Overview
The Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival (Festival do Rio) is Latin America's largest film festival. The 28th edition runs October 1 to 11, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro. The 27th edition (October 2 to 12, 2025) screened 389 films from 74 countries across 1,025 screenings in 28 cinemas in Rio de Janeiro and Niteroi, attracting 124,000 spectators, a 24% increase over the previous edition. The RioMarket, the festival's industry forum, runs October 1 to 10, 2026, alongside the public program.
Festival do Rio is the most important platform for international films seeking Brazilian distribution and for Brazilian filmmakers seeking domestic recognition. The Premiere Brasil competition is the country's primary competitive showcase for national cinema, receiving over 1,300 submissions in 2025 and selecting 131 productions (79 features, 48 shorts, and 4 series). The 2025 Best Fiction Feature winner was Pequenas Criaturas by Anne Pinheiro Guimaraes. Ato Noturno by Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher won three categories including the Felix Prize for best LGBTQIAPN+ narrative.
The festival is presented by the Ministry of Culture, Shell, and the City of Rio de Janeiro, with master sponsorship from Shell through the Federal Law of Cultural Incentive and special support from the City of Rio through RioFilme. Brazil is the largest film market in Latin America, and Rio de Janeiro is now the most filmed city in Latin America, surpassing Paris and Mexico City in the number of filming days permitted in public areas.
Festival History
Festival do Rio was founded in 1999 through the merger of two existing Rio film events: the Rio Cine Festival and the Mostra Banco Nacional. The festival grew rapidly through the 2000s alongside the Brazilian film renaissance that produced directors including Fernando Meirelles (City of God), Walter Salles (Central Station, I'm Still Here), and Jose Padilha (Elite Squad).
The festival has screened over 7,000 national and international features since its founding, including films that premiered at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto. The 2025 edition was notable for the breakout success of Walter Salles' I'm Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui), which symbolized a new moment for Brazilian cinema and was awarded at international ceremonies.
The Premiere Brasil competition has grown into the country's most important national cinema showcase. The 2025 edition set a submission record with over 1,300 films entered, reflecting the expansion of Brazilian audiovisual production supported by public funding mechanisms including the Audiovisual Sector Fund and RioFilme.
Festival do Rio is organized by Cinema do Rio and the Ministry of Culture/Government of Brazil, with master sponsorship from Shell through the Federal Law of Cultural Incentive and special support from the City of Rio de Janeiro through RioFilme. The festival's growth has paralleled Brazil's emergence as a major international film production center, with Rio de Janeiro becoming the most filmed city in Latin America.
Submission Details
Premiere Brasil (Brazilian films only):
- Submissions open: April 16, 2026
- Deadline: June 8, 2026 (extended from the original June 1 deadline)
- Submissions are free and made through the Festival do Rio official portal
- Open to fiction, documentary, and animation features and shorts
- Only majority-Brazilian co-productions are eligible
- No CNPJ (formal business registration) required; submissions can be made under a provisional name or the producer's name
- Selected films may be placed in competitive or non-competitive sections, including the Trofeu Redentor main competition and the Novos Rumos competition for new voices in Brazilian cinema
- Non-competitive sections include Hors-Concours, O Estado das Coisas, Geracao, Midnight Movies, and Retratos
- Online exhibition authorization is optional, not required for selection
- Up to 3 in-person screenings are authorized for selected films
International films:
- International programming is curated through relationships with sales agents, distributors, and the festival's programming team rather than through open submissions
- International films seeking Brazilian distribution should contact the festival's programming department or attend RioMarket
Key Sections
- Premiere Brasil - the main competitive section for Brazilian features and shorts, competing for the Trofeu Redentor
- Premiere Brasil: Novos Rumos - competition dedicated to new voices and formally innovative Brazilian cinema
- International Competition - films from around the world competing for jury prizes
- Panorama International - a broad survey of world cinema
- Hors-Concours - non-competitive Brazilian premieres
- O Estado das Coisas - non-competitive section for contemporary themes
- Geracao - youth-focused programming
- Midnight Movies - genre and late-night programming
- Retratos - documentary portraits
- Special Screenings - classics, restorations, and event films
- RioMarket - industry forum (October 1 to 10, 2026) with market screenings, panels, and networking
Past Winners
2025 (27th edition) - Premiere Brasil Competicao Principal (Trofeu Redentor):
- Best Fiction Feature: Pequenas Criaturas - dir. Anne Pinheiro Guimaraes. Co-produced by Bananeira Filmes and Globo Filmes, starring Carolina Dieckmmann. Distributed by Filmes do Estacao in partnership with Bananeira Filmes and RioFilme, with Brazilian theatrical release on July 23, 2026. Also selected for the Ingmar Bergman Competition at the Goteborg Film Festival.
