# Independent Roads

Independent Roads (Portuguese: Trilhos Independentes, lit. '"Independent Paths"') is a 2012 Brazilian drama film written and directed by Lucas Estevan Soares. It brings together seven stories that show the diverse faces of what it means to exist as a human being.

## Plot

In 2011 Lucas Estevan Soares, a 21-year-old filmmaker decides to embark on the craziest journey of his life. All by himself, with a micro budget and only one camera he travels through 27 countries capturing moments and creating stories. This endeavor generated the exhibit of 7 short films called Independent Roads.

## Cast

| Short film | Starring |
| Absence of Us | Louise D’Tuani, Marcelo Cavalcanti |
| The Airport Date | Giordanna Forte, Roberto Birindelli |
| Passports and Dreams | Jochen Matschke, Max Dern, Camila Leccioli, Lucas Estevan Soares, Arisa Nanase, Winston Cardona, Dhyana Ibarra, Ibi Ibarra, Hiroki Ohori, Jeremy Hatcher, Jeff Grace. |
| Ends Meat | Edgar Díaz |
| From a New Fernando to Brazil | Fernando Renny de Oliveira |
| Allegories of Us | Lucas Estevan Soares |
| Bojou | Arisa Nanasi, Eiji Leon Lee |

## Production

The project Independent Roads, at the beginning called the project "De Cabeça no Mundo", was produced and released in the first half of 2012 by Soares through LS Filmes, his filmmaking company that in October of the same year became the International House of Cinema (IHC).
Financed with own resources, it was assembled with the junction of 7 of the 10 films made by Soares in several countries between 2010 and 2011 (Absence of Us, Terminal 2 – later renamed as The Airport Date, Passports and Dreams, Ends Meat, From a New Fernando to Brazil, Allegories of Us and Bojou).

## Release

Independent Roads was exhibited and debated throughout 2012 and 2013 at the following festivals:
* Palm Springs International Film Festival 2012 (Los Angeles, US).
* Arouca Film Festival 2012 (Arouca, Portugal).
* Cinematheque of Curitiba 2012 (Curitiba, Brazil).
* Curta Iguaçu Festival 2012 (Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil).
* UNILA 2012 (Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil).
* UC Chile 2013 (Santiago, Chile).
* 8th Biennial of the UNE 2013 (Pernambuco, Brazil).
* CCBB – Mostra do Filme Livre 2013 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
* Café c/ Filmes 2013 (Torres-Vedras, Portugal).
* L'Atelier Jaune 2013 (Clermont-Ferrand, França).
* Très Court International Film Festival 2013 (Baia Mare, Romania).
* Très Court International Film Festival 2013 (Panama City, Panama).
* The Book Cafe 2013 (Harare, Zimbabwe).
* University of Zimbabwe 2013 (Harare, Zimbabwe).
* Jujuy Short Films International Showcase 2013 (Jujuy, Argentina).
* Oberá en Cortos Film Festival 2013 (Oberá, Argentina).

## Short films

Absence of Us
* Storyline: “Shot in 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Absence of Us presents a deep reflection about mental health. The search for unanswered questions can have serious consequences, especially for vulnerable people. Absence of love or existential doubt is capable of taking any person out of control."
* Year: 2012.
* Country: Brazil.
* Runtime: 6 min.
* Gender: drama.
* Language: Portuguese.
* Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2010).
* Director: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Screenwriter: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Producer: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Executive producer: Milton Soares.
* Cast: Louise D’Tuani, Marcelo Cavalcanti.
* Cinematography: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Editing: Lucas Estevan Soares.
The Airport Date
* Storyline: “An unforeseen delay creates an unexpected encounter. Two strangers share a brief moment at the airport and maybe something more ...”
* Year: 2012.
* Country: Brazil.
* Runtime: 3 min 41 s.
* Original title: Terminal 2.
* Gender: drama.
* Language: Portuguese.
* Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2010).
* Director: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Screenwriter: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Producer: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Executive producer: Milton Soares.
* Cast: Giordanna Forte, Roberto Birindelli.
* Cinematography: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Editing: Lucas Estevan Soares, Chris Emmanuel "Manni" Smith.
Passports and Dreams
* Storyline: “An experimental art piece about acting in Los Angeles, United States. A young student project meditation made by people from all over the world. Japan, Brazil, US, Germany and Mexico. Passports and Dreams shares a common goal from dreamers around the globe about their aim to become someone.”
* Year: 2012.
* Country: United States.
* Runtime: 12 min.
* Gender: drama.
* Language: English, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish.
* Location: Los Angeles, USA (2011).
* Director: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Screenwriter: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Producer: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Executive producer: Milton Soares.
* Cast: Jochen Matschke, Max Dern, Camila Leccioli, Lucas Estevan Soares, Arisa Nanase, Winston Cardona, Dhyana Ibarra, Ibi Ibarra, Hiroki Ohori, Jeremy Hatcher, Jeff Grace.
* Cinematography: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Editing: Lucas Estevan Soares, Chris Emmanuel "Manni" Smith.
Ends Meat
* Storyline: “Since 1995 the consumption of canine meat in the city of Manila in the Philippines has been declared illegal. However, a man must decide between right and wrong to survive and be able to support his family."
* Year: 2012.
* Country: Philippines.
* Runtime: 6 min.
* Gender: drama.
* Language: Tagalog, English.
* Location: Manila, Philippines (2011).
* Director: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Screenwriter: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Producer: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Executive producer: Milton Soares.
* Cast: Edgar Díaz.
* Cinematography: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Editing: Chris Emmanuel "Manni" Smith.
From a New Fernando to Brazil
* Storyline: “Shot in 2011 in the Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, this documentary is about the life of Fernando Renny de Oliveira. A guy who did what everyone dreams about doing but never had the courage. He left his 9-5 job to travel the world by himself as a craftsman."
* Year: 2012.
* Country: Thailand.
* Runtime: 11 min.
* Gender: documentary.
* Language: Portuguese.
* Location: Phi Phi Islands, Thailand (2011).
* Director: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Screenwriter: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Producer: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Executive producer: Milton Soares.
* Cast: Fernando Renny de Oliveira.
* Cinematography: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Editing: Bruno Rodrigues.
Allegories of Us
* Storyline: “Allegories of Us presents metaphors of human emotions through allegories. The acting technique of the Balinese masks complements the performance and the narrative. Shot in Melbourne, Australia in 2011 this short film integrates the project Independent Roads."
* Year: 2012.
* Country: Australia.
* Runtime: 6 min 49 s.
* Gender: drama.
* Language: English.
* Location: Melbourne, Australia (2011).
* Director: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Screenwriter: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Producer: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Executive producer: Milton Soares.
* Cast: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Cinematography: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Editing: Bruno Rodrigues.
Bojou
* Storyline: “Bojou, which in Japanese means love, is a short film produced and shot in 2011 in the city of Nagoya. The story is about a couple who, even after death, kept their love alive, as if the sea wave led that love eternally. The idea of the screenplay is to bring a message of hope after the sadness that dominated Japan after the tsunami event in 2010."
* Year: 2012.
* Country: Japan.
* Runtime: 6 min 12 s.
* Gender: drama.
* Language: Japanese.
* Location: Nagoya, Japan (2011).
* Director: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Screenwriter: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Producer: Lucas Estevan Soares, Arisa Nanasi, Eiji Leon Lee.
* Executive producer: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Cast: Arisa Nanasi, Eiji Leon Lee.
* Cinematography: Lucas Estevan Soares.
* Editing: Bruno Rodrigues.