pequenas criaturas

Source: Bananeira Filmes

‘Pequenas Criaturas’

Anne Pinheiro Guimarães’ Little Creatures took the top prize at the 27th Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, which concluded on Sunday night (October 12) with a gala at the landmark Odeon Theater in the downtown Cinelandia district.

Unlike previous editions, the award for best fiction feature was not presented to a local film that had already shown internationally at a major festival such as Berlin or Cannes. Instead, Little Creatures (Pequenas Criaturas) had its world premiere at the Festival do Rio, alongside 53 other domestic titles that were being presented for the first time.

Little Creatures is set in the 1980s as Brazil is emerging from a 21-year dictatorship. It follows a family’s struggle to adapt after moving to the capital city, an unwelcoming Brasilia, as democracy begins to take root in the country.

It’s the second feature by Guimarães following 2022 debut Transe, which was co-directed with Carolina Jabor and also presented in Rio. Rio-based Bananeira Filmes produced Little Creatures. 

Other winners from the festival’s main competition, Premiere Brasil, included Natasha Neri and Gizele Martins’s documentary Cheiro de Diesel about human-rights abuses in Rio’s favelas by the Brazilian army, which took the special jury prize; Rogério Nunes, who was named best director for his animated feature Coração Das Trevas, which also deals with violence in Rio; and erotic thriller Night Stage, which won best screenplay for writer/directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon and best actor for Gabriel Faryas as an actor/dancer at the beginning of his career who hides his sexual orientation to land roles.

Rio’s best actress award went to Klara Castanho for her portrayal of a 13-year-old internet celebrity whose life is very different from the perfection she sells on social media in #SalveRosa (#SaveRose). Susanna Lira’s film also picked up the festival’s audience award.

In total, a record number of 125 Brazilian productions were presented at this year’s festival, including features, shorts, restored titles and TV series.

The festival had packed audiences and capped off an outstanding year for Brazil in which Walter Salles’s I’m Still Here received the best international feature Oscar, Gabriel Mascaro’s The Blue Trail was awarded the Berlin Silver Bear grand jury prize, and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent won best director and best actor for Wagner Moura at Cannes.

The latter is also Brazil’s entry for the 2026 best international feature category and played at Rio out of competition to sold-out screenings.

Festival do Rio winners:

Best fiction feature Little Creatures, dir. Anne Pinheiro Guimarães

Special jury prize Cheiro de Diesel, dirs. Natasha Neri, Gizele Martins

Best director (fiction) Rogério Nunes, Coração Das Trevas

Best actress Klara Castanho, #SalveRosa

Best actor Gabriel Faryas, Night Stage

Best supporting actress Diva Menner, Ruas Da Glória

Best supporting actor Alejandro Claveaux, Ruas Da Glória

Best cinematography Luciana Baseggio, Night Stage

Best editing Andre Finotti, Honestino

Best screenplay Filipe Matzembacher & Marcio Reolon, Night Stage

Best art direction Claudia Andrade, Little Creatures

Best costume design Renata Russo, #SalveRosa

Best sound Ariel Henrique & Tales Manfrinato, Love Kills

Best original soundtrack Plinio Profeta, Apolo

Best documentary Apolo, dirs. Tainá Müller, Ísis Broken

Best director (documentary) Mini Kerti, Dona Onete - Meu Coração Neste Pedacinho Aqui

Audience award #SalveRosa

Best short Sebastiana, dir. Pedro de Alencar; O Faz-Tudo, dir. Fábio Leal

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