A prestigious co-production between Switzerland and Brazil, featuring award-winning talent and rigorous historical accuracy.
Why is a Swiss director learning Portuguese? To ensure direct communication with the cast and capture the raw authenticity of the dialogue.
Filming begins next year in Cordeirópolis, São Paulo. The script is adapted from Eveline Hasler’s novel and based on real events at the Ibicaba farm.
This isn't just another period piece; it’s a calculated move by MyMama Entertainment to position Brazil as a hub for high-end international co-productions.
Let’s cut through the noise and get to the receipts: Swiss director Andrea Štaka, the powerhouse behind the Golden Leopard-winning 'Das Fräulein', has officially cast Ella Rumpf, Júlio Andrade, and Ana Flávia Cavalcanti in her upcoming historical drama, 'Ibicaba: O Paraíso Prometido'. This isn't some minor indie side project; it’s a major co-production under the banner of Brazil’s MyMama Entertainment, teaming up with Switzerland’s Cinédokké Sagl and Brazil’s MMM Carioca.
The film is set to shoot next year in both Switzerland and Cordeirópolis, a municipality in the central region of São Paulo state, marking a significant international collaboration that bridges European and South American cinema. The storyline is heavy with historical weight, set in 1855 and following a Swiss working-class single mother who travels to Brazil chasing the promise of a better life, only to find herself trapped in a brutal system of debt and exploitation.
Her path crosses with Inocência, an enslaved Black woman who possesses healing knowledge and devises her own strategies of resistance. This narrative is adapted from Eveline Hasler’s novel 'Ibicaba: O Paraíso nas Cabeças' and is grounded in real-life events that took place at the titular farm. To ensure the drama doesn't just skim the surface, Štaka has been actively learning Portuguese to communicate directly with her cast and crew, seeking greater proximity to the characters’ dialogues and lived experiences.
What’s particularly interesting is the level of historical rigor being applied here. The production is collaborating with Caróu Oliveira, a Black historian dedicated to studying slavery and the daily lives of Black women in the 19th century. Štaka’s connection to this story dates back to her adolescence when she first discovered Hasler’s novel, suggesting this is a passion project years in the making. The film has already secured a co-production development award at the Berlinale Co-Production Market last year, signaling that the industry is already taking notice of its potential before cameras even roll.
Mayra Faour Auad, co-founder and CEO of MyMama Entertainment, is framing this as part of a larger movement to establish Brazil as an international production hub. Speaking at the Rio Film Festival, Auad emphasized that her label is 'an international production company' that doesn't rely solely on Brazilian funds. She highlighted the caliber of Brazilian cinematographers, art directors, and costume designers, noting that international projects are increasingly interested in telling stories with Brazil as the background, rather than just using it to double for other locations. With Štaka’s pedigree and the casting of talent like Rumpf ('Raw') and Andrade ('Under Pressure'), 'Ibicaba' is poised to be a critical darling.
