The 27th Rio International Film Festival: A Celebration of Local Cinema

The 27^th edition of the Rio International Film Festival, recognized as Latin America’s largest film festival, is set to captivate audiences from October 2-12. This year’s festival promises an unprecedented showcase of local productions within the Premiere Brasil section, which is dedicated to films made in Brazil, both in competition and out.

Pioneering Local Talent: Premiere Brasil

Premiere Brasil is set to feature a total of 124 productions, including both feature films and shorts, alongside the premieres of four TV series. This marks the highest number of productions displayed in the history of the Rio Film Festival or any Brazilian festival.

Ilda Santiago, the Executive Director of Programming and International Projects at Rio Fest, highlights the significance of this record, linking it to the thriving local production sector. In 2024, a staggering 312 local features had theatrical releases in Brazil, with 260 released in local theaters this year alone from January to early September.

This festival edition selected 124 productions from over 300 submissions of feature films and about 1,000 short film entries. As Santiago notes, “Producers and distributors target Rio for their premieres, knowing they will receive heightened visibility from the press, critics, movie lovers, and the film community. Premiere Brasil serves as the prime showcase for local films in the country.”

Sections of Premiere Brasil

Premiere Brasil’s selection is divided into competitive and non-competitive segments. The competition for the distinguished Redentor prize encompasses categories for Fiction, Documentaries, and Novos Rumos (which highlights new directors). Meanwhile, non-competitive categories include Out-of-Competition, Clássicos Restaurados (for heritage films), Retratos (focusing on people or institutions), Geração (dedicated to works for children and teens), À Meia Noite (a horror section), Especial Séries Brasileiras (dedicated to series), and O Estado das Coisas, which this year concentrates on current affairs documentaries with a special emphasis on environmental topics.

Highlighting Diverse Narratives

A total of 11 features are competing for the Redentor Fiction Prize. This year’s diverse lineup includes works from seasoned directors such as Murilo Salles, who presents “A Vida de Cada Um,” exploring the complex relationship between a brutal police captain and his three children. Other notable entries include “Dolores” by Marcelo Gomes and Maria Clara Escobar, which portrays an elderly woman aspiring to become a casino owner, and José Eduardo Belmonte’s “Quase Deserto,” telling the tale of two men—one Brazilian and the other Argentine—who witness a murder in Detroit.

“Night Act” directed by Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher—a duo known for winning the Berlin Teddy and Redentor prizes with “Hard Paint”—explores the public sex life of an actor-politician couple.

Additionally, Rogério Nunes’ animated feature “Coração das Trevas” presents a reinterpretation of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” set against the dystopian backdrop of Rio’s violent outskirts.

Flávia Castro presents “Cyclone,” a narrative about a young factory worker and playwright who earns a scholarship to study theater in Paris post-World War I. In addition, Felipe Sholl’s “Ruas da Glória” explores the story of a man who becomes fixated on a male escort after moving to Rio.

Luiza Shelling Tubaldini’s “Love Kills,” a romantic thriller set in São Paulo’s Crackland, will make history as it sees the first trans woman director competing in Premiere Brasil. Other entries include Anne Pinheiro Guimarães’ “Pequenas Criaturas,” Cíntia Domit Bittar’s horror film “Virtuosas,” and Susanna Lira’s “#SalveRosa,” featuring a young social media sensation.

Exceptional Out-of-Competition Features

This year, the Premiere Brasil Out-of-Competition section also boasts a strong lineup, including the much-anticipated film “The Secret Agent” by Kleber Mendonça Filho. The film earned accolades at Cannes including Best Actor for Wagner Moura and the Best Director prize for Mendonça, also marking Brazil’s submission for Best International Feature at the Oscars.

On the documentary front, “Para Vigo Me Voy,” directed by Karen Harley and Lírio Ferreira, pays tribute to the late Cacá Diegues, a pioneering figure in Brazilian cinema. Harley describes the experience as immensely gratifying, allowing her to delve into Cacá’s legacy and influence on Brazilian culture.

Other noteworthy mentions include Flávia Lacerda’s comedy “Perrengue Fashion,” which is already generating buzz as a potential local blockbuster, and Glória Pires’ directorial debut “Sexa,” which tackles themes of aging through the lens of a woman’s dilemmas.

Full Program Highlights

Premiere Brasil Fiction

• “A Vida de Cada Um” – Murilo Salles
• “Night Act” – Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher
• “Coração das Trevas” – Rogério Nunes
• “Cyclone” – Flávia Castro
• “Dolores” – Maria Clara Escobar and Marcelo Gomes
• “Love Kills” – Luiza Shelling Tubaldini
• “Pequenas Criaturas” – Anne Pinheiro Guimarães
• “Ruas da Glória” – Felipe Sholl
• “Quase Deserto” – José Eduardo Belmonte
• “Virtuosas” – Cíntia Domit Bittar
• “#SalveRosa” – Susanna Lira

