Estela Renner is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and co-founder of the social and environmental impact studio Maria Farinha Films, the first Latin American film production company assigned a global B Corp certification. She lived in the United States for seven years, where she earned a Master's degree in Motion Pictures from the University of Miami and worked writing and directing sitcoms.

Back in Brazil, she began dedicating her work to promoting social and environmental change through audiovisual works. With more than 40 films produced, she directed and wrote documentaries that reached over 190 countries, such as "Way Beyond Weight," a documentary about the child obesity epidemic, and "Target Market: Kids," about the effects of advertising aimed at children. Both films were watched by over two million people and influenced on the change of public policies. For TV Globo, Estela co-created and directed 10 out of 25 episodes of the series "Young Inventors," about underprivileged teenagers who created something to improve the lives of their communities. The series aired on Saturdays and reached more than 23 million people. As a screenwriter, she also wrote the fiction "Ela Faz Cinema" ("She Makes Movies") for TV Globo and the animated feature film "Lino" for Fox International.

In 2016, she released another documentary written and directed by herself, " The Beginning of Life," about the importance of human relationships in the first years of life. The film was the main tool of UNICEF's international campaign on early childhood and changed maternity and paternity leave policies in several companies.

Her work has had an impact on social behavior and public policies. Honoured by the Brazilian Foundation and Trip Transformadores, Estela has been a speaker at two editions of SXSW and has spoken at Harvard University, Columbia University, MIT, House of Beautiful Business, TEDx, and FGV.

She is also one of the creators, writers, and producers of TV series "Aruanas" (2019 and 2021), a two-season environmental thriller inspired by real events which tells the story of four activists who run an NGO dedicated to socio-environmental causes. The series made headlines in major newspapers around the world, reached Trending Topic on Global Twitter for more than 9 hours straight, and had 89% positive reactions on social media, and was seen by more than 33 million people in Brazil alone. "Aruanas" is a co-production between Rede Globo and Maria Farinha. Estela is currently the author and screenwriter of "Esperanza," an international series co-produced with American film company Participant, and "The Most Important Reality in the World," in partnership with Endemol, as well as "Aruanas" feature film "The Rescue."

See photos of celebrities before they hit the big-time.

Estela Renner

Director

Writer

Actress

Producer

Cinematographer

Additional Crew

Self