Queer erotic thriller The Riverbank (A Margem do Rio) was the big winner in the 28th Festival do Rio’s showcase Première Brasil section, taking five awards including best fiction feature at the Redentor ceremony at the historic Cine Odeon on Sunday night (October 11).
The debut feature from Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho depicts the oppression and violence inflicted by religious fundamentalists upon the LGBTQIA+ community in Brazil. Its triumph comes amid political tensions in Brazil and the threat of the far-Right’s possible return to power. The presidential election run-off is scheduled for October 25 between Leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
The Riverbank unfolds along the rivers and mangroves of Recife, where a young queer man (Caique Copque) who cleans a neo-Pentecostal church seeks intimacy at night. After becoming involved with a mysterious fisherman (Ítalo Martins), he summons the courage to confront his employer’s family and their violent crusade against his community.
The suspense film with noir tropes and elements of magical realism won three other major juried awards, claiming best supporting actress for Renna Costa, Artia, and Ísis Broken, best cinematography for Luciana Baseggio, and best sound for Moabe Filho, Guma Farias, Daniel Turini, and João Victor Coura. The Riverbank was also recognised as best film by the Felix Awards jury – a prize that celebrates queer culture.
On Behalf Of My Son also stood out. The story of a retired teacher who apologises to the families of the victims of an accident caused by her son won best director and best screenplay, both for Gabriel Martins, as well as the Audience Award for fiction.
The special jury prize went to the animated film Son Of A Bitch, which follows the son of a brothel owner who sets out with his three-legged dog on a humorous journey across the sertão hintertland to find the father he has never known.
Festival do Rio ran from October 1-11.
2026 Festival do Rio winners
Best Fiction Feature
The Riverbank
Dirs. Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias
Special Jury Prize
Son Of A Bitch
Dirs. Erica Maradona, Tania Anaya, Otto Guerra and Sávio Leite
Best Director
Gabriel Martins, On Behalf Of My Son
Best Actress
Isabel Teixeira, Days Of Fire
Grace Passô, The French Teacher
Best Actor
Victor di Marco, London
Best Supporting Actress
Renna Costa, Artia and Ísis Broken, The Riverbank
Best Supporting Actor
Pedro Goifman, The French Teacher
Best Screenplay
Gabriel Martins, Behalf Of My Son
Best Cinematography
Luciana Baseggio, The Riverbank
Best Editing
Cristina Amaral, Fabio Meira and Juliano Castro, The Extraordinary Life Of Vera Valdez
Cristiane Oliveira and Tula Anagnostopoulos, She Put Away Her Heart In The Fridge
Best Art Direction
Ana Paula Cardoso, Funk
Best Costume
Samy Sill, London
Best Sound
Moabe Filho, Guma Farias, Daniel Turini and João Victor Coura
The Riverbank
Best Original Soundtrack
Florencia Di Concilio, The French Teacher
Audience award (fiction)
On Behalf Of My Son
Best Documentary
Elza
Dir. Eryk Rocha
Best Short
Saint
Dir. Maria Luísa Alves
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