In small Palmitos, with just over 15 thousand inhabitants, in the west of Santa Catarina, Elio was an accountant at his family's mechanical workshop, even though he was not interested in cars. He didn't even drive. Visits to the city of Teatro do Biriba, a circus that performs in the interior of the states, awakened his dream of being an actor. But his dream did not develop on stages and arenas, but on movie screens.

His artistic career began in 1995, when he met director Petter Baiestorf. Over almost 30 years of friendship and partnership, they made more than 20 films together. Based on his experience with Baiestorf, Copini made a career with other directors in the region, mainly in fantasy cinema.

Excerpt from Leonardo Fuhrmann's text for Folha de São Paulo, June 9, 2024.

Elio's last film was the short Picnic at the Castle, directed by Petter Baiestorf and based on the work of Franz Kafka, and recorded in March 2024 and released just a few days before his death.