Premiere Brasil Documentaries

• “Amuleto” – Igor Barradas and Heraldo HB
• “Apolo” – Tainá Müller and Isis Broken
• “Cheiro de Diesel” – Natasha Neri and Gizele Martins
• “Dona Onete – Meu Coração Neste Pedacinho Aqui” – Mini Kerti
• “Honestino” – Aurélio Michiles
• “Massa Funkeira” – Ana Rieper

Premiere Brasil Novos Rumos

• “Cartas Para…” – Vânia Lima
• “Criadas” – Carol Rodrigues
• “Espelho Cigano” – João Borges
• “Eu Não Te Ouço” – Caco Ciocler
• “Herança de Narcisa” – Clarissa Appelt and Daniel Dias
• “Nada a Fazer” – Leandra Leal
• “Timidez” – Susan Kalik and Thiago Gomes Rosa
• “Uma em Mil” – Jonatas Rubert and Tiago Rubert
• “Uma Baleia Pode Ser Dilacerada Como uma Escola de Samba” – Marina Meliande and Felipe M. Bragança (hors concours)

Premiere Brasil Out-of-Competition

• “A Conspiração Condor” – André Sturm
• “Anos 90: a Explosão do Pagode” – Emílio Domingos e Rafael Boucinha
• “As Vitrines” – Flavia Castro
• “(Des)controle” – Rosane Svartman and Carol Minêm
• “The Secret Agent” – Kleber Mendonça Filho
• “O Homem de Ouro” – Mauro Lima
• “Para Vigo Me Voy” – Karen Harley and Lírio Ferreira
• “Perrengue Fashion” – Flávia Lacerda
• “Perto do Sol é Mais Claro” – Régis Faria
• “Por Nossa Causa” – Sergio Rezende
• “Querido Mundo” – Miguel Falabella and Hsu Chien
• “Sexa” – Glória Pires
• “90 Decibéis” – Fellipe Barbosa

Premiere Brasil Retratos

• “Ary” – André Weller
• “As Dores do mundo: Hyldon” – Emílio Domingos and Felipe David Rodrigues
• “Fernanda Abreu – Da Lata, 30 anos, o documentário” – Paulo Severo
• “Fôlego – Até Depois do Fim” – Candé Salles
• “Gláucio Gill – Um Teatro em Construção” – Lea Van Steen and Rafael Raposo
• “Meu Tempo É Agora” – Sandra Werneck
• “Milton Gonçalves, Além do Espetáculo” – Luiz Antonio Pilar
• “Não Sei Viver Sem Palavras” – André Brandão
• “Ninguém Pode Provar Nada: a Inacreditável História de Ezequiel Neves” – Rodrigo Pinto
• “O Brasil Que Não Houve – As Aventuras do Barão de Itararé no Reino de Getúlio Vargas” – Renato Terra and Arnaldo Branco
• “Rei da Noite” – Cassu, Lucas Weglinski and Pedro Dumans
• “Vou Tirar Você Desse Lugar” – Dandara Ferreira

Premiere Brasil O Estado das Coisas

• “Cadernos Negros” – Joel Zito Araújo
• “Com Causa” – Belisário Franca
• “Do Outro Lado do Pavilhão” – Emilia Silveira
• “Invencíveis” – Vitor Leite and Clarice Saliby
• “Itacoatiaras” – Sergio Andrade and Patricia Gouvea
• “Minha Terra Estrangeira” – João Moreira Salles, Louise Botkay and Coletivo Lakapoy
• “Na Onda da Maré” – Lucia Murat
• “O Pai e o Pajé” – Iawarete Kaiabi, Felipe Tomazelli and Luís Villaça
• “Pau d’Arco” – Ana Aranha
• “Reconhecidos” – Fernanda Amim and Micael Hocherman
• “Rua do Pescador nº.6” – Bárbara Paz

Premiere Brasil Midnight Movies

• “A Própria Carne” – Ian SBF
• “Copacabana, 4 de Maio” – Allan Ribeiro
• “Futuro Futuro” – Davi Pretto
• “Nosferatu” – Cristiano Burlan
• “Quarto do Pânico” – Gabriela Amaral Almeida

Premiere Brasil Clássicos

• “A Mulher de Todos” – Rogério Sganzerla
• “Gêmeas” – Andrucha Waddington
• “Hermeto Campeão” – Thomas Farkas
• “Nossa Escola de Samba” – Manuel Horácio Gimenez

Premiere Brasil Geração

• “Aventuras de Makunáima – Histórias Encantadas da Amazônia” – Chico Faganello
• “Criaturas – Uma Aventura entre Dois Mundos” – Juarez Precioso
• “Papaya” – Priscilla Kellen
• “Quatro Meninas” – Karen Suzane
• “Tainá e os Guardiões da Amazônia – Em Busca da Flecha Azul” – Alê Camargo and Jordan Nugem
• “Trago seu amor” – Claudia Castro

Premiere Brasil Series

• “Ângela Diniz: Assassinada e Condenada” – Andrucha Waddington
• “Ayô” – Yasmin Thayná
• “De Menor” – Caru Alves de Souza
• “Tremembé” – Vera Egito