“I’m Still Here”, a Brazilian production led by Walter Salles, reached unexpected milestones and brought 5.2 million viewers to theaters. Not only that, it won more than 30 awards, including best Ibero-American Film at the Goya 2025, Venice International Film Festival, Golden Globe 2025 and the most recent, at last Sunday’s ceremony (2), Oscar for Best International Film.
When faced with such a list of achievements, the majority feeling that spreads throughout a legion of admirers, not only of the work, but of Brazilian culture and cinematography, is that of finally receiving recognition. “I’m Still Here” is a work that exposes Brazil’s most intimate aspects to the world, portraying the true story of politician Rubens Paiva, tortured and killed by the military dictatorship in 1971.
The actress Barbara Luz, who plays the character Nalu, one of the daughters of Eunice Paiva, talked about her perspective, as an essential part of the work. “For me it’s a strange feeling, and very good at the same time. […] I understood when the project started that it was going to be a big project, but I didn’t expect an Oscar, at all. For me, it was too far for us, in Brazil.”
VISIBILITY FOR FOREIGNERS AND BRAZILIANS
According to film critics Isabella Faria, winning Brazil’s first statuette, added to the undeniable relevance of the award, will open many doors for national cinema. “The visibility of the Oscar is huge, everyone is looking at your work. Literally the whole world,” she declares. In other words, with our attention focused on Brazilian cinematography, we became a possible collaborator for new films.
She states that “as we win, countries will look to Brazil as a potential collaborator for new films, and the more countries participate in a film, the more funding. The more financing, the more films and the more films, the more jobs.”
For the critic Pablo Villaça, the victory of the statuette is worth more to the Brazilian collective unconscious than to the renown of our cinematography. The writer states that at international festivals, sectors that, from an industrial point of view, are extremely important for the notoriety of a production, our works are already well recognized.
“Outside, national cinema is immense. At international festivals, the queues for Brazilian film screenings are full.” However, acquiring the award is a key part of changing the population’s own vision. “What I hope, which is perhaps a consequence of the Oscars, is that Brazilians will be more interested in going to the cinema to see Brazilian films. This is where we still struggle to get an audience.”
PAIVA FAMILY MAKES AUDIENCES RELATE TO THE MOVIE
Isabella still argues that the special highlight of the feature falls on in the sensibility of Walter’s direction. She states that “there is no didacticism, like most films about military dictatorships in Brazil. It’s not something very explicit, precisely because Walter Salles wanted to focus on the family, and this was very important for the film to achieve such visibility”.
Regardless of the individual family composition, the brotherly love displayed is almost palpable. This intimate connection brings the audience close, making them enchanted and connected with a family surrounded by so much love, but also deeply feeling the pain they felt, having the path of their lives changed by censorship, persecution, torture and death.
In a similar way, for Bárbara Luz, through the micro, the film addresses the macro. “I think that at some point, everyone can relate to the story, with these emotional bonds, this love and this happiness that revolves around this family.”
For Villaça, the spectator’s identification, which consequently caused such repercussions, is due to the portrait of characters not directly linked to the armed struggle. “That sometimes makes it difficult for many viewers to identify, because they can’t put themselves in that role.” However, the film explains that in a dictatorial regime, it is enough to exist to have the possibility of being caught.
Due to the subtleness of the construction of the scenes, photography filled with symbolism and an ability to evoke specific feelings, an attachment to the family is created, making it almost inevitable not to put yourself in their shoes, even more so when their serenity is taken away so abruptly.
Due to the already known history of of the award’s failure to commit to the representativeness and inclusion, it is important to highlight that “I’m Still Here” consists of a real story about the torture and cruelty caused by the Brazilian military dictatorship. It’s a film in Portuguese, set in Brazil, telling a painful piece of our country’s history.
In several interviews, Walter Salles and the entire cast declared that simply producing a work that recounts the atrocities that occurred in the past, so that they are never repeated, would be enough. Even so, going against expectations, the global repercussions left an entire nation in shock, triggering a national pride “characteristic of the World Cup”, as Fernanda Torres defined in a recent interview.
To honor this familiar nucleus, which was forgotten and ignored for so long, Salles, in his thank you speech, dedicated the statuette to the family matriarch. “This goes to a woman who, after such a huge loss in such an authoritarian regime, decided not to bend and resist… This award goes to her: her name is Eunice Paiva.” Such an act serves not only to give value to those who fought for noble causes, but also to restore the dignity that the regime took away, not only from the Paiva, but from the entire country.
WHY DOES IT MATTER FOR BRAZIL TO BE RECOGNIZED?
The greatest weight in receiving the Oscar falls on the fact that nations around the globe have had direct contact with our culture. They listened to songs by singers like Gilberto Gil and Erasmo Carlos, closely observed the dynamics of a Brazilian family, learned about a piece of our history and, finally, after decades of admirable productions, understood Brazil’s potential.
It finally reached the eyes of the world where great stars such as Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro and Selton Mello emerged, showing that there are hundreds more artists with undeniable talent. Finally, they understood that we are a country with diverse stories of people who have a lot to tell, enough to impress and move anyone.
These awards, broken records and unimaginable achievements serve to reinforce what Brazilians carry in their souls: resilience. And as said by Fernanda, when playing Eunice, “We will smile. Smile!” Such victories are a source of pride, the result of a movement that brought an entire nation together to cheer and celebrate. They are a deserved response to an essential film, an honor to the Paiva family and an open door to global interest in national cinema.
Art resists everything, breaks all barriers and follows paths that we think only belong to dreams. “I’m Still Here” paved the road that will be followed by several other productions, taking our name around the world.
Now the world really knows Brazil, the Brazil that has always been here.
————————————
The article above was edited and translated by Giulia El Houssami.
Liked this type of content? Check Her Campus Cásper Líbero home page for more!