Elias Ribeiro-Film producer and Director of the Market at Cape Town International Film Market and Festival

Elias Ribeiro moved to South Africa from Brazil via various European countries eight years ago. Through Urucu Media, Elias and his business partner Cait Pansegrouw, have bought a number of award-winning films to the screen including Necktie Youth, The Train of Salt and Sugar and most recently Inxeba/The Wound which was shortlisted for the Foreign Film Oscar 2018. He has also worked as a mentor for producers at the Realness project.

In our discussion we chart his journey from Hotel and Hospitality graduate to film producer. Elias gives an insight into the role of the producer, and explains the time-consuming and complicated process of bringing a film to the screen.

We also chatted about some of the activities of the the film market at the recent CTIFMF, the trials and tribulations of The Wound, where he and others were subjected to death threats, and his commitment to the future of film in South Africa and across the continent.