Vera Egito’s Film Wins Top Honors at Festival do Rio
Short Summary:
The 25th Festival do Rio, an international film festival in Rio de Janeiro, announced its winners on October 15th. Vera Egito’s “A Batalha da Rua Maria Antônia” won the best fiction film, and “Othelo, o Grande” by Lucas H. Rossi dos Santos was chosen as the top documentary.The 25th iteration of Festival do Rio, the International Film Festival of Rio de Janeiro, unveiled its victors on Sunday, October 15th. The awards spanned various competitive categories of the festival, including Première Brasil, Première Brasil - New Trends, and the Felix Awards which honor films addressing LGBTQIAPN+ themes.
“A Batalha da Rua Maria Antônia”, a monochrome drama directed by Vera Egito that depicts a significant night in 1968 when students from opposing political ideologies clashed, was selected as the best fiction film in Première Brasil. The top documentary award went to “Othelo, o Grande”, directed by Lucas H. Rossi dos Santos, which explores the life and career of renowned Brazilian actor and comedian, Grande Otelo.
Three acting awards and an art direction award were given to Carolina Markowicz’s “Pedágio”. Markowicz had previously won the festival’s screenplay award in 2022.
Première Brasil is recognized globally as a major platform for showcasing Brazilian cinema. In 2023, over 90 Brazilian productions were selected - features and shorts - offering a broad panorama of both emerging and established filmmakers.
The festival received a total of 1,108 entries for Première Brasil in 2023 - comprising 790 shorts and 318 features - from Brazilian filmmakers and co-production partners with Brazil. Over 40 world premieres were included amongst the 54 feature films and 38 shorts screened in Première Brasil during the festival.
The awards for 2023 were announced during a gala ceremony held at the historic Cine Odeon - Centro Cultural Luiz Severiano Ribeiro, located in Cinelândia in central Rio de Janeiro. The event was hosted by actors Carla Cristina Cardozo and Bokassa Kabengele.
The Première Brasil - Redentor Trophy 2023 was judged by a panel consisting of Laís Bodanzky (President - Director, screenwriter and film producer), Gaia Furrer (Artistic director of Venice’s Giornate degli Autor), Isabél Zuaa (Collaborator on dance, film, theatre and television projects) João Vieira Jr. (Producer) and Renata Pinheiro (Director, screenwriter and art director).
The winners in various categories are as follows:
- Best Fiction Feature: “A Batalha da Rua Maria Antônia”, by Vera Egito (Producer: Paranoid Filmes)
- Best Documentary: “Othelo, o Grande”, by Lucas H. Rossi dos Santos (Producer: Franco Filmes)
- Best Short: Cabana, by Adriana de Faria (Producer: Adriana de Faria and Tayana Pinheiro)
- Special Jury Prize: “O Dia que te Conheci”, by André Novais de Oliveira (Producer: Filmes de Plástico)
- Jury - Honorary Mention: “Black Rio! Black Power!” by Emílio Domingos (Producer: Espiral)
The winners of the Première Brasil - New Trends (Novos Rumos) 2023 are:
- Best Film: “Saudade fez morada aqui dentro”, by Haroldo Borges (Producer: Plano 3 Filmes)
- Best Director: Ricardo Alves Jr. for “Tudo o que você podia ser” (Producer: Entrefimes)
- Special Jury Prize: “A Alma das Coisas”, by Douglas Soares (Producer: Acalante Filmes)
The Felix Awards 2023 celebrated films that address LGBTQIAPN+ culture and topics. The winners are:
- Best Brazilian Feature: “Sem Coração”, by Tião and Nara Normande
- Best International Feature: “20.000 Espécies de Abejas” (20,000 Species of Bees), by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren (Spain)
- Best Documentary: “Orlando, Ma Biografia Politique” (Orlando, My Political Biography), by Paul B. Preciado (France)
- Special Jury Prize: “Tudo o que você podia ser”, by Ricardo Alves Jr.
The Suzy Capó Trophy for Personality of the Year was awarded to Nanda Costa and Lan Lanh.
