From a landlocked city in Brazil to filming surf stories around the world — this is the story of a filmmaker who chose to follow her heart.
Some filmmakers arrive at surf documentaries through surfing. Renata Masseti arrived at them through something quieter: a deep love for stories, a hunger for the ocean, and a quiet promise she made to herself years ago.
From Landlocked to Ocean-Bound
Renata was born in Porto Alegre, a city in southern Brazil with no beaches, no coastline, no easy access to the sea. She started university at seventeen, studying advertising — not because she dreamed of making ads, but because programs in cinema and photography simply didn’t exist there yet. It was the practical path toward a creative career.
But it was during university that everything clicked. She left her internships behind and spent her time experimenting in the photography studio, developing the visual language that would shape her career. After graduating, she moved to São Paulo for her master’s degree. The city opened doors — she produced films and branded content for major agencies and brands, especially in fashion and sports. The work was good. The city was fast. But then came the surf productions.
Renata began collaborating with a Rio production company making documentary surf programs for Brazilian TV. The work took her around the world — months at a time, travelling and filming waves. She became immersed in surf culture and the stories of people who’d chosen to live close to the ocean. After six months of constant travel, the pull became impossible to ignore.
She chose Florianópolis — an island city in southern Brazil. From there, she still travels for work, but it’s near the ocean that she recharges and reconnects.
The Promise She Made to Herself
For years, Renata produced surf content. Beautiful images, stunning waves, all the aesthetics you’d expect. But something bothered her. So many of those films felt… empty. They reduced surfing to pure visuals — gorgeous, yes, but lacking story. Lacking depth.
And then there was the glaring absence of women. Female surfers were rare on screen. Female filmmakers are even rarer behind the camera. As a woman working in that world, Renata experienced gender bias firsthand. Those moments didn’t break her — they sharpened something inside her.
“One day I would direct a surf film about a woman surfer, from a woman’s perspective”, Renata promised herself.
Almost ten years later, while attending a surf film festival, she felt it: the moment had arrived. She wanted to tell a story that went deeper than a surf clip. And when she connected with Tainá Hinckel, she knew immediately. Tainá’s journey carried the strength, sensitivity, and depth Renata had been searching for all along.
Making the Film
Here’s where it gets interesting. The project started as a potential feature film or short series. Renata teamed up with Marcelo Ferrugem, a filmmaker who’d been documenting Tainá for years and had an incredible archive of footage. They developed the concept properly: argument, synopsis, budget, funding strategy. The whole professional package. Then 2024 happened — the same year Tainá qualified for the Olympic Games. Suddenly, the timeline collapsed. There was no way they’d secure funding and filming access in time to follow Tainá to Tahiti, especially with the strict Olympic restrictions.
So Renata made a different choice. Instead of filming the Olympics from the outside, she filmed them from home. In Guarda do Embaú — the small fishing village where Tainá lives — the community gathered around big screens to watch her heats together. Renata filmed the reactions, the emotions, the collective energy of that place. Because there, Tainá wasn’t just an athlete. She was a local hero.
“A film about a young surfer from a small fishing community in the south of Brazil, made without external funding, directed by a woman — that is where its magic lives.”
In early 2025, Renata received an invitation to premiere a film at a festival in Florianópolis. That meant making a decision: pause the project, or move forward independently — no funding, tight deadline, just go. She went. The feature became a short. They opened the camera for only a few carefully chosen new scenes. Much of the film was built from archive footage, focusing less on filming everything from scratch and more on how to weave meaning, time, and emotion through existing material.
Renata edited the film herself, with no formal team. It was hands-on, instinctive, urgent. The kind of project that only works when you trust the material and trust yourself. The film premiered in Florianópolis to a warm reception. From there, it started travelling — more festivals, more countries, more people discovering it. Like many documentaries, TAINÁ truly found its shape in the editing room. And now? It’s on a beautiful run, including a spot at the Ocean Film Festival World Tour 2026.
What Renata Wants You to Take Home
When we asked Renata what message she hopes audiences take from the film, her answer was simple:
Don’t give up. Keep listening to your heart.
Tainá is a surfer by soul. Competition brings extreme challenges — emotional pressure, moments of deep doubt. But what keeps her going isn’t the medals or the rankings. It’s the inner certainty that surfing is what she’s meant to do. Remove the competitions, the obstacles, the expectations, and she’d still be there. Surfing, present, and happy.
This film isn’t really about the journey of an Olympic athlete. It’s about the journey of a woman. And when you follow what truly moves you, even in the difficult moments, you remain strong. You stay on the right path.
See TAINÁ at Ocean Film Festival 2026
Touring Australia this March before heading to international screenings later in the year.
This is the kind of film that stays with you long after the lights come up. Made with heart, told with honesty, and absolutely worth your time.
Grab your tickets now! https://oceanfilmfestivalaustralia.com.au/tickets/
