Brazilian Western or 'nordestern'. Influences included Italian cinema from the 60s/70s, the poetry of Guimarães Rosa, Graciliano Ramos' "Barren Lives," and Western films by John Ford. They aimed their pitch to  streaming platforms, as there were no Brazilian Western series yet. The real starting point was applying for a grant via the PRODAV ‘series development lab,’ which provided financial support, mentorship, and training.  Altouhg they were not successful in getting funding from the call to fund, the structure of the edital helped them structure their ideas.

With a project bible, synopses, and character descriptions ready, they began pitching the series. Years passed until they met director Fábio Mendonça, who presented it to O2, a seminal production company in Sao Paulo  behind "City of God" and other Brazilian hits.  The script has a potential home at one of the most iconic production companies in Brazil.Despite this accolade, no major player in Brazil agreed to commission Cangaçao due to the high cost of the project in the Brazilian market. 

The project had to wait for the entry of Amazon Prime in the Brazilian market for a long awaited green lightthree years later 

Mariana and Eduardo recounted their trajectory. Maintaining the story’s integrity during scriptwriting was crucial. "We couldn't be enemiesf of the project; we had to signal when the path strayed from the initial idea," Mariana says. They oversaw production and created 70 extra scenes for cast auditions, improving actor selection.

Celebrating Success

For the series premiere, Mariana and Eduardo organized a special session for their families. Eduardo's father, though moved, still suggests a return to finance. "But did you get rich, son?" he asks. Eduardo responds with a laugh, "My friends from the bank are much better off."

Mariana concludes, "We proved making movies wasn't madness. I had something to tell. Everything takes too long; you have to trust and work."

"Brazil is not for beginners" is a well know saying.  To make a film in Brazil requires a long term effort and a huge amount of grit and flexibility.  This is what Mariana Bardan and Eduardo Mello demonstrated throughout the making of the series.  Reassessing the film production process, and positionned themselves as scriptwriters,  approaching the market with a very strong concept and script to make "Cangaço Novo" a World wide success.