A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME

Noel Paganotti, born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a Brazilian filmmaker with a passion for storytelling, who graduated Film & Media Arts BA from the University of Utah, doing a Masters in Filmmaking in the New York Film Academy.

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It’s hard for me to look back and imagine a time I wasn’t in love with storytelling. Since I was a little kid, my favorite toys were pieces of paper. I used to staple them together and write small novels and comic books. I believe that when I picked up those blank pieces of paper, my mind revealed to me, in an explosion of creativity, what I was destined to be. These memories that I keep until this very day are the beginning of my storytelling journey. 

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I still remember the times when my mother would burst into my room, and find hundreds of those same pieces of paper scattered with drawings that when combined told a story. She would then discuss with me that those sheets were for her work. However, on the following day I had used three hundred more pages just with new ideas. And I continued to repeat that process, making her angrier by the day, until she bought me fifteen hundred sheets of paper, that I would end up spending in less than four months. These memories that I keep until this very day are the beginning of my storytelling journey.

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In 2017, the dyslexic kid managed to get into San Diego State University, Columbia College Chicago and the chosen one, The University of Utah. Even after my accomplishments, I was still not finished. Before I joined the University of Utah for Fall of 2017, I told myself that I would enter the university with a completely original project, that would end up being officially selected in two film festivals in South America and Europe, when I was 19 years old.

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“Cruciatu: Life is a Game”, is a thriller described by the Utah Film Festival as a “twisted nail-biting masterpiece”, authored by me. I worked under a budget of US$400 with professional actors, in São Paulo, my hometown. In this 20-minute film, I allowed the actors to demonstrate the extent of their abilities by taking full control of the fear induced in the film, terrifying the audience without resorting to generic horror traits.

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 In 2019 I wanted to prompt tears, by conflicting the audience with acceptance, grief, and joy. I authored “A Wish From the Moon”, a short film, that was officially selected into the NewFilmmakers NY and be a Finalist in the F&MAD Spring Showcase. I applied the idea that timing is in the core detail of directing. If a word is said at a certain time that allows the audience to take in the information and develop it differently.Where before I lacked the knowledge, now because of my professors and experiences, I created a powerful film with visuals filled with emotions and a story that let all the cast and crew in tears as the credits rolled.

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I dream of working in the higher areas of the industry always improving and executing powerful stories that  impact on an emotional level and reverberate over the next ten years, through filmmaking, and another way to do it is through teaching. I want to teach others that are interested in the art of storytelling and inspire future filmmakers to tell the story that they want to, without losing track of their ideals.

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Noel Paganotti, a film director who creates emotion-driven stories that resonate with people on a personal level. He has a BFA in Film & Media Arts from the University of Utah and is currently pursuing an MFA in Filmmaking from the New York Film Academy.

Noel's films span across various genres,  exploring topics such as grief, identity, and justice. He has received multiple official selections for his films at prestigious festivals, such as the Academy Award qualifying LA Shorts and other TOP 100 festivals such as:  Beaufort International Film Festival, Utah Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale Film Festival and many others.

Known for films as An Ideal of Liberty and A Wish from the Moon.

 He is also the editor of Safer At Home, a web series that addresses the challenges and opportunities of the LGBTQA+ community during the pandemic. He aims to bring dream-like stories to real-life by using his skills in film directing, editing, cinematography, and photography.

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Noel is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English.

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He aims to tell personal stories that echo his mantra of bringing dream-like stories to real-life by discussing various topics through many different genres.

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