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Vera Egito’s A Batalha da Rua Antônia (translated as The Battle Of Rua Antonia) won best fiction feature in the Première Brasil section at the 25th Rio International Film Festival closing ceremony on Sunday night.
As with most years, the ceremony showcased some of the strongest voices in Brazilian cinema. Unlike previous editions, however, the top winner received its world premiere at the festival and had not already enjoyed successful runs in international festivals like Cannes, Venice or Toronto.
The film’s title refers to Rua Maria Antônia, a street in the centre of the capital São Paulo which was the stage for a famous confrontation between left wing and right wing university students in October 1968 during Brazil’s military dictatorship.
On the night it screened A Batalha da Rua Antônia won over audiences and critics alike by recreating in 21 sequences the tension and violence experienced by teachers and students on that fateful day. The film captures the passion of the students as they clashed armed with sticks, stones, chairs, table legs and homemade bombs.
Until now Egito was best known internationally for her short films such as Spread Through The Air (2007) and Bond (2008), as well as Restless Love (2016), her debut feature which screened at Miami International Film Festival.
A Batalha da Rua Antônia marks the first time in years that a major Rio winner has been a festival discovery. As the festival takes place in October, some prior Première Brasil winners had arrived with the endorsement of international festivals.
This was the case with Marcelo Gomes’ Paloma and Anita Rocha da Silveira’s Medusa, the top winners of 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Paloma screened for the first time in Munich and had been selected for festivals such as Raindance (UK) and Huelva (Spain) before its victory in Rio. Medusa won Rio’s best feature fiction prize after premiering in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and playing Toronto.
André Novais Oliveira’s O Dia que te Conheci, the Special Jury Prize winner, is another example of a Brazilian film which is starting its career in Rio this year. The film is a chronicle of everyday life, focusing on a librarian who works in a neighbouring city where he will get another shot at love. The simplicity of the story, which works as a romantic comedy with a more naturalistic approach, captivated the audience.
Several films awarded at Première Brasil this year had already been selected for international festivals. Power Alley, winner of the best director (Lillah Halla) and best editing awards in Rio, received the Cannes Critics’ Week Fipresci prize in May.
The film Toll by Carolina Markowicz was presented in San Sebastián and Toronto before winning four awards at Première Brasil: best actress (Maeve Jinkins), best actor (Kauã Alvarenga), best supporting actress (Aline Marta Maia), and best art direction (Vicente Saldanha).
The recipient of the best cinematography prize in Rio, Heartless directed by Nara Normande and Tião, premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti section.
Usually, Rio is the perfect platform to present local films to Brazilian audiences. The festival platform often helps victorious films achieve a larger domestic release and winners without distribution usually get acquired.
However the impact is generally domestic and not international. Paloma, which was released in cinemas shortly after its success at last year’s Rio, did not see its international sales boosted by the recognition. Its number of admissions in Brazil totaled only 10,000, an unsatisfactory performance, but expected for national films in the post-pandemic era.
The full list of winners appears below.
Best fiction feature
A Batalha da Rua Antônia (Vera Egito)
Special jury prize
O Dia que te Conheci (Andre Novais de Oliveira)
Best director, fiction
Lillah Halla (Power Alley)
Best actress
Maeve Jinkins (Toll) and Grace Passô (O Dia que te Conheci)
Best actor
Kauã Alvarenga (Toll)
Best supporting actress
Aline Marta Maia (Toll)
Best supporting actor
Carlos Francisco (Estranho Caminho)
Best cinematography
Evgenia Alexandrova (Heartless)
Best editing
Eva Randolph (Power Alley)
Best screenplay
Guto Parente (Estranho Caminho)
Best art direction
Vicente Saldanha (Toll)
Best documentary
Othelo, o Grande (Lucas H. Rossi dos Santos)
Best Director, documentary
Daniel Gonçalves (Assexybilidade)
Honorable Mention, documentary
Black Rio! Black Power! (Emílio Domingos)
Best Short
Cabana (Adriana de Faria).
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– Armessa Movie News