The 27th edition of Festival do Rio, Rio de Janeiro’s International Film Festival, announced its winners Sunday (12 October) for the competitive sections of the festival, including Première Brasil, New Trends and the Felix Awards for films that celebrate LGBTQIAPN+- culture and topics.

“Pequenas Criaturas” (Little Creatures) directed by Anne Pinheiro Guimarães, and produced by Bananeira Filmes’ was chosen by the jury to be the best fiction film in Première Brasil, while Tainá Müller and Ísis Broken’s “Apolo”, produced by Capuris, won best documentary. “Pequenas Criaturas” also picked up best best art direction while “Apolo” won best soundtrack.

Set in Brasilia in 1986, “Little Creatures” is the story of a woman who has barely settled into Brazil’s futuristic capital with her family when her husband departs on a business trip. Abandoned in an unfamiliar city, she questions her choices while feeling frustrated and adrift, as her teenage son rebels and discovers first love, and her seven-year-old finds magic in unlikely friendships and invisible possibilities.

The documentary “Apolo” follows Isis and Lourenzo, who after conceiving a child naturally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, embarked on a journey across Brazil in search of respectful and specialised prenatal care. At the same time, they continued their daily struggle, for their family’s rights in a country that has one of the highest cases of trans people being killed.

Overall the prizes were well spread out among the rest of the competing films, but in the main competition, Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher’s “Ato Noturno” (Night Stage), that premiered in Berlin’s Panorma, picked up trophies for best actor, for Gabriel Faryas’ performance, for best cinematography, and for the directors’ screenplay. It was also chosen to be the best Brazilian feature by the FELIX Jury that celebrates LGBTQIAPN+- culture and topics.

“Ruas da Glória” (Street of Gloria) picked up both the supporting actor and actress prizes for performances by Alejandro Claveaux and Diva Mennier, while Klara Castanho won for best actress in Susanna Lira’s “#SalveRosa” (#SaveRose) that also won for best costume design. Renata Russo becoming the first winner in this new festival category. The film also picked up the prestigious audience award for best feature in Première Brasil.

Festival audiences chose Natasha Neri and Gizele Martin’s “Cheiro de Diesel” (Small of Diesel) as best documentary. A documentary about the collective traumas caused by the militarisation of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas during the Armed Forces’ occupation for major sporting events, it also picked up the Special Jury Prize.

“Uma em Mil” (One in a Thousand) directed by Jonatas Rubert and Tiago Ruber was chosen best film by the New Trends jury while festival audiences picked “Herança de Narcisa” (Narcisa’s Will) as their favourite film in New Trends.

Première Brasil is considered one of the world’s most important showcases and shop windows for Brazilian cinema, and in 2025 over 120 Brazilian productions were selected – features and shorts – allowing the festival to showcase a wide panorama of young and established Brazilian filmmakers.

Festival do Rio received 1320 entries for Première Brasil in 2025 – 320 features and over one thousand shorts – from filmmakers from across Brazil, as well as co-productions with other countries. There were 54 world premieres amongst the films selected for Première Brasil, screening in official competition, New Directions, Portraits, The State of Things, Midnight Movies and Hors Concours, among other festival sections.

The Felix jury, for films that celebrate LGBTQIAPN+- culture and topics, picked “Ato Noturno” (Night Stage), directed by Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher, as best Brazilian feature; Australia’s “Lesbian Space Princess”, directed by Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobb, as best international feature; and Alain Ribeiro’s “Copacabana, 4 de Maio” as best documentary, a film that shows how Rio de Janeiro prepared and how the fans were affected, waiting anxiously for the May 4th concert by Madonna on Copacabana Beach.

The awards for 2025 were announced and presented during a gala ceremony Sunday at the historic Cine Odeon – Centro Cultural Luiz Severiano Ribeiro, in Cinelândia in the heart of Rio de Janeiro.

