Thales Banzai is a Brazilian film director & producer based in Los Angeles.
From VHS shorts in the ’90s to skate promos on Mini-DV in the 2000s, Brazilian director Thales Banzai has always been immersed in filmmaking. Between 2005 and 2010, he debuted at Brazilian film festivals with his first experimental shorts, selected for the ‘Festival do Minuto’, ‘Rio Short Film Festival’, ‘Curta-8’, among others. In addition to his own creative projects, he was an associate producer on the feature-length documentary Favela is Fashion by Emílio Domingos, which won the Rio Film Festival in 2019. Now based in LA, he just finished his debut feature film, Tony’s Odyssey, and is developing his first graphic novel, SELVA, to be adapted into a TV series. With his heart always in Brazil, he’s ready to bring daring stories to life.
  • Director (6 Credits)
    Tony Odyssey2025
    Feature
    Subtle Cut2021
    Short
    The GG Marmont Book Club2021
    Short
    SAUDADES2020
    Music Video
    Hard Asses Don't Twerk: Because Being a Woman is Nasty2017
    Documentary, Short
    Couple2013
    Short
  • Producer (4 Credits)
    Tony Odyssey2025
    Feature
    Subtle Cut2021
    Short
    SAUDADES2020
    Music Video
    Hard Asses Don't Twerk: Because Being a Woman is Nasty2017
    Documentary, Short
  • Writer (3 Credits)
    Subtle Cut2021
    Short
    The GG Marmont Book Club2021
    Short
    Couple2013
    Short
  • Editor (1 Credit)
    Tony Odyssey2025
    Feature
  • Associate Producer (1 Credit)
    Favela is Fashion2019
    Documentary, Feature
  • Cinematography (1 Credit)
    Hard Asses Don't Twerk: Because Being a Woman is Nasty2017
    Documentary, Short
Narrative Feature Competition
Tony Odyssey
Brooklyn Film Festival
New York
2026
Audience Award Best International Feature; Jury Honorable Mention
Tony Odyssey
Mammoth Lakes Film Festival
Mammoth Lakes
2026
Official Selection Feature Films
Tony Odyssey
Fantaspoa 2026
Porto Alegre
2026
Features in Competition
Tony Odyssey
64th Ann Arbor Film Festival
Ann Arbor
2026
Narrative Features
Tony Odyssey
Slamdance 2026
Los Angeles
2026
Best Documentary (Popular Vote)
Favela is Fashion
Festival do Rio
Rio de Janeiro
2019
Best Film - Honorary Mention
SAUDADES
Iso Film Fest
Best Music (ex aequo) – composed by Camila Cornelsen and Modular Safari
Hard Asses Don't Twerk: Because Being a Woman is Nasty
Cinalfama Lisbon International Film Awards
Lisbon
Birth Date
June 19, 1990
Nickname
Thales Banzai
Current City
Los Angeles, USA
Hometown
São Paulo, Brazil
Gender
Male
Ethnicity
Latin
Married To
Camila Cornelsen
Thales Banzai is a Brazilian film director & producer based in Los Angeles.
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