David Schurmann
Birthdate: Apr 13, 1974
Birthplace: Florianopolis, Brazil
David Schurmann (birthname: David Ribeiro Schurmann) is a Brazilian non-fiction and fiction filmmaker who has made a range of features and TV series exploring natural science and historical subjects. Schurmann launched his feature filmmaking career with the autobiographical documentary about his family tracing Ferdinand Magellan’s global voyages in The World Twice Around/O Mundo Em Duas Voltas (2007), premiering at the Recife (Brazil) Film Festival.
Schurmann was the director/co-writer/producer of his first narrative feature, the suspense/horror mockumentary, Missing/Desaparecidos (2011), with Charlene Chagas, Natalia Vidal, and Pedro Urizzi. Schurmann returned as director/co-writer/producer with his next narrative movie, Little Secret (2016), based on a story by Schurmann’s cousin, Katherine, co-starring Julia Lemmertz, Fionnula Flanagan, Erroll Shand, Marcello Antony, and Maria Flor, and selected as Brazil’s official entry to the best foreign language Oscar.
David Schurmann was director of co-writers Paulina Lagudi and Kristen Lazarian’s version of the true story of a Brazilian fisherman, My Penguin Friend (2024), starring Jean Reno and Adriana Barrazza, and released wide by Roadside Attractions. Schurmann then directed and produced the Brazilian-funded documentary about an underwater quest for the remains of a German U-Boat, U-513 In Search of The Lonely Wolf/U-513 Em Busca di Lobo Solitario (date to be announced), written by Gui Stockler. Schurmann was director/producer of the drama, Por Um Fio (date to be announced), written by Luiz Bolognesi and co-starring Bruno Gagliasso, Romulo Estrela, Ellen Camp, Zeze Motta, and Othon Bastos.
Personal Details
David Schurmann was born and raised by his parents in Florianopolis, Brazil. Schurmann attended the Auckland University of Technology in 1991-1992 in Auckland, New Zealand. Schurmann then earned a diploma in film directing from the South Seas Film & Television School in 1993, as well as a certificate in directing from the Judy Weston Studios for Directors in 2008.
Filmography
director
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- 2024 | My Penguin Friend
My Penguin Friend
Inspired by a true story; an enchanting adventure about a lost penguin rescued from an oil spill, who transforms the life of a heartbroken fisherman. They soon become unlikely friends, so bonded that even the vast ocean cannot divide them.
Some Facts About David Schurmann
Environmentalist: David Schurmann co-founded and heads the board of directors of Voice of the Oceans (Instituto Voz dos Oceanos), a global initiative to reduce plastic pollution in the world’s oceans, backed by the UN Environment Program.
CEO: Schurmann is CEO and chairman of the board of the company, Schurmann Group.
