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Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Oscar-winning Brazilian film 'I'm Still Here' makes UAE debut
A cinematic milestone unfolded in the UAE this weekend as Ainda Estou Aqui (I'm Still Here), Brazil's first-ever Oscar-winning film, premiered at Dubai's Cinema Akil — becoming the first Brazilian feature to screen in the country. The exclusive event marked a major cultural crossover and was led by actress Sabrina Petraglia, a Dubai resident who has made it her mission to bring Brazilian cinema to the Middle East. The screening of Ainda Estou Aqui, which won Best International Feature Film at the 2025 Academy Awards, drew a full house of over 130 attendees. The audience included UAE and Brazilian dignitaries, diplomats, filmmakers, artists, and prominent members of the expat Brazilian community — all gathered to witness history at Alserkal Avenue's indie cinema. Grammy Award-winning actress Fernanda Torres, who starred in the film and made headlines this year as the first Brazilian to win a Golden Globe, addressed the Dubai audience in a heartfelt video message before the screening. 'I'm Still Here is the first Brazilian movie to be released in the Emirates, which makes us really proud,' Torres said. 'It's a very special film, directed by the wonderful Walter Salles.' The premiere wasn't just about watching a film — it was a celebration of storytelling across borders. The evening was the culmination of a months-long initiative spearheaded by Sabrina Petraglia, known for her work in Brazilian TV and film. Since relocating to Dubai in 2023, Petraglia has been building cultural bridges between Brazil and the UAE — a vision she brought to life again with this landmark screening. 'This moment is the culmination of five months of work behind the scenes,' Petraglia told the audience in an emotional speech before the film began. 'It gives me so much joy to see the Brazilian community come together alongside our Emirati friends to share this moment and prove the universal power of storytelling.' Petraglia previously screened her own short film, Mar de Mães (Ocean of Mothers), in the UAE earlier this year. It was during that experience she discovered that no Brazilian films had been officially shown in the Emirates before. 'When I learnt Ocean de Mães was the first to even be shown here, I couldn't believe it,' she said. 'UAE is a country that values and supports the arts, so I asked myself, 'Where are the Brazilian movies?' That's when I started connecting with people — with Sony, with Empire, and friends who acted in the movie.' The event also served as a cultural diplomacy milestone, with a post-screening reception attended by officials from the Embassy of Brazil in the UAE, Visit Dubai, members of the Al Serkal family, and other partners. Ambassador Sidney Leon Romeiro praised Petraglia for her dedication in championing Brazil's creative voice in the region. 'Sabrina is one of the key promoters of Brazil's cultural scene here,' he said. 'Each step of this project, she has been calling me, updating me… I always feel her enthusiasm and am deeply grateful for her help in this effort to strengthen Brazil's cultural agenda in the UAE.' Made possible with the support of Ambipar, a Brazilian company known for its commitment to sustainability and the arts, the screening is expected to be a springboard for greater cultural and cinematic collaborations between Latin America and the Arab world. Ainda Estou Aqui will continue screening at Cinema Akil throughout June, inviting UAE residents of all backgrounds to experience the power, emotion, and resonance of Brazilian storytelling — a first, but certainly not the last.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Knowledgeable Producers and ‘Unprecedented' Government Incentives Turn Brazil Into a Burgeoning Co-Production Power
Despite boasting a huge internal market, Brazil long seemed an island of its own when it came to fostering international collaboration. Alas, these days are long gone, with a ramping number of co-productions inching the country closer and closer to major producing potencies such as the US and Europe. 'New international partners have been seeking us directly,' says Alex Medeiros, Director of Drama, Documentaries, and Films at Globoplay Originals, the streaming powerhouse behind Walter Salles's history-making, Oscar-winning 'I'm Still Here.' Globo is the biggest production force in Latin America, and currently has partnerships with Gaumont, Beta Film, Fremantle, and Disney, the latter a co-production deal for four films, including 'Na Linha do Fogo,' directed by Afonso Poyart ('Solace'). More from Variety Kleber Mendonça Filho on Why 'The Secret Agent' Is His First 'Political' Film, Casting 'Classic Movie Star' Wagner Moura 'Enzo' Review: Robin Campillo Honors the Late Laurent Cantet With a Film That Embodies the Best of Both Directors Fionnuala Halligan Appointed Red Sea Film Festival Director of International Programs Globo has a key advantage of producing