Happy Birthday

***Happy Birthday*** is a 2015 Brazilian film written and directed by Paulo Leão .

With a notably international career, **Happy Birthday** has the impressive record of _Official Selection_ at more than fifty international film festivals, in addition to several nominations and awards. In recent years it has been present in more than twenty countries, on five continents.

In the best independent film style, the film stars the director himself, due to the location and conditions faced at the time of filming.

In this production the motto was 'a camera in hand and an idea in the head',  the same used by Glauber Rocha.

## Synopsis

A lonely man awaits the arrival of guests for his birthday celebration. During this wait, his anxiety increases, causing a mixture of memories and delusions.

## Release

The film was completed en 2015 and released in 2016 in Spain at the Barcelona Planet Festival.

Official selections:

- Barcelona Planet Film Festival (trailer) - 2016 - Spain
- The Montly Film Festival (trailer) - 2016 - USA
- Headline International Film Festival - 2016 - USA
- GoldenSun Short Film Festival - 2016 - Malta
- North American Film Awards - 2016 - USA
- TOFF Film Festival - 2016 - Online
- Los Angeles Cine Fest - 2016 - USA
- 2nd Taxco Iberoamerican Film Festival - 2016 - Mexico
- Latino Awards - Cine de Oro - 2016 - Spain
- Ozark Shorts - 2016 - USA
- Golden Frames - 2016 - India
- All Lights India International Film Festival - 2016 - India
- TIF Video Challenge - 2016 - Cyprus
- Ekurhuleni International Film Festival - 2016 - South Africa
- Indie Wise - 2016 - USA
- Kinosmena Short Film Festival - 2016 - Belarus
- Allucinema Film Festival - 2016 - Mexico
- GRAND OFF - WORLD INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS - 2016 - Poland
- BLOW-UP · Chicago International Arthouse FILM FEST - 2016 - USA
- Festival de Cortometrajes Jose Francisco Rosado - 2016 - Spain
- Grand IndieWise Convention - 2016 - USA
- Indie Wise FREE Virtual Festival - online - 2017
- United King Screen One International Film Festival 2017 (trailer) - Scotland
- Miami Epic Festival 2017 - USA
- AM Egypt Film Festival - 2017 - Cairo, Egypt
- Cinema of the World - 2017 - India
- Quarzazate International Film Festival - 2017 - Berlin - Germany
- Cardiff International Film Festival - 2017 - Wales - United Kingdom
- AFC Global Fest 2017 - Kolkata - India
- STIFF - San Marino Torinese International Film Festival - 2018 - Italy
- Grand IndieWise Convention 2018 - Miami, Florida - USA
- Miami Epic Festival 2018 - USA
- San Mauro Film Festival 2018 - Turin, Italy
- InShort Film Festival 2018 - Lagos - Nigeria
- Lift-Off Global Network 2023 - Filmmaker Sessions at Pinewood Studios - UK and Raleigh Studios - Holywood. Berlin, Tokyo, Manchester, Austin, New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Paris
- Serbest International Film Festival (SIFF) - 2023 - Moldova
- Cinema Of The World (CWIFF) - 2023 - UAE, India, USA
- Black & White Film Festival (trailer) - 2024 - Toronto, Canada
- WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival - 2024 - Toronto, Canada
- ShortVerse - 2024 - Streaming
- Black & White Film Festival (film) - 2024 - Toronto, Canada
- Festival for Trailers Monthly - 2025 - Los Angeles, USA
- WILDsound Daily Festival (trailer) - 2025 - online
- Kuala Lumpur International Film Academy Awards - 2025 - Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia
- Lift-Off Filmmakers Sessions - 2025 - England
- WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival - 2025 - Canada

## Awards, nominations and highlights

|Year|Award|Category|Status|Resultado|Ref||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan="4"|2016|HeadLine International Film Festival Canada|Best Film|Finalist|||
|North American Film Awards USA|Best Director|Finalist|||||
|North American Film Awards USA|Best Director|Nominée|-||||
|Grand Indie Wise Convention USA|Best Film|Finalist|||||
|rowspan="3"|2017|United King Screen One International Film Festival Scotland|Best International Trailer|Finalist|||
|Allucinema Fest 2017 México|Best Film|Semi Finalist|-||||
|Miami Epic Trailer Festival USA|Best International Trailer|Semi Finalist|-||||
|rowspan="4"|2018|Grand IndieWise Convention 2018 USA|Best Film|Finalist|||
|San Mauro Film Festival Turin Italy|Best Film|Finalist|||||
|STIFF - San Marino Torinese International Film Festival 2018 Italy|Best Film|Semi Finalist|-||||
|Miami Epic Festival 2018 USA|Best Film|Finalist|||||
|rowspan="3"|2023|Serbest International Film Festival (SIFF) Moldávia|Diversas|Semi Finalist|-||
|Cinema Of The World International Film Festival India|Diversas|Finalist|||||
|Cinema Of The World International Film Festival India|Great Talent Award|Finalist|||||
|rowspan="3"|2024|WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival Canada|Honorable Mention - Trailer|Finalist|||
|WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival Canada|Honorable Mention - Filme|Finalist|||||
|Black & White Film Festival - Canada|Best Experimental Film|Finalist|||||
|rowspan="3"|2025|Festival for Trailers Monthly - February 2025 - Los Angeles, USA|Best Cinematography|Finalist|||
|WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival 2025 - Canada|Best Film|Quarter-Finalist|-||||
|Films That Move 2025 - Jamaica|Honorable Mention|Finalist|||||

## Infobox (movie)

- **name**: Happy Birthday
- **image**: Happy Birthday poster.png
- **caption**: Happy Birthday poster
- **director**: Paulo Leão (artist), Paulo Leão
- **writer**: Paulo Leao
- **starring**: Paulo Leao
- **color process**: black and white
- **studio**: OlharFilmes/Samsara Film
- **distributor**: OlharFilmes/Samsara Film
- **released**: 2015
- **runtime**: 11
- **country**: Brazil
- **language**: Portuguese language, Portuguese