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Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rio2C, Latin America's Largest Creativity Event, Reaches Record Attendance as Rio de Janeiro Aims to Build as Brazil's Film and TV Capital
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL — Rio2C, Latin America's largest creativity event, will gather from May 27 to June 1 in its sixth in-person edition, boasting a record attendance of about 52,000 participants and 483 executives from 39 countries. The continuous growth of the event, which this year has 'The Edge of Perfection' as its central theme, is a reflection of the strength of the film and TV and creative industry in Rio, believes Rafael Lazarini, CEO of Rio2C. More from Variety Netflix Brazil Unveils a 'Sintonia' Spin-Off, Soccer Shows on Brazil 1970, Ronaldinho and Neymar and a Scripted Series on Brazil's Biggest Ever Radioactive Disaster Gullane+ Nabs Distribution Rights to Cannes Classic Doc 'Para Vigo Me Voy' About Legendary Brazilian Filmmaker Cacá Diegues BrLab Unveils New Dates, Co-Pro Forum and Regional Spread Ahead of 15th Anniversary Edition (EXCLUSIVE) The city is the headquarters of South America's largest broadcaster and telenovela producer, Grupo Globo, and traditionally the country's main center of indie film production – the birthplace of the 1960s and 1970s Cinema Novo movement of auteurs such as Glauber Rocha, Nelson Pereira dos Santos and Caca Diegues. Tradition, the concentration of talents and the city's attractions, combined with government policies, paved the way for the building of a strong production sector in Rio. According to a study of Rio's City Hall, the features produced by Rio's companies accounted for 70% of the B.O. and 71% of the ticket sales in Brazil in the 1995 to 2024 period. Last year, according to the study, the share of Rio-produced pics rose to 90% of the total Brazil's B.O. and 88% of the total ticket sales, a trend that continued this year. The strong theatrical performance of two pics contributed for the recent rise of Rio's B.O. and attendance share: Walter Salles' 'I'm Still Here,' this year's Best International Feature Film Oscar winner, was released in Brazil Nov. 7, 2024, and 'O Auto da Compadecida 2,' helmed by Guel Arraes and Flavia Lacerda, opened Dec. 25, 2024. 'We can draw a parallel with the U.S., where New York City is the big business and financial center, while L.A. is the world's capital of film and TV. In Brazil, Sao Paulo is the economic center and Rio concentrates the bulk of the creative industry. Rio is Brazil's L.A., the main center of film and TV production in our country,' Lazarini told Variety. The Mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, is expected to attend Rio2C 2025 to announce a package of incentives to Rio companies totalling 131 million reais ($23 million), of which the federal government will account for 100 million reais ($17.5 million) and City Hall with 31 million reais ($5.4 million). The coin will fund the production of pics and series, exhibitors, fests and training programs. Mayor Paes told Variety that City Hall will also announce in Rio2C a Film Friendly Seal, which Rio's film agency RioFilme and the Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau will grant to reliable businesses in town that supply services and goods to international film and TV production. City authorities are convinced the natural beauties of Rio, its lively culture and people's diversity make it an attractive location not only for Brazilian productions, but also for the ones of foreign companies. Paes stressed to Variety that his administration created in 2022 a cash rebate to foreign producers lensing in Rio. The City reimburses international producers' of up to 35% of eligible expenses, according to the expected positive impact of the production on Rio's economy and image. In parallel, RioFilme streamlined Rio's Film Commission which facilitates the production of films, series, TV shows – including telenovelas of TV Globo and TV Record – and ad commercials, helping producers to dodge bureaucracy and other obstacles. Rio's Film Commission authorized a total of 8,782 lensing days in Rio in 2024, up from 7,885 in 2023 and 7,498 in 2022, according to RioFilme. 'We are one of the most filmed cities in the world. In 2023, we passed Paris and Mexico City in terms of total shooting days. In 2024, we had 505 productions here, of which 27 were foreign,' Paes told Variety. 'Rio's film and TV industry grossed 4.2 billion reais ($736 million) in 2023, up 68% in relation to 2019.' Warner's 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,' produced by Legendary Pictures, and Universal's 'Fast X,' from the 'Fast & Furious' franchise, head the list of international productions lensed in Rio in recent years. An obstacle for the expansion of the production sector in Rio, said Leonardo Edde, president director of RioFilme, was the lack of modern studios. TV Globo and TV Record have top-notch studios in Rio, but they are dedicated to the in-house production of the broadcasters' telenovelas and other shows. Indie producers had to resort to Polo Rio Cine Video, a complex of seven studios built by City Hall by 1988, or to small studios spread around town or to go to São Paulo. Polo Rio was an important project, but it did not receive enough investment, public or private, for many years, and the studios were outdated. 