“Capitão Astúcia” takes an alternative path in filmmaking: straight to YouTube, free of charge
The first time I spoke with Filipe Gontijo was in 2015. He had just directed a virtual reality film, at a momento when big techs were promising that the future of entertainment lay in virtual reality packaged in a piece of cardboard with a phone stuffed inside.
Fast forward to 2025, and this time, still in the same email conversation, Filipe is innovating behind the scenes. His first feature film, Capitão Astúcia, was released directly on YouTube, for free, without ads. The business model? Anyone who enjoys the film can contribute with a Pix donation of any amount. And by “Pix” I mean the Brazilian instant money transfer systems.
“We’re making little [from Pix donations], but it’s something,” he told me via email. “And we own our film, so we can sell it to any player and public TV that agrees to a non-exclusive contract.” Non-exclusivity is the only rule he set in the distribution of Capitão Astúcia.
I asked Filipe why he chose this unconventional path. I received a response from someone disillusioned with the traditional audiovisual arrangement in Brazil, from the greed of distributors in major centers to the low-return journey that films take from theaters to digital rental and, finally, streaming — and only one, because they all demand exclusivity, “as if an independent film were the rare gem for someone to subscribe to the streaming service or cable TV package,” he explains.
In a humorous analogy, Filipe compares his hero to a Marvel character: “The violent tying up of a Captain America, with the meager payment of a Captain Astúcia.”
In Brasília, the Brazil’s capital where he lives and where the film was shot, the filmmaker gathered a team to handle the distribution. In addition to YouTube, Capitão Astúcia has already been shown on TV Globo network (only in Brasília), licensed to two airlines, will be featured on Tela Brasil (a soon-to-be-released government streaming service), and has been screened for free in nursing homes, cineclubs, and outdoors in cities that don’t even have movie theaters.
“I found a team with the spirit of Captain Astúcia to launch it with the same energy.”
Filipe points out that there are other films, and of good quality, available on YouTube. The difference with Capitão Astúcia was jumping straight from theaters to Google’s video platform: “We disregarded the rule of valuing the ‘first window.’ Independent films can be in all windows at the same time and maximize their investment in promotion.”
Is it working? As of Tuesday afternoon (29th), Capitão Astúcia had accumulated 2.9 thousand views on YouTube. Whether that’s a lot or a little is relative. For Filipe, it’s worth the shot: “It’s nice to try something new. Even if it means failing, at least we’re not following a path that doesn’t make sense for Captain Astúcia.”
You can watch Capitão Astúcia with subtitles in English (among other languages) on YouTube.