Directed by Gabriel Novis, the film moves audiences by portraying a real-life reunion with the ocean, navigating loss and resistance.
Brazil – After losing her father, Alice finds in the ocean a place of memory, healing, and resistance. A trans multidisciplinary artist, born in Alagoas and raised around surfing, she returns to the waves not just as an athlete but as a way to process grief and confront the transphobia that once pushed her away from her roots. This intimate and courageous journey is at the heart of Alice, a short documentary directed by Gabriel Novis, which has been making waves on the international circuit and is officially qualified for Oscar 2026 consideration.
Produced by MyMama Entertainment and co-produced by Los Films, the film is grounded in a personal, affective perspective. Revisiting meaningful places from her youth in Alagoas, in Brazil’s Northeast, Alice questions the elitism, misogyny, and transphobia often present in the surfing world, transforming her story into a work of art and resistance.
Gabriel Novis – finalist for the Young Guns 2022 and acclaimed for his work with brands like Nike, Adidas, Disney, and Louis Vuitton – was driven by a personal sense of discomfort to make the film. As a surfer and former photographer for major surf magazines, he witnessed discrimination and exclusion in the industry up close.
“I grew up inside the surf world, but for a long time I felt out of place due to the toxic masculinity and violence present in that environment. Meeting Alice again was transformative. She helped me reconnect with that space through a freer, fairer lens. As someone from the Northeast of Brazil who spent many years in Los Angeles, it’s a deep honor to see this story—so rooted in Brazil—resonating and being recognized around the world. My role as a director was to build, with care and deep listening, a narrative that matched Alice’s strength. This film started from a desire to take her back to the ocean—and from the frustration of seeing her separated from a place she loves. Knowing that for so long she didn’t feel safe or welcome in the sea. I wanted to create, with her, a new possible space,” said Novis.
With a cinematic approach defined by rich, sensitive imagery, Novis crafts an intimate and poetic portrait, reinforcing his distinctive style that blends adventure, discovery, and humanity. The film sparks an urgent conversation about diversity and inclusion in surfing, while celebrating Alice’s resilience and artistry.
For Mayra Faour Auad, producer of Alice, the film’s international recognition represents more than just artistic success—it’s also a powerful political and cultural symbol.
“This film is about Alice, but it’s also about the strength of Brazilian stories and the diversity that shapes us as human beings. It’s about trans resilience, yes, but also about all struggles for recognition, affection, and existence. Winning Best Short Documentary at Hot Docs, being selected for festivals we deeply admire like Sheffield and Guadalajara, and now being Oscar-qualified is a collective achievement. It reaffirms the power of Brazilian cinema to move, question, and connect with the world,” said Auad.
According to the film’s protagonist and narrator, who represented the production at the Guadalajara Film Festival, the story’s power and universality truly resonated with the local audience:
“Representing the film in Guadalajara was incredible. The city and the festival are beautiful, and Mexico loved the film. I heard so many beautiful comments about how moved people were, about my courage to share my story—some even said they cried. Press, audience members, and even directors and cast from other films congratulated me and asked for photos—I really felt like a star! I’m so happy with the film’s reception and how warmly I was welcomed in Guadalajara. I hope to return one day with better Spanish to give back all that love,” said Alice.
During the award announcement at Hot Docs, the jury highlighted the film’s impact and Oscar-worthy quality:
“For the sensitive, distinct, and brilliant way in which the cinematography and script guide us into the protagonist’s experience, transporting us to a reality that is at once full of kindness and beauty—but also extremely dangerous and threatening for trans people everywhere.”
With poetic language and a documentary lens, Alice reinforces cinema’s role as a tool for empathy and transformation. Its most recent screening took place at the Sheffield DocFest, the UK’s leading documentary festival, held from June 18–23.