Biography

Sérgio Machado was born in Salvador and worked for years with director Walter Salles. He was assistant director of Central Station - Golden Bear in Berlin and The First Day, and screenwriter and assistant director of April Broken, which won an award in Venice. In 1999, he worked as a screenwriter and director of the series The Shepherds of the Night on Globo network and was co-screenwriter of the feature film Madame Satã, by Karim Aïnouz, released at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2001, he directed the documentary Where the Earth Ends, about the life and work of filmmaker Mário Peixoto - awarded at more than 15 festivals, including Biarritz, Havana, Rio Film Festival and the São Paulo International Film Festival. Lower City, his first feature film, was released at the Cannes Film Festival and won 25 awards in Brazil and abroad, including: the Youth Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the main awards at the Rio Film Festivals in Rio de Janeiro, Huelva, Verona, Mons. In 2007, he directed and wrote the series Alice, shown on HBO in partnership with Karim Aïnouz. In 2009, he directed and adapted Quincas Berro D’Água, one of Jorge Amado's most popular novels, and directed the short film O Príncipe Encantado, which won an award at the São Paulo International Film Festival. He directed the feature film Tudo que Aprendemos Juntos, the closing film of the Locarno Film Festival - and best film at the São Paulo Film Festival. For 7 years he was a tutor at CENA, the screenwriting laboratory of Porto Iracema das Artes in Fortaleza, along with Marcelo Gomes and Karim Aïnouz. Sérgio Machado also directed the documentaries Aqui Deste Lugar, produced by Gullane, and A Luta do Século, winner of the Best Documentary award at the Rio Film Festival. He was the general director and screenwriter of the series Irmãos Freitas, directed the documentary Neojibá, about the youth orchestra of Bahia, and the award-winning feature film Rio do Desejo, inspired by the stories of writer Milton Hatoum. He was a screenwriter for the series City of God, released in 2024 on HBO, and wrote and directed the series Maria and the Cangaço, released in 2025 by Disney. He directed and wrote the animated film Noah's Ark, released in more than 70 countries and winner of the Grande Othelo Award for best Brazilian animation in 2025, and the documentaries: The 3 Obás of Xangô - awarded at the São Paulo Film Festival, Rio Film Festival and Tiradentes Film Festival and winner of the Grande Othelo Award for best documentary in 2025 - and Bahia Made Me This Way, a documentary released in 2025. He is currently preparing the feature films Eternally Yours, Call of the Forest and Chico Mendes in partnership with Estúdio Escarlate.