'Due to the lack of legal certainty, private companies were not willing to invest in Polo Rio. Renting contracts were standard ones, and allowed the City to evict companies renting studios within 30 days of notice,' Edde told Variety. 'So Mayor Paes, as soon as he took office in 2021, put together a public bid to select a company to manage Polo Rio for 30 years.' Sao Paulo-based studio and post-production group Quanta won the bid to the 30-year concession, which can be renewed for an additional 30 years. Marcelo Pedrazzi, a Quanta partner, told Variety they took over the administration of Polo Rio in July 2022 and have already invested in it about half of the 92 million reais (US$ 16 million) established in their concession agreement. The first step was to construct a new state-or-art studio to house at the end of 2023 the production of Amazon Prime Time's 'O Auto da Compadecida 2,' made by Rio's Conspiracao and H2O. The pic's setting of Brazil's Northeast drylands was recreated in the studio, which hosted 98% of the lensing, said Pedrazzi. Quanta has already constructed two other studios and renovated two old ones. It plans to have a total of 15 fully operational studios in Polo Rio by March 2026, he said. 'As Kevin Costner said in 'Field of Dreams', 'If you build it, he will come,' 'he' meaning the producers,' Pedrazzi told Variety. 'Sao Paulo leads in terms of advertising production. But, when it comes to entertainment, films and series, Rio is the largest market. Everybody wants to shoot in Rio.' Rio's plans for the creative industry are ambitious. The Mayor has submitted to Rio's City Council a proposal for the creation of a Creative District in Barra, not far from Cidade das Artes, where Rio2C takes place. Inspired by the Creative District in Madrid, the one in Rio will englobe a huge area that encompasses Globo's Burbank-like production complex, TV Record's studios, Polo Rio and other smaller studios, including the ones in the city's main convention center, Riocentro. At the District's center, in a large area that hosted the bulk of the Rio's 2016 Summer Olympics' events, the idea is to build a theme park, a resort, the Olympics Museum, a tower with offices, an ice skating rink, a theater and an area to host the Rock in Rio music fest editions every two years. As in Polo Rio, City Hall will select a private company to manage the complex for 30 years, the mayor said. 'Rio has a lot to profit from this project. The complex will generate 143,000 direct and indirect jobs in the 30 years of concession,' Paes told Variety. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gullane+ Nabs Distribution Rights to Cannes Classic Doc ‘Para Vigo Me Voy' About Legendary Brazilian Filmmaker Cacá Diegues
Gullane+, the fast-growing distribution arm of top Brazilian production company Gullane Entretenimento, has acquired both Brazilian and international distribution rights to Lírio Ferreira and Karen Harley's 'Para Vigo Me Voy.' The documentary, playing at Cannes Classics, is a portrait of the legendary Brazilian filmmaker Carlos Diegues told through the weaving of film excerpts and rare footage into a journey through 60 years of Brazilian cinema. More from Variety 'History of Sound' Director Oliver Hermanus on Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor's Deep Romance, Gay Sex Scene Discourse and His Alexander McQueen Biopic India Cine Hub Drives Film Production Growth, International Collaboration Kevin Spacey to Make Surprise Appearance in Cannes to Accept a Lifetime Achievement Award at Better World Fund Gala (EXCLUSIVE) Speaking with Variety out of Cannes, Gullane co-founder and producer Fabiano Gullane calls the documentary a 'tribute to one of the most important directors and producers we ever had in Brazil,' adding that Diegues was pioneering in how he 'paved the way' for Brazilian cinema in the international market. It is a particularly poignant homage considering that the country recently landed its first-ever Oscar for Walter Salles' 'I'm Still Here' and is in a prominent position at this year's Cannes Film Festival as the Country of Honor of the Marché du Film. Diegues, who died earlier this year, was one of the key members of Brazil's renowned Cinema Novo movement and one of the country's first filmmakers to land large budgets for projects geared for the domestic market. His seminal 'Bye Bye Brazil' was budgeted at a whopping 2 million dollars, with 'God Is Brazilian' at a 10 million dollar price point. The director was a staunch defender of imprinting Brazil's diversity — cultural, ethnic and sociopolitical — on screen, and would come to direct 17 features in his career, as well as producing dozens more films, plays and musicals before his passing. 'To Vigo I Go' features excerpts from works and interviews with the filmmaker over a span of 60 years, as well as previously unseen footage of Diegues's last day of filming and scenes of a final personal meeting between the director and artists who have accompanied him throughout his decades-long, history-making career. Of Gullane+, Gullane says the distributor's initial focus is on 'movies for the Brazilian market and Brazilian movies for the international market,' highlighting how the company is distributing not only new projects but also has acquired a vast catalogue of big classics of their national cinema. This catalogue includes films such as Jorge Bodanzky and Orlando Senna's 'Iracema,' whose new restoration played this year's Berlinale. 'Our productions are doing really well, we have been doing this for the last 25 years and know [what we are doing],' adds the exec. 