Hacker leonilia directed by Gustavo Fontele Dourado.

The animated short film “Hacker Leonilia,” directed by Gustavo Fontele Dourado, has recently reached its 65th selection in film festivals. The film was part of the official animation selection at the 16th BISFF, an Oscar-qualifying festival, and the film will be screened in the 15th Delhi Shorts Int. Film Fest, which will take place in New Delhi on October 25th. According to the director, the opportunity to exhibit Hacker Leonilia in New Delhi, one of the major cities in the world, it's a great chance to reach new audiences. The film won the Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film in the 59th Brasília Festival of Brazilian Cinema and the journey has spanned 24 countries across 4 continents.

Set in the future, the story follows Leonilia, an elderly black hacker and embroiderer, who must navigate her personal problems, utilize her unique skills to escape a futuristic metaverse and fight a dystopian afterlife. The animation is inspired by the director’s grandmother, Leonilia Ferreira, and the main original voice is performed by the actress Leo Thilé. The project was sponsored by the FAC-DF. It was developed through a screenwriting lab for animation at the Centro Cultural Marieta in São Paulo and it's a production of Fontele Studios.

To date, the film has received 10 awards, including Best Animation at the 33rd International Film Festival in Beijing (China) and the 13th Zambia Short Film Festival in Lusaka (Zambia), the Best Film of August at the 8th Stockholm City Film Festival (Sweden).

The project also has a feature version currently in development, which received sponsorship from Rumos Itaú Cultural. Gustavo was also selected to participate in & Meet Them”, a market program for emerging producers at the SSIFF, where the feature film & Hacker Leonilia was presented to various international companies and film industry professionals.