Brazilian cinema faces anxious wait as presidential vote nears, Rio festival hears
Director Marcelo Gomes raised his hand in an "L" on stage in Rio de Janeiro and the room erupted.
He was sitting with actor Rodrigo Santoro and Rio Film Festival director Ilda Santiago at RioMarket, the industry side of the festival, on a Friday morning two days before Brazil's presidential polls were due to open, according to Variety. The venue was Armazém da Utopia, a portside warehouse in Rio. The published programme billed the session as "A Conversation Between Rodrigo Santoro and Marcelo Gomes," listed for 02 October from 10:30 to 12:00, according to RioMarket.
Politics was close by. Sitting president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was campaigning for re-election, paraded in central Rio a few hundred metres from the venue during the industry event, according to Variety. The tight race was between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro.
Santiago told the room that cinema is the greatest diplomatic tool for countries and governments to understand one another. She added that strong public policies are the foundation of a healthy film industry.
The warning landed after a run of international attention for Brazil. Walter Salles' "I'm Still Here" won Brazil its first Oscar in 2025. Kleber Mendonça Filho's "The Secret Agent" won two prizes at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
That success followed sharp swings in state support. Soon after taking office, the government of Jair Bolsonaro cut budgets for Brazil's National Cinema Agency, known as ANCINE, and the Audiovisual Sector Fund by nearly 43%. It then imposed an 18-month freeze of public funds for the agency before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brazilian films still broke through. "Bacurau" by Mendonça Filho and "The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão" by Karim Aïnouz both won awards at Cannes months after Bolsonaro's presidency was confirmed.
After his re-election in 2022, Lula pledged R$1.6 billion ($298 million) to support national film and television production. He has also hosted regular screenings of Brazilian films at the presidential residency in Brasilia.
What makes this stand out for general audiences is how directly Brazilian production relies on public money. The funds pay for development, shoots and releases long before a ticket is sold.
Another question hangs over financing. Authorities are examining around R$61 million ($12 million) in funds provided by Daniel Vorcaro, the owner of Brazil's Banco Master, according to Variety.
