The Riverbank and Elza Take Top Prizes at Rio Film Festival
“The Riverbank” has won Best Fiction Feature Film at the Rio Film Festival, with “Elza” taking Best Documentary Feature Film, according to Variety.
“The Riverbank” was directed by Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias. “Elza” was directed by Eryk Rocha. Both prizes were decided in Première Brasil, the festival’s competition strand for Brazilian films.
The awards were presented at a ceremony at the Odeon cinema in Rio de Janeiro, Variety reported. It closed the 28th edition of the festival, which ran from 1 to 11 October across Rio de Janeiro, according to Rio Times Online.
It was a strong night for “The Riverbank.” Luciana Baseggio won for cinematography, and Moabe Filho, Guma Farias, Daniel Turini and João Victor Coura shared the sound design prize for the film.
Gabriel Martins had a double win for “On Behalf of My Son,” taking Director – Fiction and Screenplay. Camila Valença won Director – Documentary for “Cão Sem Plumas,” while Maria Luísa Alves’s “Santo” won Short Film in Première Brasil.
The acting prizes were spread widely. Victor di Marco won Actor for “London,” and Pedro Goifman won Supporting Actor for “The French Teacher.” Actress was shared ex aequo, meaning a tie, between Isabel Teixeira for “Diário do Fogo” and Grace Passô for “The French Teacher,” with Florencia Di Concilio winning Original Score for “The French Teacher.”
“Elza” profiles singer Elza Soares, described by Festival do Rio as known for her radical voice, visceral improvisation and raspy timbre. The film’s win puts a music story at the centre of this year’s documentary honours.
The wider programme included more than 350 features, shorts, series and documentaries, according to Rio Times Online. The 2026 edition added a New Generations showcase for Brazilian work aimed at younger audiences and families, and an inaugural Fantastic: Brasil section for genre film and new Latin American voices.
What makes this stand out is the spread. No single title swept the board. For fans, this means a long watchlist from one festival, with fiction, documentary and shorts all sending different winners out into wider release.
