Laura Dauden is a director, screenwriter, journalist and founder of Forward. In addition to her career in film, she has been working as a communications and advocacy advisor and consultant for several international human rights organisations since 2009.

She has a degree in Journalism (Federal University of Santa Catarina) and a master’s degree in International Relations and African Studies (Autonomous University of Madrid). She also has specific training in Cost Control for audiovisual productions (Escac, Spain) and participated in the Documentary Project Incubator of the International Film School of Santo Antonio de los Baños (Cuba).

Her films – always focused on human rights issues – have been screened at festivals such as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Malaga Film Festival, the São Paulo International Film Festival and the San Sebastian International Human Rights Film Festival.

She has been selected for labs such as CIMA Mentoring 1to1 2022-2023 (she was mentored by producer and director Alba Sotorra); Acció Curts 2023 by Dones Visuals; When East Meets West Inspirational Lab 2024; Documentary Campus Masterschool 2024 (she is mentored by British producer and consultant Nic Guttridge).

She is a member of Cima (Asociación de Mujeres Cineastas y de Medios Audiovisuales de España), Dones Visuals and EWA (European Women’s Audiovisual Network).

Miguel Angel is a director, DOP, editor and founder of Forward. In recent years, he has produced several documentaries and campaigns for different international organizations such as UN Environment, UNDP (United Nations Development Program), Ford Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank. He has worked on projects in more than 20 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

Between 2012 and 2014, he was responsible for the production and editing department at VICE Brazil, where he produced three documentaries about the June 2013 riots. Additionally, he worked in advertising and received two international awards in 2015 for Ford campaigns.

His recent filmography includes “Unsubmissive” (2023), “Occupation Inc.” (2020) and “The Hosts” (2020), and his films have been seen at festivals such as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Malaga Film Festival, the São Paulo International Film Festival and the San Sebastian International Human Rights Film Festival.

Miguel Angel is a member of Docma (Spanish Documentary Filmmakers Association) and, in 2024, he was selected to participate in EsoDoc with “Donkey Pace” – an international documentary development programme focusing on social impact projects.

João Paulo Brito is a Brazilian journalist with a specialization in Production and Audiovisual Business Management from FAAP (Armando Álvares Penteado Foundation), a respected institution in film and communication in Brazil.

He worked as a correspondent for Agencia Mural de Jornalismo das Periferias (Mural Journalism Agency of the Peripheries), of which he is a member of the Advisory Board, and collaborated in portals and magazines covering mainly politics, human rights and culture.

He was part of the jury of the Vladimir Herzog Journalistic Award for Amnesty and Human Rights, in the 2016, 2017 and 2020 editions.

He was content editor of the international NGO Conectas Human Rights and is currently the communications manager of the São Paulo Public Defender’s Office and executive producer of Forward.

Carla Dauden is a Brazilian film and advertising director. Her advertising work includes clients such as Google, Microsoft, Mercedes-Benz, Amazon, and Facebook. In 2019, her campaign for the Disney Team of Heroes initiative was nominated for a Daytime Emmy award, but her true passion is in film.

Her first short film, “Mr. Polman Wants to Fit In,” has screened at some of the world’s top festivals, including Short Shorts Asia, Raindance, and the Newport Beach Film Festival. 

In 2018, Carla was selected for the Nalip (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) Latino Lens Incubator for her short film “The Jump,” later released by PBS. In 2016, Carla co-directed the short documentary “The Discarded: A Tale of Two Rios,” which won the best short film award at the American Conservation Film Festival. In 2021, she finished her most desired project, the documentary “The Hosts,” which premiered at the 36th Santa Barbara International Film Festival in the Social Justice category and was selected at the 45th São Paulo International Film Festival.