Maria Luiza Negrão Khouri

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Café Royal

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

Before leaving the UK I was hired by a production company for film and TV series called Café Royal, located in São Paulo. The Masters in International Film Business gave me a good overview about different industries and markets in the globe, which is vary valuable for the development of film projects, specially regarding the search for financing. So now, working as a business manager at Café Royal, I develop business plans for film and TV projects of many genres and formats.

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

I feel I’m a very communicative person, who really enjoy to enlarge network connections and help people to make projects happen.

Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?

I used to play volleyball at the Uni.

What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?

I absolutely loved the fact that my course happened in Exeter but also in London (in partnership with London Film School). For any film career is very important to be connected to film festivals & events and we had it during the whole program (special highlight to the Berlinale experience!!).

What did you enjoy most about studying here?

Exeter Campus was much more than I was expecting. It was like living a dream or being part of a film — the atmosphere, the buildings, gardens &everything. The library is something very special, with many many titles for research.

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

I got much more confidence with my English. I really struggled – and suffered – for a while about this, but I had the support from the institution, professors and also classmates. Moreover, to make international connections is something that makes difference when you come back to your country. In my case, as I keep working with international projects, it makes all the difference!

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

STUDY ENGLISH!! A LOT! IT’S NEVER ENOUGH.

What are your plans for the future?

I really wish to help the Brazilian filmmakers to develop strong and competitive films that not only can be part of the main film festivals around the world but also can spread different voices and narratives, bringing attention and discussion to relevant and urgent topics.