The Festival do Rio (Portuguese: Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival) is an international film festival in Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 1999, the festival is one of the largest film event in Latin America and one of the main meeting points for professionals in the Brazilian audiovisual industry.
Since its founding, the event has featured not only Brazilian productions but also films from all over the world. The festival’s trophy and ultimate symbol, as well as a symbol of the city itself, is the (Troféu Redentor). History Festival do Rio was founded in 1999 as the result of the merger of two earlier film festivals: the Rio Cine Festival, founded in 1984, and the Mostra Banco Nacional de Cinema, founded in 1988. In its first edition, held between September 16 and 30, the festival featured a program of more than 400 titles, including premieres by Brazilian filmmakers such as Carlos Reichenbach, Eduardo Coutinho, and Walter Salles, alongside a wide range of international works.
In the 2007 edition, the festival achieved the historic milestone of screening more than 300 previously unreleased films, both Brazilian and international, from 60 countries, including award-winning titles from major festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, and Venice, as well as from the Academy Awards.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival’s 21st edition was postponed to the following year. The 2021 edition was broadcast on the Telecine network between July 17 and 30, 2021, via streaming and on the Telecine Cult TV channel. Subsequently, free festival screenings were announced on digital platforms and through an in-person extension at Estação Net Botafogo. The full selection of the 2021 edition was presented from December 9 to 19, 2021, also in a hybrid format, both in-person and virtual. In December of the same year, it was announced that the festival’s business market, RioMarket, would be held virtually for the first time.
Sections
Brazilian Premiere (Première Brasil): An official jury awards the Redentor Trophy for the Best Picture to the best Brazilian production in the section. The prize is awarded alongside 10 other categories, including Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor. Opening and Closing Galas (Galas de Abertura e Encerramento): Brazilian (or LATAM) premieres of acclaimed films. Expectations (Expectativa): First or second features from upcoming filmmakers World Panorama (Panorama Mundial): Brazilian (or LATAM) premieres of new films from renowned filmmakers. Unique Itineraries (Itinerários Únicos): Documentaries about personalities and renowned voices. The State of Things (O Estado das Coisas): Current affairs documentaries about contemporary society. Latin Premiere (Première Latina): Local premiere of new films from Latin filmmakers. Classics (Clássicos e Cults): Restored, celebrated, or undiscovered classic films. Midnight Movies: Horror and thriller films
Winners
Redentor Trophy for the Best Picture Year English titleOriginal title Director 1999 A Pessoa é para o que Nasce Roberto Berliner 2000 Tainá: An Adventure in the Amazon Tainá - Uma Aventura na Amazônia Tânia Lamarca and Sérgio Bloch 2001 Bellini and the SphinxBellini e a Esfinge Roberto Santucci 2002 Que sera, seraSeja o que Deus Quiser! Murilo Salles 2003 The StorytellersNarradores de Javé Eliane Caffé 2004 Contra Todos Roberto Moreira2005Lower CityCidade BaixaSérgio Machado2006Suely in the SkyO Céu de SuelyKarim Aïnouz2007MutumSandra Kogut2008If Nothing Else Works OutSe Nada Mais Der Certo José Eduardo Belmonte2009The Famous and The DeadOs Famosos e os Duendes da Morte Esmir Filho2010VIPsToniko Melo2011 A Hora e a Vez de Augusto MatragaVinícius Coimbra2012Neighboring SoundsO Som ao RedorKleber Mendonça Filho2013A Wolf at the DoorO Lobo Atrás da PortaFernando CoimbraDe Menor Caru Alves de Souza2014Blue BloodSangue azulLírio Ferreira2015Neon BullBoi neonGabriel Mascaro2016Fala ComigoFelipe Sholl2017Good MannersAs Boas ManeirasJuliana Rojas and Marco Dutra2018Hard PaintTinta brutaMarcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher2019Fim de Festa Hilton Lacerda2021Anita Rocha da Silveira2022Marcelo Gomes2023A Batalha da Rua Maria Antônia Vera Egito2024BabyMarcelo Caetano Pedro Freire2025Pequenas Criaturas Anne Pinheiro Guimarães
References
External links