Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival (Festival do Rio)

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 Guimarães. 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.

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

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. The 2025 edition's 124,000 attendance makes it one of the most widely attended film festivals in South America.

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.

Major Awards

Premiere Brasil (Trofeu Redentor):

• Best Fiction Feature - Trofeu Redentor
• Best Documentary
• Best Director
• Best Actress and Best Actor
• Best Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Editing
• Best Sound
• Best Art Direction
• Audience Award

Premiere Brasil: Novos Rumos:

• Best Film (Novos Rumos competition)

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

2025 Premiere Brasil winners:

• Best Fiction Feature: Pequenas Criaturas (Anne Pinheiro Guimarães)
• Triple winner: Ato Noturno (Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher) - also won the Felix Prize

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.

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.