Flavio Pimenta Alves (born 30 November 1969) is a Brazilian writer, screenwriter, and film director resident in America since 1998. His movies consistently feature elderly characters as protagonists. He is best known for the film ''

The Garden Left Behind ''The Garden Left Behind'' is a 2019 drama film directed by Flavio Alves and starring Michael Madsen, Ed Asner, and Carlie Guevara. The story centers around the life of Tina Carrera (Carlie Guevara), a Mexican trans woman, struggling to make a l ...

'' starring

Michael Madsen Michael Søren Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. He has starred in many films and television series, frequently collaborating with director Quentin Tarantino, most famously in the latter's debut film ''Reservoir Dogs'' (19 ...

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' an ...

and Carlie Guevara.

Early years

Alves was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and served the Brazilian navy for several years before coming to America in 1997. He was granted

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another enti ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1998 based on

political opinion An opinion is a judgment, viewpoint, or statement that is not conclusive, rather than facts, which are true statements. Definition A given opinion may deal with subjective matters in which there is no conclusive finding, or it may deal with f ...

and

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

after he wrote the book, ''Toque de Silêncio'' ("Call to Silence", 1997), describing his life as a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

man in the Brazilian navy. His request was granted because, according to Alves, he received death threats upon publishing his book. Although various human rights organizations, LGBT activists, and former

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

mayor

Marta Suplicy Marta Teresa Smith de Vasconcellos Suplicy (; born 18 March 1945) is a Brazilian politician and psychologist. She was Mayor of São Paulo from 2001 to 2004. She later served as the Brazilian Minister of Tourism between 14 March 2007, and 4 Jun ...

supported his claim, it has also divided the Brazilian gay community. He attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in New York City, where he earned an undergraduate degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

in 2007. In the early 2000s he worked as an assistant for then-Congressman

Anthony Weiner Anthony David Weiner (; born September 4, 1964) is an American former politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 until his resignation in 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he consistently carried the district with at l ...

(D-NY) and then-New York Senator

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

(D-NY).

Career

In 2007, Alves left politics and enrolled at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

to study film production. While there he wrote and directed, ''

Even in My Dreams ''Even in My Dreams'' is a 2008 short film written and directed by Flavio Alves, starring Richard Reade as the main character, Michael. Considering its shoestring budget, ''Even in My Dreams'' was a huge success, getting screened at a variety of f ...

'', which received the Technisphere Award from

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-United States Secretary of the Treasu ...

for best student film, and was screened at a variety of film festivals around the world. The film was also the winner of the Golden Palm Award at the 2009 Mexico International Film Festival, and the Golden Ace Award at the 2009 Las Vegas International Film Festival. In June 2010, Flavio released his short film ''

The Secret Friend ''The Secret Friend'' is a 2010 comedy-drama film based on the 1997 short story of the same name by Brazilian writer João Silvério Trevisan. The film, directed by Flavio Alves, features Viola Harris and Siobhan Fallon in the major roles. The fi ...

'', starring

Viola Harris Viola Harris (July 5, 1920 – August 23, 2017) was an American actress known for roles in television, theater and film from the 1950s to the 2010s. Career Harris appeared in a number of films including Woody Allen's ''Deconstructing Harry'' i ...

and Siobhan Fallon in the major roles. The film received multiple awards and nominations after its premiere at the

Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 1989 ...

in 2010, where it was chosen as ''Best of the Fest''. Alves also directed the award-winning short film, ''

Tom in America ''Tom in America'' is a short film directed by Flavio Alves and starring Academy Award nominees Burt Young and Sally Kirkland. The story centers around the life of a married elderly man living in a Long Island suburb of New York City who, while rum ...

'' (2014), starring

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominees,

Burt Young Gerald Tommaso DeLouise (born April 30, 1940), known professionally as Burt Young, is an American actor, author and painter. He played Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the ''Rocky'' film series. He was nominated for ...

and

Sally Kirkland Sally Kirkland (born October 31, 1941) is an American film, television and stage actress and producer. A former member of Andy Warhol's The Factory and an active member in 1960s New York avant-garde theater, she has appeared in more than 250 fi ...

, has been screened at over 140 film festivals worldwide, and was also featured on the cable network

Here TV Here TV is an American premium television network targeting LGBT audiences. Launched in 2002, Here TV is available nationwide on all major cable systems, fiber optics systems, and Internet TV providers as either a 24/7 premium subscription channe ...