'Our challenge now is to expand the distribution branch. This is our focus because we think that for the production side to be sustainable, we must also be involved in distribution. This is key for us over the next few years.' Other highlights of Gullane+'s current slate include a much-awaited new project by 'The Year My Parents Went on Vacation' director Cao Hamburger, titled 'School Without Borders' and Sandra Kogut's 'New Cancun,' co-created and starred by 'The Second Mother' Sundance Acting award winner Regina Casé and the sequel to the lauded 'Three Summers.' 'Para Vigo Me Voy' is produced by Coqueirão Pictures in co-production with Globo Filmes, Globo News, Sinedóque, Raccord Produções, and Dualito Produções. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jodie Foster on ‘Vie Privée' in Cannes, What Trump Means for Female Directors and Why Turning 60 Led to Career Contentment: ‘There's a Freedom'
Jodie Foster can go years without making a movie. 'I'm picky,' she admits. 'I'm not really interested in acting just for the sake of acting. It has to really speak to me.' More from Variety Nicole Kidman Pushes Back on Industry Ageism at Kering Women in Motion Gala in Cannes: 'Invest in Us and Believe in Us Because Our Voices Are So Important' Gullane+ Nabs Distribution Rights to Cannes Classic Doc 'Para Vigo Me Voy' About Legendary Brazilian Filmmaker Cacá Diegues 'History of Sound' Director Oliver Hermanus on Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor's Deep Romance, Gay Sex Scene Discourse and His Alexander McQueen Biopic It's a few hours before the Cannes premiere of 'Vie Privée,' a French thriller that Foster, despite her natural aversion to performing, found impossible to resist. After meeting Rebecca Zlotowski, the French filmmaker who also wrote the script, Foster discovered they shared a passion for character development and narrative. And the story, which finds Foster playing a therapist who becomes convinced that her patient's suicide is actually a murder, was too tangled and intriguing to turn down. 'Rebecca has this command of the intellectual world, as well as the emotional world,' the 62-year-old Foster says. 'We think about cinema in the same way. She wanted to make sure that the audience was brought into the interior life of the character, and that's what I enjoy doing as an actor.' Foster took a long hiatus from acting in the aughts to focus on raising her kids. But she's been on screen more frequently as of late, earning an Oscar nomination for her work as a swimming coach in 2023's 'Nyad' and an Emmy for her performance in 2024's 'True Detective: Night Country.' It's part of a new perspective she discovered after she turned 60, one that found her focusing more on ensemble movies and shows and less on star turns. It seems to have reawakened a love for a job she's been doing since she first captivated audiences with her turns in Disney classics like 'Freaky Friday' and grittier stories like 'Taxi Driver,' before winning Oscars for 'The Silence of the Lambs' and 'The Accused.' Why did you decide to make 'Vie Privée'? I've been wanting to go back and do a French movie, because I haven't done one in a long time. For me, it's always about trying to find the right piece of material. I didn't want to do some overblown American and French co-production. As an actor, I need a story. And a lot of French movies, which I love, are behavior films where you just sort of follow people around for three days or something. That's not what I do. I'm interested in narrative. I'm all about developing a character who propels the story. This ticked all the boxes. When the movie starts, your character Lilian seems very confidant, but we quickly see the cracks in her facade. A lot of the people you've played are trying to maintain control or assert control. What attracts you to those parts? It's a pretty human thing. Maybe it's a female thing. Maybe I bring that to the table, because I was not born somebody who's emotionally accessible. I'm not a 'pour my blood all over the table' kind of person. It's why I wasn't born to be an actor. I just got thrown into it at age 3. It wasn't something I chose to do. I would never have chosen to be an actor. I'm interested in the coverings that people use to adapt to this crazy world, and the layers that they need to maintain to keep themselves safe. You wouldn't have chosen to be an actor, but do you enjoy acting? Yeah, I do. But I like it on my terms. When I was a kid, I worked so much that by the time that I was 18, I needed to take a different approach. I see a lot of young actors, and I'm not saying I'm jealous, but I don't understand how they just want to act. They don't care if the movie's bad. They don't care if the dialogue is bad. They don't care if they're a grape in a Fruit of the Loom ad. If I never acted again, I wouldn't really care. I really like to be a vessel for story or cinema. If I could do something else, if I was a writer or a painter or sculptor, that would be good too. But this is the only skill I have. You've directed four movies, including 'Little Man Tate' and 'Home for the Holidays.' Do you prefer directing to acting? I do prefer directing, but it's hard to get things off the ground. I have to work on the material for so long in order to make it mine. I love the movies that I made, and they speak to my life. And for me, they feel like auteur films. If I can't do it that way, I don't really want to do it. Nicole Kidman recently revealed that she has worked with 27 female directors in the last eight