Ella Rumpf, Julio Andrade, and Ana Flávia Cavalcanti Cast in “Ibicaba: O Paraíso Prometido,” Locarno Winner Andrea Staka's Film for MyMama Entertainment (Exclusive)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Ella Rumpf (“Raw,” “Coucher”), Julio Andrade (“Under Pressure”), and Ana Flávia Cavalcanti (“Baby”) are set to star in “Ibicaba: O Paraíso Prometido,” directed by Andrea Staka. The new film from the Golden Leopard winner will be produced by MyMama Entertainment Brazil in co-production with Cinédokké Sagl of Switzerland and MMM Carioca of Brazil. […]

MyMama is also on track with "I Don't Know Who Was" by João Paulo Miranda Maria and in development with "Whyte Lies" by Pia Maris.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Ella Ramp (“Raw,” “Couture”), Julio Andrade (“Under Pressure”) and Ana Flavia Cavalcanti (“Dear”) are set to star in Andrea Ashtaka's “Ibicaba: O Paraíso Prometido.”

The Golden Leopard-winning director's new film will be produced under the Brazilian flag of MyMama Entertainment in co-production with Cinédokké Sagl of Switzerland and MMM Carioca of Brazil. Related Stories "The Mystery Science Theater 3000: The RiffTrax Experiments": Behind the Scenes of Love Satellite

"Ibicaba: O Paraíso Prometido" ("Ibicaba: Promised Paradise" in literal translation) is adapted from the novel "Ibicaba: O Paraíso nas Cabeças" by Eveline Hasler and is based on real-life events that took place on the title farm in rural São Paulo. The film will be shot next year in Switzerland and Cordeiropolis, a city in the central region of São Paulo state. Popular in Variety

Set in 1855, this historical drama follows a working-class Swiss single mother who travels to Brazil, promised a better life but instead encounters a system of debt, surveillance and exploitation in a society deeply shaped by slavery. Omsir crosses paths with Inocência, an enslaved black woman who has healing knowledge, knows the land, and devises her resistance strategies.

The historical research that helps the film is done in collaboration with Caro Oliveira, a black historian dedicated to the study of slavery and the daily lives of black women in the 19th century. Stucka's connection to fiction dates back to his teenage years, when he discovered Hassler's novel. The director learns Portuguese in the preparation of the film and seeks direct communication with the actors and crew and closer to the dialogues and experiences of the characters.

Ashtaka won the Locarno Golden Leopard and the Best Film Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2006 for Das Fräulein. His next films were played in Locarno and Berlin. "Ibicaba" won the Co-Production Development Award at last year's Berlinale Co-Production Market.

Speaking to Variety at the Rio Film Festival, MyMama Entertainment co-founder and CEO Myra Favreaud says she considers her label "an international production company."

"I don't just work with Brazilian authors," he adds. I want writers whose stories we care about. Also, we do not rely only on the Brazilian budget for financing. We know how to invest in Europe, the United States and countries like Lebanon. "I've worked in the US for six years on major films, like Noah Baumbach's 'White Noise,' and my DNA comes from learning how to raise capital in a market like the US market and making sure that directors whose voices we believe in can make their films."

Faure Aouad also points to the importance of international directors and productions filming in Brazil, a movement that has grown in recent years, with films such as Michael Almerida's Zero K filmed in São Paulo. "I think it's very important because we have so many capable locations, actors and crews," he says.

The production company was present at this year's Rio Film Festival with the short film "A Casa de Dona Carlota" directed by Lily Fiallo and the famous actress Bruna Linzmeier ("Medusa") in her directorial debut. Based on Aira Bonfim's in-depth research, this short film tells the story of Dona Carlotta Rezende, the coach of the pioneering women's soccer team Primavera. Atlético Club, in the 1940s. Last year, the banner was at the festival with another short film, Amarella by André Hayato Saito, which played at the Cannes Film Festival and was shortlisted for this year's Oscar for Best Live Action Short.

MyMama is currently in post-production with João Paulo Miranda Maria's I Don't Know Who I Was, starring Selton Mello, and Pia Maris' Why Lies, which sees the director return to shoot in Brazil after Transamazonia.