Laura Malin

Early life and career

Laura Malin was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1974, the only child of Ana Maria B. Malin and Mauro Malin. Because of political issues, she spent part of her early childhood moving from place to place: first Petropolis, then Salvador (both in Brazil), then to Santa Barbara, California, and finally Paris. She returned to Brazil in 1980 when she wrote her first (still unpublished) book “The Case of the Punjabi List” to give as a Christmas present to her family.

At age of 15 she spent the summer of 1990 in a kibbutz, in Israel, and the following year she returned to France to pursue her studies in French literature. Once there, she developed an interest in cinema while attending the Cannes Film Festival. In 1997 she graduated in Journalism from the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.

During the early 1990s Laura worked as a translator and journalist. In 1998 she moved back to California to study writing and screenwriting at UC Berkeley. After completing her courses she moved to Los Angeles for two years, and then back to Brazil in 2000.

Journalism

Laura’s first job as a reporter was at Jornal do Brasil while still a university student, in 1993. She remained away from the field for some 20 years, until she was hired to work at Globo Network’s Journalism Department in 2012. Laura is currently a senior editor to the broadcaster’s website.

TV series creator

Laura debuted her first TV show as a creator and screenwriter in 2002 with Turma do Gueto (Rede Record). The TV drama series, a revolutionary project about the “street favelas,” was an instant hit. In 2005, Laura collaborated in the creation of Cilada, a Brazilian sitcom that lasted for six seasons and was aired on cable channel Multishow and later as part of Globo Network primetime magazine Fantástico. In 2010 and 2011 Laura created two documentary TV shows that aired on Bandeirantes Network, Turma da Biblioteca and Tempo e Movimento.

Book author

At age of 30, Laura published her first novel, Julio & Juliano, a thriller drama set up in Rio de Janeiro. Her second book, a biography about Brazilian actress Débora Duarte, came eight years later. In 2011 she released Livro de Joaquim, the first book of the epic saga Tempo Perdido. In 2013, the second volume came out, Livro de Leah. The same year Laura also released a biography about the top model Luiza Brunet. Her first children’s book, Nada D+, written with singer Gabriel O Pensador, will be released in 2014.

Working abroad

Laura started writing for film and television projects out of the country, in Angola, where she wrote the TV series called Novos Quilombos; Paris, where she developed a drama series for mobiles; and in the US. Laura worked as a screenwriter on the set of The River Murders, a feature film she adapted for a Brazilian character on location (Spokane, WA). In 2009, Laura was Artistic Director at the first edition of the Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival’s first edition in Los Angeles. The following year, Laura wrote and produced the short film Viver! that premiered at the Cannes Short Film Corner.

Screenwriting and script doctoring

Laura’s assignment as first script doctor was in the movie A Cartomante (2004). Later she wrote the first versions of the movie Eliana em o Segredo dos Golfinhos, released in 2005. She helped director Eric Eason film the American thriller Journey to the End of the Night (2006) in Brazilian locations. In 2009, Laura collaborated on the comedy Embarque Imediato (Now Boarding) and, in 2010, another film on which Laura provided script doctoring services, Nosso Lar, was released to spectacular box office success, reaching the number 5 spot of all time in Brazil. Laura currently has two of her scripts in pre-production: Deserto, a co-production with Chile; and O Fio, a co-production with Italy.

Personal life

Laura Malin has two daughters, Luisa (2001) and Alice (2003), from her marriage to Brazilian actor Danton Mello.