The Rio International Film Festival, the largest film festival in Latin America, concluded this past Sunday, October 12, marking a record-setting edition for Brazilian cinema and a significant international turnout, featuring sell-out screenings for the festival’s opening film, “After the Hunt,” and the closing film, “Hamnet.”
The competitive segment, Premiere Brasil, awarded Anne Pinheiro Guimarães’s poignant period piece “Pequenas Criaturas” with the title of Best Narrative Feature Film, while the impactful documentary “Apolo,” directed by Tainá Muller and Ísis Broken, earned the Best Documentary accolade. Below is the comprehensive list of winners.
The atmosphere at the festival was vibrant, with numerous sold-out events and enthusiastic young audiences lining up across the city for sought-after titles. Notably, the hottest ticket went to Kleber Mendonca Filho’s Oscar contender “The Secret Agent”, along with Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” and Lynne Ramsay’s “Die My Love.” Fans eagerly waited outside the Odeon to see the renowned actor-turned-director Juliette Binoche, who presented her directorial debut “In-I in Motion,” and expressed her aspiration to create a film in Brazil. Additionally, Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, was present, visiting Brazil for the first time to address the audience at the festival.
Credit: Christian Rodrigues
One additional global star was added to the festival lineup, as the Rio Film Festival and RioFilme confirmed that acclaimed American director Spike Lee will arrive in Rio this week for a special gala screening of “Highest 2 Lowest,” echoing the prestigious spot that Walter Salles’s historical “I’m Still Here” had last year. RioFilme president Leonardo Edde mentioned to Variety: “Bringing Spike Lee [to the festival] isn’t merely symbolic; it signifies Rio de Janeiro City Hall promoting an encounter between global cinema and our city’s creative energy. The city is ready to share its narratives with the world, while also inviting international cinema to experience the distinctive allure of Rio de Janeiro.”
The festival’s industry counterpart, RioMarket, also had a fruitful session. This event, which included masterclasses and talks, focused on critical issues such as enhancing the representation of women in the industry, the importance of both national and international collaborations, and positioning Brazil as an attractive location for international film projects. Building on Brazil’s status as the honorary country at this year’s Marché du Film in Cannes, RioMarket organized a variety of activities as part of the France-Brazil Season 2025, commemorating 200 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
In a conversation with Variety on a bustling final day, Rio Film Festival executive director Ilda Santiago referred to this year’s iteration as “special” and “a tribute to Brazilian cinema.” She noted, “We observed a revival in audience engagement, with 150,000 attendees, and young audiences exploring new films. On the commercial side, executives and emerging talents played vital roles through RioMarket. Rio is back in full swing!”
As the festivities conclude and the red carpets are rolled up from Rio’s historic streets, here are eight key insights from this year’s Rio Film Festival and RioMarket:
Empowerment of Women in the Industry:
Santiago, the festival head, is dedicated to boosting the presence of women, not just in directing roles but throughout various sectors of filmmaking. A highlight at this year’s RioMarket was a panel featuring notable filmmakers and industry figures, including Chica Andrade, legendary Brazilian actress Betty Faria, and producer Maria Zamora, discussing the European Film Promotion’s initiative promoting women in film. During the discussion, Santiago expressed her earlier frustration at the scarcity of films made by women at the festival, emphasizing her pride now seeing almost 100 female-directed films showcased this year. “Today’s festival truly showcases women behind the lens and in leadership positions,” she asserted, elaborating on how the dialogue around gender should incorporate issues of identity, race, and class.
RioMarket: A Hub for Business
Throughout the nine-day span of RioMarket, numerous deals were finalized or announced. Estudio Escarlate introduced the Sustainable Audiovisual Manual, a digital guide aimed at mitigating the environmental footprint of film productions, with support from the Brazilian Tourism Board (Embratur). Embratur also collaborated with the philanthropic group Projeto Paradiso to launch ScreenBrasil, an initiative aimed at broadening the international distribution of Brazilian films and enhancing the nation’s reputation as a filming haven. Additionally, leaders in film and TV sectors announced the formation of the Audiovisual Industry and Commerce Federation (FICA), aiming to strengthen national policy within Brazil’s film industry. Coinciding with Mipcom, this year’s festival facilitated significant co-productions, including a first-time collaboration between BBC and Globo and “Paranoia,” a joint effort between Ron Leshem’s Crossing Oceans and Koby Gal Raday with Janeiro Studios on Globoplay.
Strengthening Brazil-France Relations
Following the significant Brazilian presence at Cannes this year during the Marché du Film, Unifrance sent a robust delegation to Rio for both the festival and the market, including key executives from renowned companies like Goodfellas, Indie Sales, and Le Pacte. The festival featured the Rendez-Vous Unifrance, designed to connect French sales agents and Brazilian exhibitors and deepen knowledge of the Brazilian film market. Brazilian representatives at RioMarket praised the event, highlighting its role in demonstrating the strength of local firms to major international stakeholders in their home country.
Diversified International Offerings
For a decade now, the Rio Film Festival has been in competition with Mostra de São Paulo for the year’s most anticipated international films. While São Paulo secured titles like “Frankenstein” through a Netflix agreement, Rio showcased Edward Berger’s “Ballad of a Small Player” and Clint Bentley’s “Train Dreams.” Both in-person attendees and online audiences widely recognized Rio as the frontrunner in this informal rivalry. This year, Santiago managed to secure an impressive lineup of Oscar contenders, featuring MUBI’s “Sentimental Value,” “Die My Love,” and Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind,” alongside highly anticipated films like Kristen Stewart’s “The Chronology of Water,” Julia Ducornau’s “Alpha,” and Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab.”
