Mayana Neiva
- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Born in Brazil Mayana Neiva is an award winning actress, producer and writer. Her first contact with acting happened during her exchange program to California at the age of sixteen. Back to Brazil she starred in the play "Hello Boy". For her leading role in the play she won several nominations for best actress. In her home state Paraiba, she founded her first theater ensemble that was finalist for the contest "Theatrical Creation Volkswagen". Then she moved to Sao Paulo where she joined two avant-garde theater groups: Teatro Oficina directed by Jose Celso Martinez Correa and Centro de Pesquisa Teatral CPT of theater master Antunes Filho. She then founded her own theater company Transfugas within the theater of historic occupation of the city of Sao Paulo Grupo XIX de Teatro.
She made her debut on Tv film " The Stones of the kingdom" directed by critically acclaimed director Luiz Fernando Carvalho, playing two leading female roles, having to shave her head for one of them. After that she begin a solid international fan base for her television work productions like "Queridos Amigos", "Som e Furia", "Dalva e Hervivelto" "Derci de Verdade", " TiTiTi", " Amor Eterno amor" , "Cordel Encantado" and "Sangue Bom". She also worked with directors Fernando Meireles, Benjamin Avila, Dennis Carvalho, Rogerio Gomes, Aly Muritiba and screenwiters Maria Adelaide Amaral, Braulio Tavares and Marcelo Mulller.
This past year 2016-2017 she played the recurring role of Mariela Fuentes in the HBO series EL Hipnotizador and played the lead a chief of police Carolina Ramalho in the NBC Universal Channel series Rotas do Odio , Trails of Hate. She also played the lead in the movie Beiço de estrada.
For her role in Tv series "TiTiTi", Mayana Neiva won best new actress in " Melhores do ano" and " Arte Qualidade Brasil", she also received "Mulher Forte" award from the Brazilian Government for her achievements in the field.
She also has built a successful career in feature films from all over Latin America like " O Vendedor de passados" , " Os Normais" , "O tempo que leva", " The man who killed my beloved dead" part of the San Sebastian Film Festival Selection of 2014, and Argentina's submission for the 2013 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language film and Cannes's Directors Fortnight " Clandestine Childhood". She also won Best Actress award for the role of Raquel in the movie "To my beloved".
Mayana wrote a kids book named Sofia, about the jorney of a little girl that swallowed the sun.