Festival do Rio Day 7: Competition Films Screen

Brazil · Life & Culture, 7 October 2026

Day seven of the Festival do Rio brings a Brazilian western, a world-premiere documentary and a debate with the makers of a Recife drama to Rio’s cinemas. Here is how to plan Wednesday.

What Wednesday Brings

The competition takes the lead. A Margem do Rio, directed by Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias, is in the main fiction competition of the Première Brasil. It follows Izaquiel, a cleaner who lives in Recife and seeks secret encounters in the mangroves at night, where he meets Jeremias, a fisherman who guides him deep into the swamp. Its gala was on Tuesday evening at the Estação Claro Gávea. On Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. the Cine Odeon in Cinelândia hosts a screening with a debate with the film’s team.

That format is the Odeon’s role in the competition. The galas take place at the Estação Claro Gávea, and the Odeon shows the same films the following day with a discussion afterwards.

Maria de Maria, the second feature of director Luiza Shelling Tubaldini, after Love Kills (2025), plays at 7:15 p.m. at the Estação Claro Gávea, rooms 4 and 5. Nanda Costa stars as a young cangaceira, a woman who once rode with the armed bands of Brazil’s north-east backlands. The story is set in 1940. Pregnant and without her band, Maria flees to the Centre-West and tries to rebuild her life, against the background of the Marcha para o Oeste, a westward settlement programme of the Vargas government.

Documentaries, Panels and a Free Venue

The veteran filmmaker Eduardo Escorel presents the world premiere of his documentary Paraíso Semiárido at 6:45 p.m. at the Cinesystem Belas Artes Botafogo, room 3. The festival also shows his documentary diptych O Tempo e o Lugar (2008).

The FGV Cultural Center in Botafogo has the most generous programme for visitors on a budget, because all of its sessions are free. At 6:45 p.m. it shows the documentary Pardo é papel (92 minutes) with the short Cadu Barcellos – Cria não morre, vira lenda (15 minutes). At 9:15 p.m. it follows with the fiction film Minha primeira namorada (90 minutes) and the short Cinderela do samba (16 minutes).

The centre also hosts an academic seminar, “Cinema and Visual Culture”, from 6 to 8 October, with admission free. Check the FGV site for the day and time of each panel.

Across the Bay in Niterói

The festival also reaches Niterói, across Guanabara Bay. The Reserva Cultural Niterói, which marks its tenth anniversary this year, shows four titles on Wednesday: La Piscine by Jacques Deray at 2:00 p.m., Rosebush Pruning by Karim Aïnouz at 4:40 p.m., We’ll Find Happiness by Léa Pool at 7:00 p.m. and Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine at 9:15 p.m.

A single ticket costs R$32 (about US$6.40) at full price and R$16 (about US$3.20) at half price, converted at the EODHD rate of R$4.975 per US dollar on 7 October. Festival packages bring the price per ticket down to as little as R$12 (about US$2.40).

Why the Festival Matters Beyond the Screens

The Festival do Rio offers 359 titles over eleven days, which makes it one of the largest film events in Latin America. It works as a shop window for Brazilian cinema abroad. Allan Deberton’s Feito Pipa, which we covered on Tuesday, is Brazil’s entry for the 2027 Oscars. For American readers following the Academy Awards or the streaming catalogues, the competition is an early look at films that may travel north.

Looking ahead, the documentary Fernanda by Pedro Waddington, about the career of Fernanda Montenegro, is scheduled for the Cine Odeon on Thursday 8 October. The festival closes on Sunday 11 October, and the Première Brasil closing gala is due to give the premiere of 100 Dias by Carlos Saldanha, director of the Rio animated films. We could not confirm the date of the awards ceremony, so we do not give one here.

For visitors, the practical points are simple. Rio is one hour ahead of New York until the US clocks change on 1 November, so a 7:15 p.m. screening in Rio starts at 6:15 p.m. on the US East Coast. Programmes and rooms can change, so check the official schedule at festivaldorio.com.br before leaving.

Earlier coverage: Day 6 report, Day 5 report and our full festival guide.

More: Brazil news, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Festival do Rio 2026 take place?

The 28th edition runs from 1 to 11 October 2026 across cinemas in Rio de Janeiro and Niterói.

What is on at Festival do Rio on Wednesday 7 October?

Wednesday includes the debate session for A Margem do Rio at 4:30 p.m. at the Cine Odeon, Maria de Maria at 7:15 p.m. at the Estação Claro Gávea and the documentary Paraíso Semiárido at 6:45 p.m. at the Cinesystem Belas Artes Botafogo.

Are there free screenings at Festival do Rio?

Yes. The FGV Cultural Center in Botafogo offers free admission to its film sessions, including Pardo é papel at 6:45 p.m. and Minha primeira namorada at 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday. A free academic seminar also runs there from 6 to 8 October.

How much is a ticket at Reserva Cultural Niterói?

A single ticket costs R$32 (about US$6.40) at full price and R$16 (about US$3.20) at half price, at R$4.975 per US dollar.

What time is the festival in New York time?

Rio is one hour ahead of New York until 1 November, so a 7:15 p.m. screening in Rio starts at 6:15 p.m. on the US East Coast.

Where can I check the full programme?

The official schedule is at festivaldorio.com.br. Times and rooms can change.

Sources: Festival do Rio (official programme); FGV Cultural Center; Reserva Cultural Niterói; Riotur; EODHD (exchange rate).