The Audiovisual Sector as an Economic Driver
During the festival, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) revealed a report indicating the audiovisual industry in Brazil had a R$ 70.2 billion (roughly US$ 13.1 billion) impact on the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) and created approximately 608,970 direct, indirect, and induced jobs, according to the latest study by Oxford Economics titled “The Economic Contribution of Brazil’s Audiovisual Industry in 2024.” These statistics circulated widely among industry professionals at the festival, with “Under Pressure” director Andrucha Waddington mentioning to Variety how these figures illustrate that the Brazilian audiovisual sector is indeed a vibrant and essential industry. Multiple workshops aimed at fostering talent occurred during RioMarket, including a four-day screenplay workshop led by Spanish-Brazilian consultant Gustavo Martinez, who shared insights from his book “A nova metodologia do roteiro” (“A New Methodology for Screenplay”).
Growing Interest in Genre Films
Despite Brazil’s historical reputation for renowned genre filmmakers like Zé do Caixão, there has been a longstanding critique of the lack of investment in mainstream genre productions. This year’s festival began to dispel that notion. Prime Video’s “Tremembé” emerged as an impressive true-crime story, while Brazil embraced the vampire genre with Luiza Shelling Tubaldini’s stylish “Love Kills” and the animated dystopian feature set in Rio, Rogério Nunes’s standout “Heart of Darkness.”
Expanding the Space for Series
Some of the festival’s most talked-about screenings were dedicated to series rather than films, with Prime Video’s highly anticipated “Tremembé” and HBO Max’s “Ângela Diniz: Assassinada e Condenada” both premiering at the festival. “To premiere ‘Ângela Diniz’ at the Rio Film Festival is very meaningful to us,” remarked Renata Rezende, Warner Bros. Discovery’s general production director for Latin America, to Variety. “Film festivals have traditionally been venues for cinema, and the inclusion of series demonstrates how the lines between film and television are increasingly blurred, particularly when it comes to works that exhibit exceptional aesthetic ambition and narrative depth.”
The Buzz Around ‘The Secret Agent’
It became something of a local joke: what lengths would people go to for a coveted ticket to the “The Secret Agent” gala at the Odeon? This event, vying for the title of the festival’s most sought-after screening, marked the Rio premiere of Kleber Mendonça Filho’s thriller, featuring Wagner Moura — who is anticipated to receive a Best Actor nomination according to Variety‘s Clayton Davis — leading a star-studded cast and crew in attendance. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as audiences hoped this double Cannes-winning film would carry Brazil’s significant momentum and achieve an Oscar for Best International Film, a feat only accomplished last year by Walter Salles’s “I’m Still Here.”
CHRISTIAN RODRIGUES
Below is the full list of winners from the Rio Film Festival:
Première Brasil – Redentor Trophy
Best Fiction Feature: “Pequenas Criaturas,” directed by Anne Pinheiro Guimarães
Best Documentary: “Apolo,” directed by Tainá Müller and Ísis Broken
Best Short (ex aequo): “Sebastiana,” directed by Pedro de Alencar and “O Faz-Tudo,” directed by Fábio Leal
Special Jury Prize: “Cheiro de Diesel,” directed by Natasha Neri and Gizele Martins
Best Director – Feature Fiction: Rogério Nunes for “Heart of Darkness”
Best Director – Documentary: Mini Kerti, for “Dona Onete – Meu Coração Neste Pedacinho Aqui”
Best Actress: Klara Castanho, for “#SalveRosa”
Best Actor: Gabriel Faryas, for “Ato Noturno”
Best Supporting Actress: Diva Menner, for “Ruas da Glória”
Best Supporting Actor: Alejandro Claveaux, for “Ruas da Glória”
Best Screenplay: Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, for “Ato Noturno”
Best Editing: André Finotti, for “Honestino”
Best Cinematography: Luciana Baseggio, for “Ato Noturno”
Best Art Direction: Claudia Andrade, for “Pequenas Criaturas”
Best Costume Design: Renata Russo, for “#SalveRosa”
Best Sound: Ariel Henrique and Tales Manfrinato, for “Love Kills”
Best Soundtrack: Plínio Profeta, for “Apolo”
Première Brasil – New Trends
Best Film: “Uma em Mil,” directed by Jonatas Rubert and Tiago Rubert
Best Director: João Borges, for “Espelho Cigano”
Special Jury Prize: Ângela Leal and Leandra Leal, for “Nada a Fazer”
Best Actor: Márcio Vito, for “Eu Não Te Ouço”
Best Actress: Ana Flavia Cavalcante and Mawusi Tulani, for “Criadas”
Special Mention (Best Actress): Docy Moreira, for “Espelho Cigano”
Best Short: “Ponto Cego,” directed by Luciana Vieira and Marcel Beltrán
Jury – Honorary Mention- Shorts: “Os Arcos Dourados de Olinda,” directed by Douglas Henrique
Felix Awards 2025
Best Brazilian Feature: “Night Stage,” directed by Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher
Best International Feature: “Lesbian Space Princess,” directed by Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs
Best Documentary: “Copacabana, 4 de Maio,” directed by Allan Ribeiro
Special Jury Prize: “Love Me Tender,” directed by Anna Cazenave Cambet
Audience Awards – Public Vote
Best Fiction Feature: “#SalveRosa,” directed by Susanna Lira
Best Documentary: “Cheiro de Diesel,” directed by Natasha Neri and Gizele Martins.
Best Film – New Trends: “Herança de Narcisa,” directed by Clarissa Appelt and Daniel Dias