. Flavio's most recent film, ''

'', is his first feature-length project and stars

and

. The film was well received in the media, and was widely praised for having a strong trans representation in front of and behind the camera, including the lead, Carlie Guevara. ''

'' premiered at

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

Film Festival in 2019, where it won the Audience Award. Caryn James/The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "It’s one thing to decide to make a movie about the struggles of the transgender community and violent attacks on it. But it’s far harder to turn that message into a film as natural and graceful as The Garden Left Behind. Directed by Flavio Alves, a producer making his first feature, this is a clear-eyed, poignant yet unsentimental drama about Tina, a trans woman and undocumented Mexican living in New York." Randy Myers/San Jose Mercury News raved: "The Garden Left Behind" will break your heart; a film of utter grace, poignancy and deep understanding." And

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

listed

as No. 39 in their 200 Best LGBTQ Movies of All Time editorial and stated the Critics Consensus was: "The Garden Left Behind draws on one immigrant's journey to offer graceful, thought-provoking commentary on timely sociopolitical themes." In 2018, Alves was selected by the

Film Society of Lincoln Center Film at Lincoln Center, previously known as the Film Society of Lincoln Center until 2019,Aridi, Sara (April 28, 2019).. ''The New York Times''. nytimes.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019. is a film society based in New York City, United States. Fo ...

to the Artist Academy. The program is designed to support the next generation of filmmakers from a variety of backgrounds as they develop their careers and build audiences within the film community. In 2019, Flavio was selected to Ryan Murphy’s HALF Initiative Directing Program, aimed at creating equal opportunities for minorities behind the camera. And, in 2020, The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) honored Alves with the Best

Latinx ''Latinx'' is a neologism in American English which is used to refer to people of Latin American cultural or ethnic identity in the United States. The gender-neutral suffix replaces the ending of ''Latino'' and ''Latina'' that are typical o ...

Director Award for his debut feature ''

''.

Ebay campaign

While in pre-production for his upcoming film, ''

'', Alves and his team pioneered the use of

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...

as a

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

platform, where they raised more than $100,000. The unprecedented success experienced during this campaign revamped typical crowdfunding methods. The film became the first

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

to be funded substantially through donations and sales via

Personal life

Flavio lives in Forest Hills,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. In April 2010, Alves became a

US citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

. As of 2013, he has been a member of the

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

. In 2012, Grupo Gay da Bahia, the oldest

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

advocacy association in

, awarded Alves, among 21 other militants, an honorary title recognizing his sacrifices and contributions to the

LGBTQ community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and social ...

Filmography

Flavio Alves at Cleveland International Film Festival, March 2019

Accolades

*2021 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship –

Jerome Foundation James Jerome Hill II (March 2, 1905 – November 21, 1972) was an American filmmaker and artist known for his award-winning documentary and experimental films. Career Hill was the child of railroad executive Louis W. Hill. He was educated at Y ...

*2020 Best Latinx Director Award – NALIP (''

'') *2019 Directing Mentorship – HALF Initiative, Ryan Murphy *2019 QueerScope Debut Film Award – Hamburg LGBT Film Festival (''

'') *2019 Audience Award –

SXSW Film Festival South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

(''

'') *2018 Artist Academy fellow –

*2017 Video and Digital Production Grants –

(''

'') *2017 IFP Lab fellow – Independent Filmmaker Project: ifp (''

'') *2016 NYSCA Grant –

New York State Council on the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell (1905–1996), ...

(''

'') *2015 The American Film Award (''

'') *2013 Student Grant –

(''

'') *2011 Jury Award – Jornada Internacional de Cinema da Bahial (''

'') *2011 Audience Award –

Indianapolis International Film Festival Founded in 2004, the Indianapolis International Film Festival seeks to create a shared experience by championing films that entertain, challenge, and expand perspectives in Indianapolis and beyond. Indianapolis International Film Festival is als ...

(''

'') *2011 Jury Award – Las Vegas International Film Festival (''

'') *2011 Grand Jury Prize –

Amsterdam Film Festival Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban area ...

(''

'') *2011 Jury Award –

Cleveland International Film Festival The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is an annual film festival based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is the largest film festival in Ohio. It was first held in 1977, showing eight films over a period of eight weeks at the Cedar Lee Theatre. It ...

(''

'') *2011 Special Jury Award –

Canada International Film Festival The Edgewater Casino is a former casino that was located at 760 Pacific Blvd South Vancouver, British Columbia. It was in operation from 2005 to 2017. History The Edgwater Casino opened in February 2005. In 2006, the casino was acquired by Para ...

(''

'') *2010 Cine Golden Eagle Award for Best Short Film –

CINE Ciné film or cine film is the term commonly used in the UK and historically in the US to refer to the 8 mm, Super 8, 9.5 mm, and 16 mm motion picture film formats used for home movies. It is not normally used to refer to ...

(''

'') *2010 Special Jury Award – Savannah Film Festival (''

'') *2010 Best of the Fest –

(''

'') *2009 Golden Palm Award –

Mexico International Film Festival Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

(''

'') *2009 Golden Ace Award – Las Vegas Film Festival (''

'') *2008 Audience Award – Festival Internacional de Cinema de Itu (''

'') *2008 Technisphere Award for Best Student Film –

(''

'')

References

External links

*
Flavio Alves
official web site * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alves, Flavio 1969 births Living people Brazilian LGBT writers Gay screenwriters Brazilian LGBT rights activists Brazilian film directors LGBT film directors People from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian emigrants to the United States Columbia University School of General Studies alumni English-language film directors People with acquired American citizenship New York University alumni