“Everyone has a desert where you don’t have to be perfect,” says Nina Prado about the hope at the heart of Luiza’s Desert.
At only 14 years of age, Nina Prado was already acting up – she embodied the lead in Luiza’s Desert even though the character was a year older. Since she was a child, she expressed herself through art, dance and writing until she found herself on film which had its premiere in the main competition at Shanghai International Film Festival.
Nina Prado’s debut on the big screen comes with the instructive hand of Alan Minas whose stories revolve around family, growing up and growing into oneself. In Nina he found a delicate soul who could walk a delicate line between imagination and madness. We speak to Nina about her experience on the set of Luiza’s Desert.
Ramona: One of the first things that I read about you was that you’re a Brazilian actress, a poet, and a dancer. Can you tell me how do these different artistic expressions form you as a person and as an artist?
Nina: Since I was little, I saw my brother act in theatre and it was my dream to do that too. He inspired me. And in poetry I was inspired by Lala [Tamar]. She has so much freedom in her expression and in her writing. When I started writing, I understood my feelings better when I put them on paper.
And dancing has been my second passion. It has always been part of my life. It’s part of my life and part of my body.
R: And do you feel that dancing helps you express some things that words and acting the cannot?
N: For sure. Some feelings I can only express through dance and I tried all kinds of dancing. For example, jazz is a dance a very expressive dance that can be done with a lot of emotion and expression. When you dance slower or faster, everything matters.
R: And tell me about becoming Luiza. How did you connect with the character?
N: I identify with Luiza in a sense that she is loyal to her friends and family and how she takes care of her mother. I admire her strength, for sure. I would like to be as strong as Luíza because she is extraordinary. Even more so, doing everything she did at 15 years old is surreal. I think I couldn’t do that at the age I am.
R: You were one year younger when you played Luiza – only 14. That’s quite unusual. Usually, an older actress plays the younger character. What was the most challenging thing about playing Luiza? Maybe something you hadn’t experienced yet?
N: Well, Luiza is quite shy and I’m completely opposite. I don’t have a problem making new friends or trying something new. And Luiza is quite anxious and shy and it was a challenge to find the starting point for her in the film because she becomes more and more worried and concerned as the story progresses.
R: What work did you do with the director and the script that was very important for you to develop this character?
N: We really became a family and it’s a cliché to say that, but it’s true. And Alan is extraordinary. In the beginning, I was like, damn, I don’t understand anything he’s proposing. But everything he was saying was important for the construction of Luiza’s character. He gave Luiza to me as gift and it was the best thing in my life – receiving Luisa.
And he allowed me freedom to create the character myself too – to give opinions about what Luiza would or wouldn’t do. It helped a lot with playing this challenging character.
R: What do you think how does this film speak to the teenage experience?
N: When we started filming I thought it was a movie for adults. But as time went by, I realised it was a story for all ages. I think everyone should watch this movie, especially teenagers. Because all characters are so beautiful in this movie. Everyone is special in their own way. Ans it’s very powerful to watch a story where the main character tries to find her own voice, to feel like herself, to be herself. That’s very important for teenagers to see.
R: What do you think is the important feeling that the film leaves with the viewer?
N: A lot. But one of the parts is because the film itself deals with many important topics and I think that everyone can identify with the film in some way. If you read the synopsis you might think: but I don’t have a schizophrenic family member, how can I identify with this film? But the film doesn’t just deal with that. Luiza is a 15-year-old girl going through the challenges of adolescence and everyone can sympathise with that. Everyone had a problem with their family at some point and they can sympathise on that level.
One of the most beautiful momenta of the film for me is when Soraia, Daniela Fontan, talks about the desert; that everyone has a desert. That everyone has a space where we can be a little crazy sometimes. Where you don’t have to be perfect all time. Everyone has that space that can be either with your family or between friends. Everyone deserves to have this little space of madness because the world is very difficult. So, I think this film addresses the issue well in showing that Luisa feels most relaxed with Soraia in their desert.
R: That’s an interesting point because we usually connect the desert to something where there is no life, everything is barren, and I love how you interpret it as freedom. There is true life there if you choose to see it that way.
N: Yes. The desert usually comes with a negative connotation of a dry life and in this case, it’s a place of hope. That’s why I say this movie changed my life. It changed the way I think about the world.
R: Finally, Nina, can you share your most challenging day or part of filming and your happiest day during filming? What was your best and maybe most challenging experience during the film?
N: There were a lot of happy days. And the desert scene itself brought me a lot of calm. For Luiza it was a relief because she understood that her mom was in a good place and she allowed herself this madness with her because it opened up possibilities. Luiza realizes that Soraia is in a good place and that makes her relax and accept the situation. We don’t know what really happens to Soraia. Everyone can create their own ending for the film and I think that’s very interesting.
The hardest day of shooting was fighting within the family, especially with her mother because it wasn’t her fault. When she was fighting with her father, Luiza was hurt, but with the mother, she was fighting with someone you care about but who isn’t conscious what they are doing how they are hurting you. She doesn’t even know what’s happening. But at the same time, it’s wasn’t Luiza’s fault either and she had to go through this difficult situation. So the hardest thing was fighting with Soraia. I have a good relationship with my family so this was very difficult to go through. It was very painful even if we were only acting.
R: To end on a positive note. Nina, we already said you’re a poet, you’re a dancer, you’re an actress. What do you think is it about movies that’s that allows you to express yourself? In dancing, you said there’s a lot of emotion. In poetry, this emotion is expressed through words. What makes movies a very good way of expressing yourself?
N: Because I have a lot of passions, when I little, I wanted to be an astronaut, a policewoman, a lot of things and I couldn’t be all that. So how can I be all these things? By being an actress. I can give life to so many different characters and live many lives in one by being an actress. This is something that dance can’t do. Even though it’s different and you see other things dancing, for sure, but it’s something that only acting, cinema and TV can do.
Writing can be like this, too but it’s different. All the ways I express myself through art are completely different. There’s even poem I wrote called The Poet Doesn’t Retire. Because you never stop thinking, you never stop creating. And that’s exactly it. With acting comes a time when it becomes more difficult to do it, but with writing there is no limit.
R: Thank you so much sharing for your passion with us, Nina. Good luck with your artistic endeavours in the future.
The 28th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) took place from June 12 to 21, 2026.
