Dácio Pinheiro studied Radio and TV at Methodist University and Film and Video at FAAP in São Paulo. In 1996, he began his career as a programming assistant for the HBO channel and went on to produce programs for the Cinemax channel. max. Since 2001, he has been developing, producing and directing independent fiction, documentary and TV projects. Over the last 20 years, he has directed, produced and scripted several music videos, short films and feature-length documentaries, which have been screened at various national and international festivals.
He directed the feature documentary "My Buddy Claudia" (2009), which premiered at the 33rd Frameline Queer Film Festival in San Francisco. The film won the audience choice award for best documentary at the festivals: 14th LesGaiCineMad - Madrid 2009 and 17th Festival Mix Brasil 2009. Released in cinemas in 2013.
In 2019, he directed the music documentary "Eletronica:Mentes" and co-produced the German art documentary "The Forgotten Treasure", a German/Brazilian co-production directed by Tom Ehrhardt. The project was part of the Doc Campus - Documentary Master School (Europe) development program; it received investment from the Gerd Ruge Stipendium and the Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Thüringen. The feature premiered at the 7th BIFF - Brasilia International Film Festival, was shown at the 38th FIFA - Festival International du Film Sur l'Art in Montreal and at the 7th Peloponnesos International Film Festival in Greece. In 2020 it opened in cinemas in Germany and was licensed to the MDR channel. It is currently available on the "Kino on Demand" platform and in the MDR channel's media library.
In 2022, he directed the short fiction film "Lair's Birthday" and is in the process of releasing the documentary "Lenita" (2023), which will premiere at the 47th São Paulo International Film Festival in October 2023. He is currently recording the documentary "Excursão Artística Villa Lobos", a co-production with Canal Curta, and editing the documentary "Constellation Jocy".
Pinheiro has also edited several films, such as the documentaries "Tikimentary - In Search of The Lost Paradise", "Museu Entre Tempos", "Bom Dia Ipanema", among others. He edited the feature film "Old Kitten" and the Brazilian fiction series "Notícias Populares" for Canal Brasil.
Since 2012, Dacio Pinheiro is based between Berlin and São Paulo.