‘I’m Still Here’ Director Credits Fernanda Torres, Real-Life Inspiration in Brazil’s First International Feature Win

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In an exciting turn of events at this year’s Oscars, Brazil clinched its inaugural win in the International Feature Film category for “I’m Still Here.” This moving tale depicts a family torn apart under a dictatorship. Remarkably, it outshone France’s “Emilia Pérez,” which had already garnered several awards prior to this evening.

Director Walter Salles acknowledged the real-life figure behind the movie, Eunice Paiva, as well as the mother-daughter duo, Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro, who played her on screen.

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Walter Salles, the director, praised Eunice Paiva, who inspired the film, and the two actresses, Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro, who portrayed her in the movie.

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The film’s director, Walter Salles, honored the woman whose life story formed the basis of the film, Eunice Paiva, as well as the acting duo, Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro, who embodied her on screen.

In response to a woman who endured a loss under an oppressive government and chose to stand firm and resist, rather than yield, the award was presented to her. Her name is Eunice Paiva, Salles declared amidst thunderous applause, even earning approval from actress Torres.

The movie titled “I’m Still Here” was also up for best picture. It recounts the true events of a mother of five who, following the heart-wrenching disappearance of her activist husband during Brazil’s military regime, transforms herself into a lawyer and advocate.

Previously, Brazil has been put forward as a nominee on five occasions, with Salles being recognized for his work in “Central Station” (1998) individually.

Several powerful films have been created about the 21-year military dictatorship in Brazil from 1964 to 1985, much like those made regarding repressive regimes in neighboring South American countries such as Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. As these human rights atrocities of torture, murder, and forced disappearances continue to leave deep emotional scars on these nations, cinema has often played the role of a container for collective memory. Rarely, though, is the spirit of protest against junta rule portrayed as intimately as in the film I’m Still Here.

Competing for the top international feature Oscar was a diverse group of films, including: “I’m Still Here,” a contender from the U.S.; “Flow” by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis, an animated tale about a cat displaced by floodwaters who joins forces with other animals to find survival and a new home; “The Girl With the Needle,” a black-and-white historical thriller from Denmark under the direction of Magnus von Horn; “Emilia Pérez” from France, a Netflix production directed by Jacques Audiard that combines genres and tells both a transgender coming-of-age story and a Mexican crime thriller musical; and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” an Iran-set drama from exiled director Mohammad Rasoulof representing Germany.

This year, I was part of the global gaming field with a staggering 85 nations showcasing their top-notch feature films for the International Feature Film Oscar.

At the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood, Conan O’Brien hosted the 97th Academy Awards ceremony in 2025. You can check out the glamorous arrivals on the Oscars red carpet and the complete list of winners by following this link.

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2025-03-03 06:54