years. Wait, what? [Foster bangs the side of the couch she's sitting on]. That's incredible. She's always working! What's your reaction to that? Do you hope more actors use their influence to get female directors opportunities that maybe they wouldn't be considered for? I hope so. I've watched things change a lot. When I started acting, the only woman I ever saw on set was a makeup artist or script supervisor. Then I started seeing some more female technicians. But the last bastion has always been directors. When I decided to direct, I was lucky. The people that made decisions knew me, so they didn't consider me a risk as a first-time director. But as an actor, before my last three projects, I only had made one movie with a woman director. That's over 50 years. As you said, the last three projects you've made — 'True Detective,' 'Nyad,' and now, 'Vie Privée' — were directed or co-directed by women. Was that a conscious choice? It's hard for me to be in the business of saying, half my movies are going to be made by women or men or whatever. Shouldn't it be a more instinctual choice? You would hope that you'd be interested in the human being. I mean, Jonathan Demme on 'Silence of the Lambs' was my favorite feminist director. That said, I think some sort of quota system is important when it comes to giving first-time filmmakers an opportunity. You need to start the process early so we all get the same opportunities. America had a sort of golden moment of consciousness in the last 10 years where the men that made the decisions — and who were blind to their own xenophobia and racism and sexism — suddenly woke up and were like, 'Hey, why are there no women on our list of directors?' They were being called out publicly, of course, but that forced them to look at themselves and decide to change. We're reaping the benefits of that. Do you think that will go away with the attacks that the Trump administration is making on companies that embrace DEI initiatives? Yeah, it may all be over now. That's certainly what seems to be in the works in terms of the administration. We're seeing it in everything from academia to law firms to entertainment. I hope that it doesn't happen, because we want to tell all stories. When we do, they make money. It's amazing that it took this long to explain to studio executives that women are 50% of the population. Female filmmakers are not a risk. And by the way, it was not female executives that made this change happen, because we had Amy Pascal, Sherry Lansing, Dawn Steel all running studios at the same time. At one point, four of the six studio heads were women and those lists of directors were all men. We need the people who run studios to make sure that they don't imbibe the institutional bias. I'll get off my soapbox now. There's a lot of humor in 'Vie Privée.' You haven't been in many comedies. Was it fun to show a different side of yourself? It is fun. Acting in French was helpful, because I'm a different person in French than I am in English. I have a more vulnerable way about me. I'm less confident, not as sure of myself, which I think is more fun. Do you feel like you are funnier in French than you are in English? I do. Maybe it's easier for me to just be free of my persona or something. I don't love doing comedies in English. And maybe it's because, in America, when we make comedies, they don't have a lot of subtlety or intelligence. For me, that's essential. So I don't find very many that I love. The one that I really liked, that I made was 'Maverick.' Even though it was silly, it's was written by William Goldman so it had a wryness and English intelligence about it. But it's hard for me to be fascinated with comedy for longer than a week. After about a week, I'm like, 'Oh, can we get this thing over already?' They're much harder to make than dramas. Why did you decide not to film a cameo in 'Freakier Friday'? I was busy doing this movie. But Jamie Lee Curtis is a really good friend of mine. I followed the shoot and all that stuff. After you won a Golden Globe for 'True Detective,' you said 'this is the most contented moment in my career.' Why? Something happens at 60. There's a hormone that gets injected in your body, and suddenly you're like, 'Oh, I don't care.' This all coincided with me getting really excited about helping to tell other people's stories and to elevate voices that hadn't been heard before. So with 'The Mauritanian,' I was in that movie so I could tell Tahar Rahim's story, not my character's story. With 'True Detective,' I wanted to engineer my part so it served the indigenous characters' story. I want to bring whatever wisdom or experience or money or status I have as an actor to help with that. I got to tell my story, it's someone else's turn. And that's much more fun. Who knew being a part of a community was so much more rewarding than being the person that has to open the movie on 1,500 screens? My 50s were hard for me. It's hard to embrace the transition. You feel like you're a worse version of who you were. But something happened a few years ago. I woke up one day and was like, 'I don't care about any of the things that I cared about before. I'm gonna go down a different path.' Your kids grow up, your parents pass away, maybe you get divorced. Those life changes are shattering. But there's a freedom that comes with that. As painful as it is to lose this other identity of being a dutiful mother or daughter or wife, you can also be like, it's just me now. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
