Founded in 2014, Zaum is formed by his founder Gregorio Gananian, Marisa Merlo and Clara Choveaux. The production company was born from a desire to produce films focused on innovative artistic language, through the inventive encounter between the classic and the experimental. At the confluence of visual arts, theater, music and poetry, we create films using alternative, unconventional production methods and creative processes. In parallel, Zaum also produces projects such as film festivals, performances, music videos, and video art exhibitions. In 2025, Zaum incorporated Anacoluto, owned by partner Marisa Merlo, bringing the previous works of that company into its portfolio.
CLARA CHOVEAUX
Clara Choveaux is a Franco-Brazilian actress. She has made over 50 national and international productions, including 37 films and plays. Her performance in Bertrand Bonello's “Tiresia” (Fic, 118', 2003, France) was indicated a nomination for Best Actress at Cannes. Among her most notable roles are the films "Os Primeiros Soldados" (Fic, 107', 2021, Brazil), "Os Sonâmbulos" (Fic/Experimental, 110', 2019, Brazil), "Elon Não Acredita na Morte" (Fic, 74', 2017, Brazil), and "Exilados do Vulcão" (Fic, 123', 2013, Brazil).
GREGORIO GANANIAN
Gregório Gananian (b. 1984) is a Brazilian director and producer based em São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. He directed the feature films “Aquele Que Viu o Abismo” (Fic/Experimental, 70', 2024 | Mostra de Tiradentes - Olhos Livres Best Film Award, Ecrã) and “Inaudito” (Doc, 88', 2017 | Mostra de Tiradentes - Olhos Livres Best Film Award, Havana Film Festival, Mostra de São Paulo, Mubi), and the short films “Nenhuma Fantasia” (2021, Forumdoc.bh), "A Guerra de Michael" (2021 / Olhar de Cinema - Festival Int’l de Curitiba, In-Edit) e “g.m – 8 cantos”. He made the videoclips multimedias projects such as “Sinfoñia de Jards”, “Gilberto Mundus” and "O Olhar".
MARISA MERLO
Marisa Merlo studied cinema and creative writing. From 2008-2017 she was a partner at the production company Grafo Audiovisual and in 2016 she founded Anacoluto. She produced/coproduced more than 15 feature films, among them "Mais um dia, Zona Norte" (Doc/Fic, 82’, 2023 / Festival de Brasília - Best Film Award, Critics’ Award, Mostra de Tiradentes, FIDBA) "Eu, Empresa" (Fic, 82', 2021 / Mostra de Tiradentes, Panorama Coisa de Cinema), "Lutar Lutar Lutar" (Doc, 110', 2021 / IFFR, BAFICI, Mostra de Tiradentes). She is cofounder of Olhar de Cinema – Curitiba Int’ Film Festival, where she was a producer and artistic director from 2012-2016, and a programmer from 2012-2023. She also produced the showcases "Geraldo Sarno Retrospective" (2022), "El Camino – Cinema de Viagem da América do Sul", "Léa Garcia – 90 Anos" (2023).
COLABORADORES
HENRI DAIO
Henri Daio is artist and musician. His works were released in festivals sucha as Escuta Aqui, Música Nova, Difluência, T-Son, Musitec and the theaters São Pedro, EMESP, UNESP and FAMES. Currently he is a composition student in UNESP and develops works on films performances and experimental music. He is an original soundtrack composer of the feature film "Aquele que Viu o Abismo" (2024, awarded at Mostra de Tiradentes) and codirected the Show-Cine-Concerto by Sérgio Villafranca in 2023. He also is a member of the Aguilar e Banda Performática (shows at Cinemateca do MAM-RJ and Pinacoteca de Santos).
LUCAS PARENTE
Lucas Parente studied history and philosophy while working in film and writing. His practice moves between narrative and experimental forms, blending the essay-film with a mannerist approach, exploring images across different textures and media. Director of two features and over a dozen shorts, his films have screened at Visions du Réel, FID Marseille, DOCLisboa, and Brasília. Based in Brazil's Cariri region, he shoots experimental 16mm work while completing his third and fourth features.
NEGRO LEO
Negro Leo is an artist from Maranhão. He released 12 albuns since 2012 and made shows in several places around the world such as Cafe Oto (London), Counterflows Festival (Glasgow), ADR Lincoln Center (New York), Festival NRMAL (CDMX), Virada Cultural Paulista (São Paulo), Modern Skylab (Xangai), Le Guess Who Festival (Utrecht), among others. He also plays the opera O café (produced by Cia. do Latão), and Pretoperitamar. He is a member of Ciranda do Gatilho, a multimedia group and wrote an essay to Jacobin Brasil magazine. He directed the short films "Nenhuma Fantasia" and the features film "Aquele que viu o Abismo".