Rio Film Festival Ends and 2015 Winners Announced

By Shalina Chatlani, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The 2015 Festival do Rio, or Rio Film Festival, ends today (October 14th), and the winners for the 17th edition of the festival were announced yesterday (October 13th). Winners were chosen from a selection of over 250 films, among the best of the recent Brazilian and international film industry.

The Première Brazil winner of the 2015 edition of the festival was Gabriel Mascaro’s Boi Neon, marking the third time since 2012 that a Pernambuco (state in Northeast of Brazil) film won the Redeemer Trophy for best fiction film of Première Brazil.

The film is set in the world of agricultural business and tells the story of a cowboy who wants to become a stylist. In addition to winning the festival, the production also won awards for best screenplay, best cinematography, and best supporting actress, for actress Alyne Santana.

Two Rio filmmakers shared the best director award at the Rio Festival: Anita Rocha da Silveira, for Mata-me Por Favor (Kill Me Please), and Ives Rosenfeld, for Aspirantes (Aspiring). Ariclenes Barroso of the former film won best actor, while Valentina Herszage in the latter film won the trophy for best actress.

In the documentary category, the award for best film went to Olmo e a Gaivota (Elm and the Seagull) by Petra Costa and Lea Glob, and the best direction award went to Maria Ramos, for Futuro Junho (Future June). The special prize of the jury for this edition of the festival went to a veteran Brazilian filmmaker, Ruy Guerra, for his film Quase Memória (Almost Memory), based on the novel of the same name by the writer Carlos Heitor Cony.

Finally, the audience award, given by the vote of the spectators during the sessions of Première Brazil, was given to Nise – O Coração da Loucura (The Heart of Madness) by Roberto Berliner for fiction. Betinho- A Esperança Equilibrista (Betinho – Hope Balancer) by Victor Lopes won for documentary, and Até a China (Until China) by Marão won short film.