Première Brasil – Redentor Trophy – 2025

Premiere Brasil Jury: President: Eric Lagesse (distributor, sales agent and producer), Carolina Kotscho (author, director and producer), Claudia Kopke (costume designer), Elena Manrique (executive producer), Javier Garcia Puerto (film and video curator), Luciana Bezerra (director, screenwriter and actress),Paula Astorga (producer and audiovisual project consultant)

Best Fiction Feature: “PEQUENAS CRIATURAS”, directed by Anne Pinheiro Guimarães

Production Company: BANANEIRA FILMES

Best Documentary: “APOLO”, directed by Tainá Müller and Ísis Broken

Production Company: CAPURI

Best Short: (ex aequo)

“SEBASTIANA”, directed by Pedro de Alencar

Production Company: TERRA BRUTA / CÉU E SANGUE FILMES

“O FAZ-TUDO”, directed by Fábio Leal

Production Company: CASA LÍQUIDA

Special Jury Prize: “CHEIRO DE DIESEL”, directed by Natasha Neri and Gizele Martins

Production Company: AMANA CINE / BARACOA FILMES

Best Director – Feature Fiction: ROGÉRIO NUNES, for “Coração das Trevas”

Best Director – Documentary: MINI KERTI, for “Dona Onete – Meu Coração Neste Pedacinho Aqui”

Best Actress:  KLARA CASTANHO, for “#SalveRosa”

Best Actor: GABRIEL FARYAS, for “Ato Noturno”

Best Supporting Actress: DIVA MENNER, for “Ruas da Glória”

Best Supporting Actor: ALEJANDRO CLAVEAUX, for “Ruas da Glória”

Best Screenplay: FILIPE MATZEMBACHER and MARCIO REOLON, for “Ato Noturno”

Best Editing: ANDRÉ FINOTTI, for “Honestino”

Best Cinematography: LUCIANA BASEGGIO, for “Ato Noturno”

Best Art Direction: CLAUDIA ANDRADE, for “Pequenas Criaturas”

Best Costume Design: RENATA RUSSO, for “#SalveRosa”

Best Sound: ARIEL HENRIQUE and TALES MANFRINATO, for “Love Kills”

Best Soundtrack: PLÍNIO PROFETA, for “Apolo”

Première Brasil – New Trends (Novos Rumos) 2025

New Trends Jury: President: Beth Formaggini(filmmaker), Davi Pretto (director and screenwriter), Lucas H. Rossi (director and producer), Rafael Sampaio (producer and curator), Thalita Carauta (actress)

Best Film: “UMA EM MIL”, directed by Jonatas Rubert and Tiago Rubert

Production Company: ATALA

Best Director: JOÃO BORGES, for “Espelho Cigano” 

Special Jury Prize: ÂNGELA LEAL and LEANDRA LEAL, for “Nada a Fazer” 

Best Actor: MÁRCIO VITO, for “Eu Não Te Ouço”

Best Actress: ANA FLAVIA CAVALCANTE and MAWUSI TULANI, for “Criadas”

Special Mention (Best Actress): DOCY MOREIRA, for “Espelho Cigano”

Best Short: “PONTO CEGO”, directed by Luciana Vieira and Marcel Beltrán

Production Company: CINEMA INFLAMÁVEL

Jury – Honorary Mention- Shorts: “OS ARCOS DOURADOS DE OLINDA”, directed by Douglas Henrique

Felix Awards 2025

Felix Jury: President: President: Franck Finance-Madureira (journalist and film critic), Carolina Durão (director), Chica Andrade (director, producer and actress), Hedu Carvalho (creator of Cine Drag)

The Felix winners were selected from international and Brazilian productions screening in this year’s Festival do Rio that celebrate LGBTQIAPN+- culture and topics:

Best Brazilian Feature: “ATO NOTURNO”, directed by Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher

Production Company: AVANTE FILMES

Best International Feature: “A SAPATONA GALÁCTICA” (Lesbian Space Princess), directed by Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobb

Production Company: WE MADE A THING

Best Documentary: “COPACABANA, 4 DE MAIO”, directed by Allan Ribeiro

Production Company: ACALANTE FILMES

Special Jury Prize:  “ME AME COM TERNURA” (Love Me Tender), directed by Anna Cazenave Cambet

Production Company: NOVOPROD CINÉM

Audience Awards – Public Vote 2025

Best Fiction Feature: #SalveRosa”, directed by Susanna Lira

Production Company: ELO STUDIOS / PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Best Documentary: “Cheiro de Diesel”, directed by Natasha Neri and Gizele Martins.

Production Company: AMANA CINE / BARACOA FILMES

Best Film – New Trends: “Herança de Narcisa”, directed by Clarissa Appelt and Daniel Dias

Production Company: CAMISA PRETA FILMES

NOTE: Full information about all the prize winners (and photos), and films screening during Festival do Rio, can be found on the festival’s web site (www.festivaldorio.com.br) and photos of the prize winners and all festival and RioMarket activities can be found and down loaded at http://www.flickr.com/photos/festivaldorio.