Latest news with #Salles
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oscar Winner Walter Salles Talks Impact of ‘I'm Still Here' on Brazilian Youths and Upcoming Project on Brazilian Soccer Player Sócrates at Doha Qumra Workshop
Oscar-winner Walter Salles, fresh from scoring the best international feature statuette for 'I'm Still Here,' discussed the impact of his political drama on youth audiences in Brazil and underlined the importance of cinema as 'an extraordinary tool of resistance' while attending the Doha Film Institute's Qumra workshop in Qatar. 'I'm Still Here,' the story of Brazilian activist Rubens Paiva's 1970 disappearance at the hands of the Brazilian military dictatorship and his wife Eunice Paiva's subsequent search for justice, recently marked a historic first Oscar win for Brazil. Salles also pointed out that the film has now been 'embraced by young generations of Brazilians' for whom it provided 'access to a part of their history that had somehow been hidden.' More from Variety Michelle Williams Shades 'Crash' Winning Best Picture Oscar Over 'Brokeback Mountain' by Asking: I Mean, What Was 'Crash'? Doha Film Institute's Qumra Workshop to Preview Timely Arab Films, Including Several Palestinian Projects, With Mentorship From Walter Salles, Johnnie To, Lav Diaz New York Film Critics Circle Sets January 2026 Awards Date 'The film has become their film,' Salles added, noting that Brazilian youths 'took possession' of 'I'm Still Here' and then 'went to social media to narrate their own stories and the stories of their families during the dictatorship in Brazil.' As for what's on the horizon, Salles, speaking to journalists, said he is editing a five-part doc series on Brazilian footballer and political activist Sócrates Brasileiro that he plans to finish by the year's end. 'He was born in the Amazon, in Pará, so it's really about internal migration in Brazil at the very beginning,' Salles said. 'Then it becomes a project about football, and then how he soon perceived that soccer was an extraordinary vehicle for political transformation and he blended all of that into one journey.' During a wide-ranging masterclass moderated by former New York Film Festival chief Richard Peña, Salles discussed other standout works in his filmography besides his Oscar-winner, including his first feature 'Foreign Land' – which marked the first time Salles worked with 'I'm Still Here' star Fernanda Torres – as well as 'Central Station,' that instead features Fernanda Torres' mother Fernanda Montenegro, and 'The Motorcycle Diaries' which stars Gael García Bernal as Che Guevara but also features quite a lot of non-professional actors. The latter film, Salles recalled, stemmed from an offer made to him by Robert Redford, who had purchased rights to the book with an eye on directing the film himself, but then proposed the project to Salles saying: 'I want to offer it to a Latin American director.' Salles' immediate reply was that he needed to think about it. Salles also recalled telling Redford that 'In order to be faithful to that book, you have to basically work with non-actors or actors who are starting out' and that 'you really have to do the long journey, which means that it was a complex project,' he said. Redford closed his eyes for 30 seconds and replied: 'OK, we either do it like this or we don't do it,' said Salles. 'And he embraced it. He embraced this idea, which was really, really great of him.' In closing the masterclass, Salles urged young Arab directors to follow his footsteps, urging them to make movies amidst injustices. 'Cinema is a way to construct memory and fight against erasing it,' he said. 'Whether you shoot it with an iPhone or make a feature film, it's an extraordinary tool of resistance.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Two Oscar-winning films shed light on the thousands of disappeared people in Latin America
MEXICO CITY (AP) — If there is a still open wound in Latin America, it is that of the tens of thousands of disappeared people and decades-long pain that has accumulated in parts of the region such as Mexico and Colombia. Two visions of the trauma had a central role at the 97th Academy Awards: the Brazilian film 'Ainda Estou Aqui' ('I'm Still Here'), which tells the drama of the family of a leftist former congressman who disappeared in 1971 at the height of the military dictatorship; and the musical 'Emilia Pérez,' about a fictional Mexican drug lord who leaves a life of crime to become a transgender woman and searcher for the disappeared in Mexico. 'We hope that in this way the society will be sensitized,' said activist Indira Navarro, who directs the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco collective in Mexico and has been searching for her brother, who disappeared in the northern state of Sonora nine years ago. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The Academy Awards' recognition of the films, both of which were nominated in multiple categories, was an unparalleled opportunity to make the problem visible, Navarro said. 