over 11 thousand hours of novelas a year, a fast-moving audiovisual bootcamp that produces not only a large volume of talent in front and behind the camera, but also provides a wide range of experience in all areas of production. '[Novelas] are important for talent development in every single chain of production,' says Medeiros, emphasizing that Globo is actively 'open to partnerships and seeking models that can widen our reach, be it through co-productions, the sale of formats, licensing, or festival participation.' Luana Lobo, partner and co-CEO at Maria Farinha Filmes, says, 'The market understands that we have great stories and that language is not as strong a barrier as it was before.' In 2024, Maria Farinha Filmes expanded to the U.S., launching MFF & Co. in Los Angeles with a team led by Miura Kite, formerly at Participant Media. Earlier this year, MFF & Co. acquired a minority stake in Joanna Natasegara's London-based Violet Films. Lobo says she likes the 'ecosystem' MFF & Co has created, where 'separate entities collaborate and strategize in different territories while keeping separate slates.' The company is currently working on several high-profile projects, many facilitated by Kite's hefty talent roster. Projects include 'Pegasus,' written by Amit Cohen ('Valley of Tears') and Ron Leshem ('Euphoria'). Estela Renner, Chief Creative Officer, partner, and co-founder of MFF & CO, highlights the 'fantastic' work of the Ministry of Culture and Audiovisual Secretary Joelma Gonzaga. 'She is creating bilateral treaties with other countries and doing an incredible job on tax benefits, so everything is coming into place,' Renner says. Producer Fabiano Gullane, co-founder of Gullane ('Senna'), echoes the praise. 'We have a great set of incentives in a federal capacity through the Ministry of Culture, but also trickle down with regional investments, all offering key programs for national and international co-production,' he says. The Ministry of Culture, alongside the National Film Agency ANCINE, manages Brazil's primary source of public financing mechanism, the Audiovisual Sector Fund (ASF). Gullane believes having the pot, instead of relying solely on attracting co-productions through rebate systems, is a great advantage to collaborating with Brazil, as producers can count on increasingly healthy financing systems on the federal and regional levels. 'Regional incentives are common in Europe and are becoming incredibly important in Brazil, like São Paulo's Spcine and Rio de Janeiro's Rio Filme,' he points out, adding that, 'The greatest benefit of working with Brazil is our capacity to structure the Brazilian part of the project financially. Plus, we are prepared to make any kind of project you bring to the table. And, of course, our currency is very attractive to international investors as we are five to the dollar.' Gustavo Gontijo, Executive Producer for Development at O2 Filmes ('City of God,' 'Marighella'), adds that the state of São Paulo in particular is 'coming in strong, with more volumous cash rebates and other incentives that will prove attractive to foreign investment.' The veteran also highlights another key advantage of collaborating with Brazil: 'diverse locations that go from forests to beaches to deserts.' Minister of Culture Margareth Menezes says the government is investing an 'unprecedented value' of $39 million in 'an open call for international co-production dedicated to feature films, animation, and documentaries, presented by independent production companies in an international co-production model.' A representative for Ancine points out that the growth in international co-production 'reflects public promotion initiatives and the positioning of Brazilian production companies as relevant agents in the global market.' In 2024, the ASF share destined for international co-productions resulted in projects involving over 40 countries. One such project is Kleber Mendonça Filho's Cannes competition entry 'The Secret Agent,' a co-production between France's MK Productions, Holland's Lemming, and Germany's One Two Films. Commenting on the collaboration, Filho says co-producing is 'a model that works for both sides and a great experience.' Projeto Paradiso, Brazil's only philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting the country's audiovisual industry, will also come in strong at Cannes this year. The company is sponsoring a delegation for the first time to capitalize on Brazil being the Country of Honor at Marché du Film, an investment focused on internationalization and fostering possible international partnerships. 'Spotlighting Brazilian professionals on the biggest film festival in the world is a strategic move to create an ecosystem favorable to growth in our industry,' says Projeto Paradiso Program Director Rachel do Valle. 'Brazil offers a strategic combination of legal safety, financial incentives, infrastructure, and established talent,' ANCINE concludes. 'Co-production laws are consolidated, incentives are mature, and the internal market is robust enough to attract partners interested in scale. Cultural diversity, alongside technical competence, makes Brazil a globally competitive country.' 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Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brazilian Comeback: How The Cannes 2025 Country Of Honor Is Following The Success Of ‘I'm Still Here'