- Best Documentary Feature: Apolo - dirs. Taina Muller and Isis Broken. Also won Best Soundtrack.
- Best Director (Fiction): Rogerio Nunes, Coracao das Trevas
- Best Director (Documentary): Mini Kerti, Dona Onete - Meu Coracao Neste Pedacinho Aqui
- Best Actor: Gabriel Faryas, Ato Noturno
- Best Screenplay: Ato Noturno - Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher
- Best Cinematography: Luciana Baseggio, Ato Noturno
- Best Art Direction: Claudia Andrade, Pequenas Criaturas
- Felix Prize (Best LGBTQIAPN+ Film): Ato Noturno - Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher. The directing duo previously won the Trofeu Redentor in 2018 for Tinta Bruta (Hard Paint).
- Audience Award, Fiction: #SalveRosa - dir. Susanna Lira
- Audience Award, Documentary: Cheiro de Diesel - dirs. Natasha Neri and Gizele Martins
Recent past winners (Best Fiction Feature):
- 2024: Baby (Marcelo Caetano) and Malu (Pedro Freire)
- 2023: A Batalha da Rua Maria Antonia (Vera Egito)
- 2022: Paloma (Marcelo Gomes)
- 2021: Medusa (Anita Rocha da Silveira)
- 2015: Neon Bull / Boi Neon (Gabriel Mascaro)
- 2012: Neighboring Sounds / O Som ao Redor (Kleber Mendonca Filho)
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
Festival do Rio has been a key platform for Brazilian cinema's international breakthrough. The Premiere Brasil competition has launched films that went on to international acclaim, distribution, and awards.
Neighboring Sounds (O Som ao Redor, 2012) by Kleber Mendonca Filho won the Trofeu Redentor for Best Fiction Feature. The film had world-premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and was distributed internationally by Vitrine Filmes. It was selected at festivals including Cannes, Toronto, and New York, and established Mendonca Filho as a major international filmmaker. He later directed Aquarius (2016, Cannes competition) and Bacurau (2019, Cannes Jury Prize).
Neon Bull (Boi Neon, 2015) by Gabriel Mascaro won the Trofeu Redentor. The film premiered at Venice and went on to play at Toronto, Sundance, and over 50 international festivals. It was distributed in the US by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
I'm Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui, 2024) by Walter Salles screened at the 2025 Festival do Rio as part of its Brazilian run. The film, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics in the US, won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2025 and grossed over $36 million worldwide. Fernanda Torres won the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The film's success at Festival do Rio symbolized a new moment for Brazilian cinema.
City of God (Cidade de Deus, 2002) by Fernando Meirelles, executive produced by Walter Salles, screened at Festival do Rio after its Cannes premiere. Miramax Films acquired North American distribution rights and the film grossed $30.6 million worldwide on a $3.3 million budget. It received 4 Academy Award nominations.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
For Brazilian filmmakers, Premiere Brasil is the most important domestic competitive platform. Submissions are free, which removes the financial barrier that exists at most international festivals. The competition received over 1,300 submissions in 2025, making it highly competitive. Winning the Trofeu Redentor for Best Fiction Feature or Best Documentary carries significant domestic industry weight and often leads to distribution deals and international festival attention.
The Novos Rumos competition is dedicated to new voices and formally innovative Brazilian cinema. If your film is a debut or experimental work, it may be better suited for Novos Rumos than the main competition. The festival also places films in non-competitive sections like Hors-Concours and O Estado das Coisas, which still provide valuable exposure.
For international filmmakers, Festival do Rio does not have open submissions. International programming is curated through relationships with sales agents and distributors. If your film is seeking Brazilian distribution, contact the programming department or attend RioMarket. The festival's October timing places it after Venice, Toronto, and San Sebastian, making it a strong late-season stop for films with established international reputations.
