Marcelo Gomes’ Documentary About Dreams ‘Creatures of the Mind’ Acquired by Utopia Docs (EXCLUSIVE)

Sales agency Utopia Docs has acquired Brazilian filmmaker Marcelo Gomes’ “Creatures of the Mind,” which had its international premiere at the Sheffield DocFest.

The film was released in Brazilian theaters in May and is still playing after 14 weeks with more than 10,000 tickets sold. Watch the trailer here.

During the pandemic, Gomes realized he had stopped dreaming. He and renowned Brazilian neuroscientist Sidarta Ribeiro embark on “a cinematic journey through the anthropological and scientific landscapes of dreaming.”

Drawing on the psychological concept of “Creatures of the Mind,” the film explores how different societies have understood the unconscious, symbols, trance states and folklore. Encounters with a medium in Pernambuco, Brazil, and the Indigenous thinker Ailton Krenak deepen this exploration.

Renato Manganello, CEO of Utopia Docs, said: “Dreams are one of the biggest mysteries humanity is trying to figure out. A key to self-knowledge, they play a vital role in our mental health and in many cultures is a spiritual connection between people, the land and the ancestors.”

The film was produced by Video Filmes, the company behind “I’m Still Here,” in co-production with Globo Filmes and GloboNews, and in association with Carnaval Filmes.

The producers are Maria Carlota Bruno and João Moreira Salles for VideoFilmes. The executive producers are Camila Leal Ferreira at VideoFilmes, and João Junior and Nara Aragão at Carnaval Filmes.

Gomes’ first feature film “Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures” was awarded in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. “I Travel Because I Have To” premiered in Venice. His latest film “Portrait of a Certain Orient” premiered at Rotterdam. His previous documentary “Waiting for the Carnival” premiered at Berlinale.