The scenes of celebration across Brazil in Carnival season when Walter Salles' I'm Still Here won the Best International Feature Film Oscar in March were akin to the country winning the World Cup. The excitement followed a post-pandemic record-breaking $35.6 million box office in Brazil for the drama starring Fernanda Torres as real-life figure Eunice Paiva, whose husband Rubens Paiva disappeared from their home in the early years of Brazil's 1964-85 military dictatorship. More from Deadline Scarlett Johansson On Why The Script For Her Directorial Debut 'Eleanor The Great' Made Her Cry: 'It's About Forgiveness' – Cannes Cover Story Neon's Palme D'Or Whisperer Tom Quinn Reveals Keys To Cannes And Oscar Success: 'I'm Happy To Share A Playbook' As Tom Cruise Brings 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' To Cannes, All Five Franchise Directors Look Back At The Wild Ride 'That explosion of joy in the middle of the Carnival, which is the peak of our popular culture and the best of Brazil, the best of our collective capacity to actually say who we are, was extraordinary,' says Salles. The victory came hot on the heels of the Berlinale Grand Jury Prize win for Brazilian filmmaker and visual artist Gabriel Mascaro's The Blue Trail, a dystopian drama about a 77-year-old retiree's life-changing journey through the Amazon rainforest. Three months later, Brazil is out in force at the Cannes Film Festival with the selection of Kleber Mendonça Filho's political thriller The Secret Agent starring Mauro Wagner in the main competition. It is also the Country of Honor at the Cannes Marché du Film, with a delegation of film professionals expected on the Croisette, led by Minister of Culture Margareth Menezes, who also happens to be the queen of Brazilian Afropop. Elsewhere on the Croisette, Marianna Brennand, whose female-driven drama Manas earned the Director's Award in Venice's parallel section Giornate degli Autori in 2024, is being feted with the Women in Motion Emerging Talent Award. 'It's not just a coincidence, it's an astral connection,' jokes André Sturm, founder and president of promotional body Cinema Do Brasil, on the market honor. 'We were first offered the honor by the market two years ago… We didn't know about the Walter Salles movie. We couldn't have imagined the success,' he explains. The acceptance of the offer was spurred rather by left-wing Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's promise on his arrival in power in October 2022 to bolster the cultural sector. Aside from his ideological belief in the importance of culture, Lula also wants to make it a key part of the economy and job creation, particularly for younger generations. 'Audiovisual production is the strength of our cultural sector,' Menezes says. 'Despite political persecution and a lack of robust investment, the technical quality and talent of the sector's artistic community are undeniable.' Under this drive, $295 million has been earmarked for the film and TV sector to date. Lula's investment plans are astute. According to the national cinema agency Ancine, the audiovisual sector added $5 billion to GDP in 2023, and this figure is set to rise. The drive also makes Brazil an outlier in Latin America, where many other territories are slashing cultural budgets and censorship is on the rise. The most acute example is Argentina, where the far-right President Javier Milei has decimated the film sector. Brazil's cinema industry is recovering from its own brush with populism and authoritarianism under the 2019-2022 rule of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. During his time in power, which coincided with the pandemic, Bolsonaro disbanded the Ministry of Culture, cut cinema funding, and censored publicly funded projects. Menezes describes the federal government's $295 million investment as a 'rescue operation for the sector' following years of Bolsonaro's cuts. 'When we arrived, we found a wasteland of investments, a true chaos that was not easy to build,' the Minister says. Producer Tatiana Leite moved to France during Covid, 'exactly because of the lack of everything during the Bolsonaro government.' 'I could not work,' says the producer. She is now co-producing the latest feature from Portuguese auteur Miguel Gomes (Grand Tour), which will be a big-budget historical drama set to shoot next year in Brazil, and developing projects from newcomers Pedro Pinho (The Nothing Factory) and Pedro Freire (Malu). Cinema do Brasil also lost most of its funding for four years but stayed afloat by piecing together financing from a variety of other sources. 