'I'm Still Here,' by Brazilian Walter Salles, won the Oscar in the category of best international film. "Emilia Pérez', by renowned French director Jacques Audiard, was this year's most-nominated film and won in the categories of best original song and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña. Salles and Audiard's films also had a common denominator of disappearances in Latin America: impunity. The story behind 'I'm Still Here' 'I'm Still Here' was inspired by the book 'Ainda Estou Aqui' by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, son of the disappeared former congressman Rubens Paiva. More than five decades after he was taken from his Rio de Janeiro home and disappeared, none of those responsible for Paiva's case have been held accountable. His widow, Eunice, and their five children have sought justice for years. His family had to wait 40 years to receive his death certificate and even longer for the authorities to recognize that he, like others, died in the context of the violence of the military dictatorship. Salles, accepting the award, said from the Oscars stage: 'This goes to a woman who, after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend and to resist…Her name is Eunice Paiva.' Marcelo Rubens Paiva told The Associated Press of the impact of the Oscars recognition: 'People everywhere are afraid of watching their democracies become dictatorships… This movie glorifies democracy and the understanding that human rights, empathy are in short supply.' The disappeared in Mexico In the case of 'Emilia Pérez' the central character, a drug trafficker nicknamed Manitas del Monte ( Karla Sofia Gascón ), tries to vindicate his years as a criminal looking for disappeared people along with lawyer Rita Castro (Saldaña). He never pays for his crimes nor are those responsible for disappearances held accountable before the Mexican justice system. That is very similar to the reality in Mexico, where according to official figures there are currently 123,147 disappeared. The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances acknowledged in a report it presented in April 2022, after a visit to Mexico, that only between 2% and 6% of cases of disappearances were prosecuted. 'Organized crime has become a central perpetrator of disappearances in Mexico, with varying degrees of participation, acquiescence or omission of public servants,' the committee said. The phenomenon of disappearances in Mexico began in the 1960s, but the numbers skyrocketed from the 2000s with the increase in drug trafficking activities and the war against cartels undertaken by the government of then-President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012). In Mexico the search for many disappeared rests on the shoulders of their relatives who, with scarce resources and without protection from the authorities, enter regions controlled by criminals to search for their loved ones. That's true for Navarro, who spoke Monday while searching a grave in western state of Jalisco that she and other activists located. She said she hopes the Oscars will serve as 'a wake-up call for the whole world and to know what we are really experiencing here in Mexico.' ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
The Independent
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Two Oscar-winning films shed light on the thousands of disappeared people in Latin America
If there is a still open wound in Latin America, it is that of the tens of thousands of disappeared people and decades-long pain that has accumulated in parts of the region such as Mexico and Colombia. Two visions of the trauma had a central role at the 97th Academy Awards: the Brazilian film 'Ainda Estou Aqui' ('I'm Still Here'), which tells the drama of the family of a leftist former congressman who disappeared in 1971 at the height of the military dictatorship; and the musical 'Emilia Pérez,' about a fictional Mexican drug lord who leaves a life of crime to become a transgender woman and searcher for the disappeared in Mexico. 'We hope that in this way the society will be sensitized,' said activist Indira Navarro, who directs the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco collective in Mexico and has been searching for her brother, who disappeared in the northern state of Sonora nine years ago. The Academy Awards' recognition of the films, both of which were nominated in multiple categories, was an unparalleled opportunity to make the problem visible, Navarro said. 'I'm Still Here,' by Brazilian Walter Salles, won the Oscar in the category of best international film. "Emilia Pérez', by renowned French director Jacques Audiard, was this year's most-nominated film and won in the categories of best original song and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña. Salles and Audiard's films also had a common denominator of disappearances in Latin America: impunity. The story behind 'I'm Still Here' 'I'm Still Here' was inspired by the book 'Ainda Estou Aqui' by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, son of the disappeared former congressman Rubens Paiva. More than five decades after he was taken from his Rio de Janeiro home and disappeared, none of those responsible for Paiva's case have been held accountable. His widow, Eunice, and their five children have sought justice for years. His family had to wait 40 years to receive his death certificate and even longer for the authorities to recognize that he, like others, died in the context of the violence of the military dictatorship. Salles, accepting the award, said from the Oscars stage: 'This goes to a woman who, after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend and to resist…Her name is Eunice Paiva.' Marcelo Rubens Paiva told The Associated Press of the impact of the Oscars recognition: ' People everywhere are afraid of watching their democracies become dictatorships… This movie glorifies democracy and the understanding that human rights, empathy are in short supply.' The disappeared in Mexico In the case of 'Emilia Pérez' the central character, a drug trafficker nicknamed Manitas del Monte ( Karla Sofia Gascón ), tries to vindicate his years as a criminal looking for disappeared people along with lawyer Rita Castro (Saldaña). He never pays for his crimes nor are those responsible for disappearances held accountable before the Mexican justice system. That is very similar to the reality in Mexico, where according to official figures there are currently 123,147 disappeared. The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances acknowledged in a report it presented in April 2022, after a visit to Mexico, that only between 2% and 6% of cases of disappearances were prosecuted. 