‘Sergio’ Filmmakers Says Drama About Brazilian Diplomat Gives Hope, Empowers Latinx Narratives – Sundance Studio

Director Greg Barker premiered a documentary about UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello in 2009 at Sundance but he admits that he saw it as a narrative. Fast forward to 2020, he returned to Park City with a feature film about the life of the iconic diplomat after chaotic aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq and the most treacherous mission of his career.

“I had this vision for this film as a story of one guy’s struggle to understand himself and this world and to find a way through the darkness,” Barker said when he visited the Deadline studio at Sundance. “At the core of the story is a message of hope, empathy and to see people different from yourself and see inside yourself.”

Producer and Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (Narcos) joined Barker in the studio and talked about how they connected to make the film and his portrayal of the titular character and what it meant to him. “What I wanted to do was to produce films about Latin people that don’t enforce stereotypes,” he said. He added that since he was from Brazil and saw Sergio Vieira de Mello as a personal hero, Sergio was a great launching pad to make these types of films.

Written by Craig Borten, the film also stars Brian F. O’Byrne, Clemens Schick, Will Dalton, Ana de Armas, Garret Dillahunt and Bradley Whitford.

Watch the video above.

The Deadline Studio is presented by Hyundai. Special thanks to sponsor Soia & Kyo, and partners West Elm & Calii Love.