'People understood the importance of what we do… after the pandemic, our booths at Cannes and Berlin looked like a Formula 1 driver's jersey. We had many different small supporters who helped us continue our work,' says Sturm. Veteran producer Rodrigo Teixeira suggests the Bolsonaro years were a blip in an otherwise upward trajectory for Brazilian cinema going back 25 years. 'It all really started when Central Station opened the Berlin Film Festival. From then until today, there have been a lot of great filmmakers, investment by the state, tax incentives, international partnerships, and people winning prizes outside of Brazil,' he says, who has half a dozen projects on the boil including Gabe Klinger's Isabel. 2019 was a bumper year for Brazilian cinema. Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho's Bacurau won the Cannes Jury Prize, while Karim Aïnouz's The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão clinched the Un Certain Regard award. At Venice, two Brazilian directors, Bárbara Paz and Ricardo Laganaro, won awards, and in San Sebastián, the Brazil-set drama Pacified, backed by Darren Aronofsky, won the top film prize. 'Bolsonaro in power combined with the pandemic killed the industry for two or three years, but we are lucky enough to have great projects, filmmakers, producers, crews, writers and stories, and we've started working again,' says Teixeira. It is too soon to assess whether Lula's audiovisual investments are bearing fruit. So far, the government has prioritized broad investments, like pushing cash into regions of the country that do not have a tradition of filmmaking. Only a portion is being used directly to fund or support projects that will ultimately land in the marketplace. 'It's a matter of public policy. But an important part of this money will arrive in the industry, so there is excitement,' Sturm says. There is currently an open call in the country for producers and filmmakers to submit projects for public funding, which has ignited a frenzy in the local industry. 'The last call attracted something like 1,200 applications for a national grant that will pick only a few projects, so it's very competitive,' Leite says. 'But at least we have this. Under Bolsonaro, we didn't have anything.' São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro remain Brazil's central hubs for film production. Salles' I'm Still Here was shot entirely in the latter, which Leonardo Edde, president of RioFilme, says reinforces the city's reputation as the 'birthplace of Brazilian cinema.' 'In 2024 alone, we registered nearly 9,000 shooting days, making us the most filmed city in Latin America,' Edde says. Lula has also spearheaded a decentralized approach to local production, opening autonomous film offices with their own funds in each of the country's 27 states. The Secret Agent, for example, is shot in the director's home city of Recife, capital of the northeastern state of Pernambuco, which is also home to a growing cinema scene. 'That is huge in a country with many realities like Brazil,' Liete says. Still, funding projects and supporting local infrastructure is only part of the equation. When these films are made, where will they find their audience? Leite argues that this is where the picture becomes less clear, suggesting that bottlenecks in the distribution chain are also holding local cinema up. 'One of the biggest fragilities of our cinema is that we don't have many independent distribution companies. We don't have any incentives for distribution companies either. They have to fight hard to still exist,' Leite says. 'For our population, we also don't have enough movie theaters.' As of last year, Ancine listed 3,510 operational cinema screens in Brazil. The country has a population of around 211 million. In comparison, the UK, with a population of around 68 million, has 4,587 screens. In the backdrop, there are also questions around the impact on independent producers and the box office of the global streamers, with two bills currently passing through the legislature that would increase tax contributions and introduce quotas on national productions. Menezes says streaming regulation is an imperative that her office is broaching with great care to protect workers' rights and the health of the local production environment. 'It is good for those who produce, for those who finance, and for those who consume. We don't want to tax anything; we want what is fair,' she says. In the meantime, local streamer Globoplay recently embraced a theatrical strategy for its first two feature originals, I'm Still Here and Andrucha Waddington and Breno Silveira's Vitória, giving them long cinema windows. Tatiana Costa, director of content for digital products at Globo, says the strategy was coordinated with all the parties on the film with the group promoting the theatrical release across all its platforms. 