Brazil’s Rio Film Festival Hands Recife Drama 5 Awards
CULTURE · BRAZIL
Key Facts
- —The country Brazil’s Festival do Rio is the main annual film festival in Rio de Janeiro. Its 28th edition ran from 1 to 11 October.
- —Why it matters Rio prizes flag Brazilian films that may later reach US festivals and streaming. Netflix and the Ford Foundation are among the event’s backers.
- —Why now The Festival do Rio winners were named on Sunday 11 October at the Cine Odeon in central Rio.
- —What happened A Margem do Rio, a Recife drama, took 5 awards, including best fiction feature and the Felix prize. Elza, about singer Elza Soares, was best documentary.
- —The numbers 101 Brazilian features and shorts screened; 45 of them competed in the official sections, according to the festival.
- —What it means for you Watch these titles for US festival slots and streaming deals. The closing film, Club Kid, sold distribution rights for US$17 million, Folha reported.
- —Still open Final attendance, the encore schedule and any US releases for the Brazilian winners have not been confirmed.
The Festival do Rio winners were announced on Sunday 11 October in Rio de Janeiro. A Recife drama, A Margem do Rio, won five prizes. The festival closed its 28th edition at the Cine Odeon.
For US viewers, the list is an early guide to Brazilian films that may travel. Two winners had already won prizes at Locarno and Venice, Folha de S.Paulo reported. The closing film arrived with a US$17 million distribution deal.
The festival ran from Thursday 1 October to Sunday 11 October across Rio. Its organisers say it showed titles from more than 60 countries.
Who Won the Main Prizes
The main competition is the Première Brasil. Its winners receive the Troféu Redentor, or Redeemer Trophy.
A Margem do Rio, directed by Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias, won best fiction feature. It also took cinematography, sound and a shared supporting actress prize for Renna Costa, Artia and Ísis Broken.
Its fifth award was the Felix prize for best Brazilian film. The Felix is the festival’s award for LGBTQIA+ cinema.
Folha, the São Paulo daily, said the film follows a young man who cruises Recife’s mangroves at night. Folha also reported it had already won a special jury prize at Locarno.
Elza, Eryk Rocha’s documentary about the late singer Elza Soares, won best documentary feature. Folha said the film weaves the singer’s own voice into archive footage.
Gabriel Martins’s Vicentina Pede Desculpas won best fiction director, best screenplay and the audience award for fiction. The audience prize for documentary went to Anna Azevedo’s Fui Olhar Você Dormir.
Santo, by Maria Luísa Alves, was named best short film.
Records and Firsts on Closing Night
Grace Passô shared best actress with Isabel Teixeira of Diário do Fogo. Passô won for A Professora de Francês, a horror-tinged drama about religious fanaticism.
According to the festival, she is the first woman to win the Redentor for best actress three times. Her earlier wins came in 2017 and 2023.
Victor di Marco won best actor for LONDON, which also took costume design. The film won the prize of FIPRESCI, the international federation of film critics, for best Brazilian film.
Folha reported that LONDON had won the Queer Lion at the Venice Critics’ Week.
O Filho da Puta, by Otto Guerra, Erica Maradona, Tania Anaya and Sávio Leite, won the Première Brasil special jury prize. The festival called it the first animated film to win that award.
In the Novos Rumos section for emerging talent, Ulisses Arthur’s Não Estamos Sonhando won best feature. The festival said it is the first feature made in Alagoas state to compete in, and win at, the festival.
The Première Brasil jury was led by Esther García, executive producer at El Deseo, Pedro Almodóvar’s production company. It included Jacqueline Lyanga, a former director of AFI Fest in Los Angeles and co-head of film programming at the Berlinale.
What It Means for You
For American audiences, Rio is a preview. Brazilian films that win here often move on to festivals and streaming platforms abroad.
The closing film, Club Kid by Jordan Firstman, follows a gay man in his thirties on the New York club scene. Folha reported its distribution rights sold for US$17 million after a bidding contest.
The festival’s backers also tie it to the US. Netflix and the Ford Foundation are listed among its institutional supporters, alongside Brazil’s tourism board, Embratur.
The event is presented by Brazil’s Ministry of Culture, Shell and Rio City Hall. Shell is master sponsor through the federal culture incentive law.
Visitors in Rio this week can still catch some titles. Folha reported encore screenings during the week after the closing ceremony.
What Is Not Known
The festival’s results release gives no final attendance figure. Mídia NINJA, a Brazilian independent outlet, said organisers put attendance above 150,000; we could not confirm that number.
The full encore schedule was not confirmed in the festival’s own results release.
None of the festival’s materials we reviewed names a US distributor or release date for the Brazilian winners. Folha did not name the buyer of Club Kid.
The festival also said its results page was still being updated on Sunday night, so further honours may be added.
Earlier coverage: Festival do Rio Day 6: Brazil’s Oscar Entry Screens and Festival do Rio Day 7: Competition Films Screen.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Festival do Rio 2026 take place?
The 28th Festival do Rio ran from Thursday 1 October to Sunday 11 October 2026 in Rio de Janeiro. The winners were announced at the closing ceremony at the Cine Odeon on Sunday night.
Which film won the top prize at Festival do Rio 2026?
A Margem do Rio, by Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias, won the Troféu Redentor for best fiction feature. It won five awards in total, including the Felix prize for best Brazilian film.
Who won best actress and best actor?
Grace Passô and Isabel Teixeira shared best actress. Passô became the first woman to win the award three times. Victor di Marco won best actor for LONDON.
Sources: Festival do Rio, official results, 11 October 2026 (https://www.festivaldorio.com.br/br/noticias/festival-do-rio-2026-anuncia-os-vencedores-do-trofeu-redentor-e-do-premio-felix-premiados-ganhadores-conquista); Festival do Rio, Grace Passô release (https://www.festivaldorio.com.br/br/noticias/festival-do-rio-2026-grace-passo-e-a-primeira-mulher-a-vencer-tres-vezes-o-trofeu-redentor-de-melhor-atriz); Festival do Rio, special jury prize release (https://www.festivaldorio.com.br/br/noticias/festival-do-rio-2026-o-filho-da-puta-faz-historia-como-primeira-animacao-a-vencer-o-premio-especial-do-juri); Festival do Rio, Novos Rumos release (https://www.festivaldorio.com.br/br/noticias/nao-estamos-sonhando-vence-a-mostra-novos-rumos-em-marco-para-o-cinema-alagoano); Festival do Rio, 2026 jury (https://www.festivaldorio.com.br/br/festival/juri); Festival do Rio, festival dates (https://www.festivaldorio.com.br/br); Folha de S.Paulo, 11 October 2026 (https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/2026/10/festival-do-rio-premia-a-margem-do-rio-e-documentario-sobre-elza-soares.shtml); Mídia NINJA, 11 October 2026 (https://midianinja.org/festival-do-rio-2026-anuncia-vencedores-a-margem-do-rio-e-o-grande-vencedor/).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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