Carolina Markowicz Starts Filming The Funeral in Brazil

Carolina Markowicz returns to set next week, launching production on The Funeral in Brazil after turning heads with her Toronto-winning Charcoal.

The new feature starts filming in São Paulo before moving to Fordlândia, the once-grand Amazon settlement envisioned by Henry Ford on the banks of the Tapajós River. That shift in location gives the project an immediate sense of scale and atmosphere, linking a contemporary production to one of Brazil’s strangest and most symbolically loaded landscapes.

Markowicz now follows international recognition with a new film that stretches from urban Brazil to the ghostly legacy of Fordlândia.

Reports indicate Maeve Jinkings will star in the film, adding another major Brazilian talent to a project already shaped by strong creative expectations. Markowicz arrives with momentum after winning the 2023 TIFF Award for Best Directing for Charcoal, a prize that widened her profile well beyond Brazil and put fresh attention on what she would make next.

The project also underscores how Brazilian filmmakers continue to pair local settings with stories that travel internationally. Fordlândia, in particular, carries its own weight: part industrial dream, part historical ruin, part enduring symbol of outside ambition colliding with the Amazon. Even without fuller plot details, that backdrop suggests a film interested in more than a single event or family drama.

What comes next will matter for both Markowicz and the broader Brazilian film scene. A smooth shoot could position The Funeral as one of the more closely watched international titles ahead, especially given Markowicz’s recent festival pedigree and the intrigue surrounding its locations. For now, the key development is simple: a director with rising global attention has started her next move, and the industry will watch where it leads.