Sofia Wickerhauser and Her Love for Short Films
Sofia Wickerhauser
In this profile series, Revry is highlighting authentic contributors to the LGBTQ media and entertainment community. We ask questions to find out who they are and where they are going in the future. The questions remain the same but the answers tell their unique story. It’s time to explore and celebrate true representation beyond the limits of Hollywood.
Filmmaker and producer in love with Queer cinema, photography, anime, and video games. With her production company White Wolfy, Sofia Wickerhauser is known today for having a sensitive eye and surprising points of view.
She directed and wrote (under a pseudonym) four Queer shorts that screened at over 200 editions of festivals - like BFI Flare, Frameline, Leeds Inter, Palm Springs - and won several awards. As a co-founder of AbrAce (a collective that fights for visibility regarding asexuality), she made INFINITE WHILE IT LASTS, famous worldwide for being the first fiction film about asexuality. In 2018, she won a scholarship for a Masters in Screenwriting at the prestigious University of Goldsmiths, in London, where she wrote her first feature (in development).
Since 2018, she has been part of the selection committee for the São Paulo International Short Film Festival, one of Latin America’s biggest festivals. In 2020, she joined Mix Brasil’s selection committee for international shorts and features. In 2021, she became a curator for Boston’s Wicked Queer, where she programs the Latinx section. In the same year, she was a pre-screener for the Ramsgate International Film & TV Festival, in the UK, and for the Whistler Film Festival, in Canada. Currently, she also teaches film distribution in São Paulo, having worked as a distribution agent focused on shorts, with a portfolio of over 15 shorts with extensive festival careers.
As of 2021, she’s a member of the Academia Brasileira de Cinema (Brazilian Film Academy).
What are you best known for?
I’m definitely best known for making the first short fiction film with an out asexual protagonist, INFINITE WHILE IT LASTS. It was a huge deal in the asexual community and the film ended up screening at over 70 film festivals, including BFI Flare where it was even mentioned in their opening statement. The attention feels a bit overwhelming at times, but it’s an honor and a privilege to be part of a small slice of film and LGBTQIA+ history.
What is the first thing you worked on?
The first official film in my filmography is AFTERGLOW, about a couple dealing with depression. What a lot of people don’t know (maybe because I rarely tell them… Oops, my fault) is that I made shorts entirely by myself when I was graduating in Photography – in particular, I created one with shadow theater that started my fascination with fantastic imagery. I was supposed to be photographing like my peers, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop making short films. Now I know why.
What are you working on that no one knows about yet?
I’m deeply involved in a fantasy short that could either turn out amazing or kill me – no other alternatives. And, like a lot of filmmakers trying to take that big step into features, I’m also struggling with that first dreaded feature. Hopefully, I'll be able to share more details in the future!