Biographie
Producer of two of the Top 5 Brazilian films at the domestic box office, Paula Lavigne started her career early. At 23, in 1992, she became an associate at Natasha Records, overseeing the release and distribution of Disney soundtracks in Brazil, including major hits like The Lion King, which earned a Golden Disc.
Alongside releasing albums from Brazilian artists such as Titãs, Adriana Calcanhoto, and Caetano Veloso, as well as soundtracks for Brazilian and international films, Paula produced the CD for the movie Tieta do Agreste, securing the first Golden Disc awarded to a Brazilian movie soundtrack. Her record label pioneered the concept of launching movie soundtracks ahead of the films’ premieres.
While still an associate at Natasha Records, Paula released music from artists including MV Bill, Daúde, Trio Forrozão, Domenico, Jorge Mautner, Mart'nália, and the internationally acclaimed Virgínia Rodrigues, one of former President Bill Clinton’s favorite singers. She continues to manage the largest catalog of Brazilian movie soundtracks.
Gaining experience in the music industry through her record label and managing Caetano Veloso’s career—producing tours, videos, and DVDs like Caballero de Fina Estampa (in partnership with HBO Latin America and Universal Music), Noites do Norte, and the Grammy-winning Prenda Minha—Paula expanded into film production.
Her involvement with filmmaking began in 1995 with Tieta do Agreste. Since then, Paula and Natasha Films have focused on producing movies such as Orfeu (1997) by director Cacá Diegues, which attracted over one million viewers, and Benjamim, the second film by director Monique Gardenberg, adapted from Chico Buarque’s novel.
Additionally, Paula co-produced the first feature film by Andrucha Waddington, Gêmeas, alongside Renata Almeida Magalhães; the movie was distributed by Columbia Pictures in 2000.
In 2003, Paula and director Guel Arraes teamed up to produce one of Brazilian cinema’s biggest successes, Lisbela and the Prisoner (Lisbela e o Prisioneiro). The film drew 3.2 million viewers and earned over US$8 million in ticket sales. It was adapted from Osman Lins’s play of the same name, which was a major hit running for more than two years in theaters, also produced by Paula Lavigne.
In early 2005, Paula Lavigne and Guel Arraes, in collaboration with director Jorge Furtado and Casa de Cinema de Porto Alegre, released My Uncle Killed a Guy (Meu Tio Matou um Cara).
That August, Paula, Conspiração Filmes, and ZCL Productions released 2 Sons of Francisco (2 Filhos de Francisco - A História de Zezé di Camargo & Luciano), which quickly became the biggest hit in Brazilian cinema over the past 25 years. Later that year, she brought The Colonel and the Werewolf (O Coronel e o Lobisomem) to theaters, a film notable for using special effects never before attempted in Brazilian productions.
