The film I’m Still Here, directed by Walter Salles, has been selected to represent Brazil in the race for the Best International Feature Film Oscar in 2025. The announcement was made by the Brazilian Academy of Cinema following a unanimous decision by the selection committee.
The film won the Best Screenplay award at the Venice Film Festival and has been screened at the Toronto and San Sebastián festivals, in addition to being selected for the New York Film Festival.
“I am proud to chair this committee, which was unanimous in choosing this great film about memory, a moving portrait of a family under the military dictatorship. I’m Still Here is a masterpiece, told through the eyes of a woman, Eunice Paiva, with sublime performances from both Fernandas. This is a historic moment for our cinema. I have no doubt that this film has a great chance of placing Brazil once again among the best in the world. We, from the Brazilian audiovisual industry, deserve this,” said Bárbara Paz, president of the Selection Committee, in a statement from the Brazilian Academy of Cinema.
Starring Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro, and Selton Mello, the film is an adaptation of the autobiographical work of Marcelo Rubens Paiva, in which he tells the story of his mother, Eunice Paiva, widow of Rubens Paiva, who was taken from their home and killed by the military during the dictatorship in Brazil. For decades, Eunice Paiva sought the truth about what happened to her husband and became a prominent voice against the military regime and for the opening of the dictatorship’s archives and the search for the memory of the political disappeared.
In middle age, Eunice Paiva is portrayed by actress Fernanda Torres, who has been praised for her performance by critics. In old age, the character is played by Fernanda Montenegro, one of Brazil’s greatest actresses and mother of Fernanda Torres.
From Agência Brasil