Rodrigo Teixeira: U.S. Indie Film Going Global to
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- Rodrigo Teixeira is developing a fourth James Gray film (after "Ad Astra," "Armageddon Time," and 2026 Cannes contender "Paper Tiger") to be made in 2027, telling the ECAM Forum it "talks about the U.S. now, not the best moment they have."
- Teixeira argued at ECAM that "American directors will be coming to Brazil to make films" because "people who finance [films] are aligned in some way with this government money" — adding that "terrible times are a good time to do art."
- RT Features wrapped Michael Almereyda's Don DeLillo adaptation "Zero K" in São Paulo on June 6, with a multinational cast: Peter Sarsgaard, Caleb Landry Jones, Norwegian Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, "Severance" star Britt Lower, Brazilian Selton Mello, and Hungarian Géza Röhrig.
- RT Features produced Walter Salles' "I'm Still Here," the first Brazilian Portuguese-language film nominated for Best Picture and winner of the Academy Award for International Feature Film.
- Teixeira broke into U.S. indie cinema by putting up $500,000 to finance Noah Baumbach's black-and-white "Frances Ha" — backed by an unknown Greta Gerwig and "an ex-marine" named Adam Driver — after his Brazilian film "Drained" returned 10 times his investment.
- RT Features' upcoming slate spans four countries: Argentina's Benjamin Naishtat directing "Glaxo," Guatemala's Jayro Bustamante with "República Luminosa," Iván Fund's "Bodies of Summer," and "Wolves," inspired by Lebanon's 2019 banking collapse.
- Teixeira said independent cinema is now "much more international than Hollywood," arguing that "Hollywood now is much more streaming and blockbusters" and that original projects are "all together in this worldwide place."
Why it matters: Teixeira's argument points to a concrete shift: with Hollywood consolidating around streaming and blockbusters, mid-budget U.S. indie filmmaking is migrating abroad. His São Paulo production of "Zero K" with American leads (Sarsgaard, Landry Jones, Britt Lower) demonstrates the model — American talent, Brazilian technicians, lower cost. His 20-year track record (Frances Ha, Call Me By Your Name, I'm Still Here) gives the prediction weight.
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