The RioMarket is the primary business forum and the best reason for international industry professionals to attend. It includes market screenings, pitch sessions, capacity-building workshops, and networking events that connect Brazilian producers with international sales agents, distributors, and financiers.
Industry Reputation Notes
Festival do Rio is the most important film festival in Latin America for both domestic industry and international access to the Brazilian market. The RioMarket is the festival's industry arm and the primary business forum for Brazilian audiovisual production. It connects Brazilian producers with international sales agents, distributors, and financiers, and provides a platform for co-production discussions between Brazilian and international companies.
Compared to the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI), Festival do Rio has a larger industry component through RioMarket and a stronger focus on Brazilian national cinema through Premiere Brasil. BAFICI has a stronger curatorial reputation for international art house cinema and a more cinephile-oriented audience. Festival do Rio's 124,000 attendance makes it one of the most widely attended film festivals in South America, giving it greater audience reach than BAFICI.
Compared to the Sao Paulo International Film Festival (Mostra), Festival do Rio has the competitive Premiere Brasil section and the RioMarket industry forum, which the Mostra lacks. The Mostra is a larger survey festival in terms of films screened but does not have the same industry infrastructure. Festival do Rio is the primary destination for international films seeking Brazilian distribution deals, which are frequently negotiated during the festival.
The 2025 edition benefited from historic public investment: the City of Rio invested R$131.1 million (in partnership with the Federal Government, ANCINE, and the Audiovisual Sector Fund), with R$31.1 million invested in 77 projects. RioFilme launched its largest public call ever: R$100 million for development, production, and distribution of works made in Rio, receiving 1,302 proposals, a 50% increase over 2024.
Awards / Accreditation
Premiere Brasil - Trofeu Redentor (Competicao Principal):
- Best Fiction Feature - Trofeu Redentor
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best Director (Fiction) and Best Director (Documentary)
- Best Actress and Best Actor
- Best Screenplay
- Best Cinematography
- Best Editing
- Best Sound
- Best Art Direction
- Best Costume Design (introduced in 2025)
- Audience Award (Fiction and Documentary, voted by festival audiences)
Premiere Brasil: Novos Rumos:
- Best Film (Novos Rumos competition)
- Audience Award (Novos Rumos)
International Competition:
- Best International Film - jury prize
Special awards:
- Felix Prize - best Brazilian film with LGBTQIAPN+ narrative
- Special Jury Prize
- Audience Award - across multiple categories
Festival do Rio is not Academy Award-qualifying. The festival's awards carry significant domestic industry weight in Brazil but do not provide direct pathways to Oscar consideration.
What Filmmakers Should Know
For Brazilian filmmakers, Premiere Brasil is the most important domestic competitive platform. The 2025 edition received over 1,300 submissions, making it one of the most competitive national showcases in Latin America. Winning the Trofeu Redentor for Best Fiction Feature or Best Documentary carries significant domestic industry weight and often leads to distribution deals and international festival attention.
For international filmmakers, Festival do Rio offers access to Brazil's theatrical market, one of the top 10 globally. The festival's October timing places it after the major European fall festivals (Venice, Toronto, San Sebastian) and concurrent with other Latin American festivals, providing films with established international reputations an opportunity to build Brazilian market momentum. International films that screen at Festival do Rio frequently secure Brazilian distribution deals negotiated during the festival.
The RioMarket is the festival's industry arm and the primary business forum. It runs October 1 to 10, 2026, and includes market screenings, pitch sessions, capacity-building workshops, and networking events. RioMarket connects Brazilian producers with international sales agents, distributors, and financiers, and provides a platform for co-production discussions between Brazilian and international companies.
The festival screens across 28 cinemas in Rio de Janeiro and Niteroi, including venues in the historic center, Leblon, Barra da Tijuca, and other neighborhoods. The heart of the event is at the Armazem da Utopia on Olympic Boulevard, which hosts debates and industry events.
Watch
See Also
To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. To estimate your probability of acceptance based on festival tier and film characteristics, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival strategy guidance, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding Latin American cinema markets, see International Film Markets. For distribution deals, see Distribution Deals Explained.