'Organized crime has become a central perpetrator of disappearances in Mexico, with varying degrees of participation, acquiescence or omission of public servants,' the committee said. The phenomenon of disappearances in Mexico began in the 1960s, but the numbers skyrocketed from the 2000s with the increase in drug trafficking activities and the war against cartels undertaken by the government of then-President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012). In Mexico the search for many disappeared rests on the shoulders of their relatives who, with scarce resources and without protection from the authorities, enter regions controlled by criminals to search for their loved ones. That's true for Navarro, who spoke Monday while searching a grave in western state of Jalisco that she and other activists located. She said she hopes the Oscars will serve as 'a wake-up call for the whole world and to know what we are really experiencing here in Mexico.' ____
Associated Press
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Two Oscar-winning films shed light on the thousands of disappeared people in Latin America
MEXICO CITY (AP) — If there is a still open wound in Latin America, it is that of the tens of thousands of disappeared people and decades-long pain that has accumulated in parts of the region such as Mexico and Colombia. Two visions of the trauma had a central role at the 97th Academy Awards: the Brazilian film 'Ainda Estou Aqui' ('I'm Still Here'), which tells the drama of the family of a leftist former congressman who disappeared in 1971 at the height of the military dictatorship; and the musical 'Emilia Pérez,' about a fictional Mexican drug lord who leaves a life of crime to become a transgender woman and searcher for the disappeared in Mexico. 'We hope that in this way the society will be sensitized,' said activist Indira Navarro, who directs the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco collective in Mexico and has been searching for her brother, who disappeared in the northern state of Sonora nine years ago. The Academy Awards' recognition of the films, both of which were nominated in multiple categories, was an unparalleled opportunity to make the problem visible, Navarro said. 'I'm Still Here,' by Brazilian Walter Salles, won the Oscar in the category of best international film. 'Emilia Pérez', by renowned French director Jacques Audiard, was this year's most-nominated film and won in the categories of best original song and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña. Salles and Audiard's films also had a common denominator of disappearances in Latin America: impunity. The story behind 'I'm Still Here' 'I'm Still Here' was inspired by the book 'Ainda Estou Aqui' by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, son of the disappeared former congressman Rubens Paiva. More than five decades after he was taken from his Rio de Janeiro home and disappeared, none of those responsible for Paiva's case have been held accountable. His widow, Eunice, and their five children have sought justice for years. His family had to wait 40 years to receive his death certificate and even longer for the authorities to recognize that he, like others, died in the context of the violence of the military dictatorship. Salles, accepting the award, said from the Oscars stage: 'This goes to a woman who, after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend and to resist…Her name is Eunice Paiva.' Marcelo Rubens Paiva told The Associated Press of the impact of the Oscars recognition: 'People everywhere are afraid of watching their democracies become dictatorships… This movie glorifies democracy and the understanding that human rights, empathy are in short supply.' The disappeared in Mexico In the case of 'Emilia Pérez' the central character, a drug trafficker nicknamed Manitas del Monte ( Karla Sofia Gascón), tries to vindicate his years as a criminal looking for disappeared people along with lawyer Rita Castro (Saldaña). He never pays for his crimes nor are those responsible for disappearances held accountable before the Mexican justice system. That is very similar to the reality in Mexico, where according to official figures there are currently 123,147 disappeared. The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances acknowledged in a report it presented in April 2022, after a visit to Mexico, that only between 2% and 6% of cases of disappearances were prosecuted. 'Organized crime has become a central perpetrator of disappearances in Mexico, with varying degrees of participation, acquiescence or omission of public servants,' the committee said. The phenomenon of disappearances in Mexico began in the 1960s, but the numbers skyrocketed from the 2000s with the increase in drug trafficking activities and the war against cartels undertaken by the government of then-President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012). In Mexico the search for many disappeared rests on the shoulders of their relatives who, with scarce resources and without protection from the authorities, enter regions controlled by criminals to search for their loved ones. That's true for Navarro, who spoke Monday while searching a grave in western state of Jalisco that she and other activists located. She said she hopes the Oscars will serve as 'a wake-up call for the whole world and to know what we are really experiencing here in Mexico.'
