The balance between survival and human dignity is examined in Director Alexandre Moratto’s human trafficking drama from Brazil, 7 Prisoners.
Moratto’s film tells the story of 18-year-old Mateus, who accepts a job in far-away São Paulo to provide a better life for his family. Once there, Mateus rebels after discovering that he and the other young men are held as prisoners to “work off” their “travel expenses.” He is ultimately forced to choose between helping the very man who imprisoned him or risk his and his family’s future.
7 Prisoners was nominated for the Audience Award at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.
Following the Special Projects Committee’s Global Cinema Series screening in the DGA’s Los Angeles Theater on September 30, Moratto joined Global Cinema Series Co-Chair Victoria Hochberg (Bad Boy) to discuss the making of the film.
Asked about the biggest challenge he faced during production, Moratto replied, “I think the biggest challenge was just setting up a massive production in such a short amount of time. With a great crew you can do it. Of course it's a strain on everybody, but everyone was up to the task. Thank god that we had to do it that way because we wouldn't be watching this movie right now.”
Moratto’s other directorial works include the feature, Socrates; and the short documentaries, Our Brazil, One Missed Call, The Person You Love and Nowhere to Be Found. He was also the recipient of the 2010 DGA Student Film Award - Jury Prize for Best Latino Student Filmmaker - East Region for his short, The Other Side.
You can listen to Moratto's Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find more DGA podcast episodes here.
About The Special Projects Committee
Special Projects is the educational and cultural arm of the Directors Guild of America, providing its members opportunities for creative exchange to advance their craft and celebrate the achievements of directors and their teams.