The Rio Film Festival concluded its latest edition with an awards ceremony at Rio de Janeiro’s historic Odeon cinema, where Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias’ feature debut “The Riverbank” secured the top prize for Best Fiction Feature Film in the Première Brasil lineup, and Eryk Rocha’s “Elza” was named Best Documentary Feature Film.
Major Wins for ‘The Riverbank’ and ‘Elza’
Fresh off a win at the Locarno Film Festival, “The Riverbank” dominated multiple key categories throughout the evening. Set in Recife, the narrative follows Izaquiel (Caique Copque), a cleaner navigating nightly encounters who meets a fisherman named Jeremias (Ítalo Martins). The pair’s path takes them into surrounding mangroves against a backdrop of encroaching violence, blending realism and myth while examining structural power dynamics.
Rio Film Festival Première Brasil Key Award Winners
| Category | Recipient / Film |
|---|---|
| Fiction Feature Film | The Riverbank (dir. Enock Carvalho, Matheus Farias) |
| Documentary Feature Film | Elza (dir. Eryk Rocha) |
| Director – Fiction | Gabriel Martins (On Behalf of My Son) |
| Director – Documentary | Camila Valença (Cão Sem Plumas) |
| Actor | Victor di Marco (London) |
| Actress (Tie) | Grace Passô (The French Teacher) & Isabel Teixeira (Diário do Fogo) |
| Supporting Actor | Pedro Goifman (The French Teacher) |
| Supporting Actress | Renna Costa, Artia, and Ísis Broken (The Riverbank) |
| Screenplay | Gabriel Martins (On Behalf of My Son) |
| Cinematography | Luciana Baseggio (The Riverbank) |
| Original Score | Florencia Di Concilio (The French Teacher) |
| Short Film | Santo (dir. Maria Luísa Alves) |
In addition to the premier fiction award, “The Riverbank” earned technical and performance accolades. Luciana Baseggio received the cinematography award, while Moabe Filho, Guma Farias, Daniel Turini, and João Victor Coura shared honors for sound design. The film’s cast members Renna Costa, Artia, and Ísis Broken were jointly recognized with the Supporting Actress prize. The project also claimed the Brazilian Film honor from the LGBTQIA+-focused Felix Awards jury.
Eryk Rocha’s documentary “Elza” captured the top non-fiction honor. Following his previous work “The Falling Sky,” the project examines the seven-decade career and personal life of iconic Brazilian singer Elza Soares through rare archival footage and conversations recorded in her final years. The production received backing from Aruac Filmes, Maria Farinha Filmes, Globo Filmes, RAI Cinema, and Gullane+.
Première Brasil Recognizes Festival Circuit Standouts
Several other productions that previously debuted at international festivals took home notable awards. Gabriel Martins received the Best Director prize in fiction as well as the Screenplay award and the Fiction Feature Audience Award for “On Behalf of My Son,” which had screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Ricardo Alves Jr.’s San Sebastián entry “The French Teacher” collected multiple honors, including an ex aequo Best Actress win for Grace Passô, shared alongside Isabel Teixeira for “Diário do Fogo.” The film also earned Best Supporting Actor for Pedro Goifman and Best Original Score for composer Florencia Di Concilio.
Victor di Marco earned Best Actor for his role in “London,” a project co-directed with Márcio Picoli that originally screened at the Venice Film Festival. “London” additionally took home Best Costume Design for Samy Sill and the FIPRESCI Award for Best Brazilian Film.
Jury Leadership Across Key Sections
The Première Brasil competition was evaluated by a jury led by producer Esther García, joined by Berlinale co-director of programming Jacqueline Lyanga, French producer Sophie Erbs, composer Flavia Tygel, and casting director Marcela Altberg. In the documentary category, Camila Valença took home the directing award for “Cão Sem Plumas.”
The festival’s parallel sections also celebrated diverse filmmaking talent. The Novos Rumos (New Trends) jury, presided over by director-editor Karen Harley alongside Maira Oliveira, Dora Amorim, and Guto Parente, awarded its top Feature Film prize to Ulisses Arthur’s “Não Estamos Sonhando.” Meanwhile, the Felix Jury, led by lawyer Ericka Gavinho, selected Leyla Bouzid’s “À voix basse” as Best International Film alongside its recognition of “The Riverbank.”
With multiple honorees already holding selections across major summer and fall festivals, the recognized titles will continue through their respective international distribution tracks and award seasons.
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Source: Variety
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