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brazil's Oscar Win for ‘I'm Still Here' Just Made for the Craziest Carnival Ever
Carnival celebrations were raging across Rio on Sunday night when everyone stopped to pay attention. The Oscar for best international feature was about to be announced from Hollywood, and all eyes were fixed on whether the country or anyone associated with it would win its first Oscar. I'm Still Here, Walter Salles' drama set during the country's two-decade military dictatorship that ended in 1985, was nominated for the international prize as well as two others. More from The Hollywood Reporter Oscar Night's Naked Dresses and History of the Sheer Look Oscars 2025: Where to Stream the Award-Winning Films Online Oscars Studio Scorecard: Neon Reigns Supreme With Five Wins The festivities had already been shot through with Academy Awards. People danced around elétricos, the music-blaring floats, joyous over the movie's attention some 6,000 miles north. Some creative types had even taken the Boneco de Olinda, a giant traditional puppet often seen during Carnival, and tricked it out to depict star Fernanda Torres holding an awards statue. This was the biggest, and certainly coolest, Oscar watch party ever convened. And so when Penélope Cruz read the name I'm Still Here from the stage of the Dolby just after midnight, the Carnival crowds erupted. Some watched on giant televisions as Salles hugged Torres and James Mangold and then took the stage. Others caught the news online. And in one eye-opening scene, Daniela Mercury, the Brazilian music icon and Latin Grammy winner, stood atop her elétrico and broke the news to the crowd, which went wild. Ainda Estou Aqui had already been a sensation in Brazil long before the Oscar attention, selling more than 5 million tickets and sparking conversation and catharsis across the nation of 210 million. Supreme Court justices in cases seeking to hold far-right elements to account have cited it, and government agencies have changes rules around death certificates because of it. But the attention from the Academy was another matter. A trauma too long swept under the rug was being feted by one from the most prominent entertainment bodies in the world — a beautifully ironic reversal of fortune. And it was all coming via Salles, a native son and Latin America's go-to cinematic chronicler, as well as Torres, as the daughter of Fernanda Montenegro acting royalty and a performing legend in her own right. There was even hope Torres, who had staged an upset at the Golden Globes, could win the Oscar over Demi Moore and Mikey Madison. That award was still an hour away. No matter. 'It's hard to put into words just how big of a moment this is,' emailed Bruna Santos, director of the Brazil institute at the independent Washington, D.C., think thank The Wilson Center and former vice president of the National School of Public Administration in Brazil. 'It's a defining moment, not just for Brazilian film, but for the country's ongoing reckoning with its past.' Rafael Ioris, a Latin American expert at the University of Denver and author of the influential political history Transforming Brazil, put it even more pithily in a message to THR. 'A historic night,' he wrote. The movie centers on a tragedy that befalls real-life congressman's wife Eunice Paiva when her husband is abducted by the military authorities, and her attempt to seek justice in its aftermath. The depiction of her years-long crusade has given hope to people in Brazil (and beyond) as they deal with a surge in far-right politics; Brazil itself saw an attempted coup by former far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro in 2023. The chance for the movie to be on the Oscars' world stage only turbocharged their efforts. 'This goes to a woman who, after a loss suffered during an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend, and to resist,' Salles said from the Dolby, implicitly making the case for people to follow her lead anywhere authoritarianism reared its head. The I'm Still Here developments underscore the global power of the new and more internationally minded Academy. By choosing films far from Hollywood, some fear the organization can overlook the dominant U.S. industry. But it also does something else: anoint countries removed from its home base and give life to their industries. Such is the hope in Brazil, where experts say the country needs stronger policies and government funding if it hopes for a rich film culture. The Brazil reactions follow similar joy in Riga after the animation win for its indie environmental parable Flow. The Latvian capital has been in a state of euphoria since Flow started getting Oscar attention, with city signs even modified to pay homage to the film. The country's president, Edgars Rinkēvičs, posted on X on Monday that 'This is a great and historic day for Latvia! And we will all need time to understand what happened, because something big and beautiful occurred!' In Brazil, the night took on a little bittersweetness when Torres went on to lose to Anora star Madison, a Los Angeles actor whose movie is far from the consciousness of Brazilians. While some residents were upset, experts didn't seem to feel it would affect their mood long-term. There's just one star who might not want to count on Rio box office receipts anytime soon. 'Winning over Brazilian hearts will [now] be a hard battle for Mikey Madison,' joked Santos. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 20 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong The Best Anti-Fascist Films of All Time Dinosaurs, Zombies and More 'Wicked': The Most Anticipated Movies of 2025