'We don't want to cannibalize the cinema and vice-versa,' she says. Commenting on the government's film and TV drive, Globoplay Originals head of drama Alex Medeiros says it goes beyond direct subsidies, noting how a raising of the cap on state money that can be spent on an individual production had also been a game changer. Teixeira also believes the global spotlight placed on Brazilian cinema by I'm Still Here will encourage more international investment. He is also predicting an uptick in non-Brazilian directors coming to the country to shoot, especially out of the U.S., in the current political climate. 'I was talking to an American filmmaker who told me it's impossible for independent filmmakers to do films in the U.S. right now, because the costs are too high, and the streamers are aligned with Donald Trump… There could be options for those filmmakers here in Brazil,' he suggests. Brazil does not currently offer a nationwide incentive, but there are a number of state- and city-based rebate schemes, notably those run by SPcine in São Paulo and RioFilme in Rio de Janeiro. In the backdrop to this positive wave, the spectre of Bolsonaro as well as that of the military junta captured in I'm Still Here remains in the air. While Bolsonaro failed to kill off Brazilian cinema, the former stopped the country's Cinema Nova in its tracks, leaving a void that would not be filled again until the 1990s and early '00s with films like Central Station and City of God. 'Continuity is at the core of what will ensue, but we're certainly living in a moment of vitality,' says Salles. Edde describes the current moment as 'a new era for the Brazilian audiovisual sector.' 'And more than just celebrating this moment,' he says. 'We are ready to turn it into concrete business opportunities and social and economic development.' 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Malay Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Fear and loathing: Trump's proposed film tariffs send shockwaves through Latin America's movie industry
BOGOTA, May 8 — President Donald Trump's threat to slap tariffs on foreign-made movies has left Latin America's burgeoning film industry baffled and fearful. Until this last lazy Sunday evening, Latin American cinema had been riding high. I'm Still Here won Brazil its first Oscar in March, a drumbeat of hits topped streaming charts and more and more movies were being made in the region. Netflix recently announced it would invest US$1 billion (RM4.2 billion) to produce series and movies in Mexico over the next four years. Brazilian actor Selton Mello (left), Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres and director Walter Salles attend the red carpet of the movie 'Ainda estou aqui' (I'm Still Here) at the 81st International Venice Film Festival in September 2024. 'I'm Still Here' won Brazil its first Oscar in March. — AFP Then the US president — or perhaps an aide on his behalf — picked up a device and began to type. 'WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!' a Truth Social post screamed. 'I am authorising the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100 per cent Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands,' he posted. Like many of the 47th president's missives, it caused immediate shockwaves. Film-makers from Canada to Hollywood to Australia gasped, wondering if the final curtain was falling. But in Latin America, there was also confusion — a sense that something may have been lost in translation. Award-winning Argentine producer Axel Kuschevatzky — whose projects include Oscar-winning The Secret in Their Eyes — said the first task was to 'understand if the measures are going ahead' and 'what their scope would be.' 'Tariffs apply only to goods and not services,' he told AFP. 'In reality, audiovisual production is a service.' Marianna Souza, president of the Brazilian Association of Audiovisual Production, said it was also unclear if streaming platforms and cross-border productions would be included. The iconic Hollywood sign is shown behind a person sitting in the shade along Hollywood Blvd as the city prepares to host the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California February 25, 2025. — Reuters pic 'Made in America' The nightmare scenario is a blanket toll on foreign-made production. In Colombia, Gustavo Suarez, a cinema professor at Valle University, estimates that 60 to 70 per cent of local production is linked to international projects. Recently they have included Narcos and 100 Years of Solitude. 'Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and all these platforms are making more and more movies and series in Colombia because it's cheaper than making them in the United States,' he told AFP. 'There will be an impact,' he said. But filmmakers also point out that — much like the car market and its global supply chains — it does not always make sense to talk about films or series being from one country. 'Production is dynamic. You could have capital from four countries and film in four different countries,' said Kuschevatzky. Defining 'Made in America' is difficult. 'How do you define that? The financing? With who owns the intellectual property? Where it was filmed? A definition is complex.' — AFP
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
