The Brazilian movie 'I’m Still Here' (2024), directed by Walter Salles, has earned three nominations for the 2025 Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood announced on Thursday (23) that the film is up for Best International Film and Best Picture. Fernanda Torres, starring alongside Selton Mello, is nominated for Best Actress in a Drama.
This is only the second time a Brazilian film has competed for Best Picture. The last nomination was in 1985 for the thriller-romance 'Kiss of the Spider Woman,' featuring Raul Julia and Sônia Braga, directed by Héctor Babenco, which competed in four categories.
'I'm Still Here,' based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva's book, tells the true story of his father Rubens Paiva, a victim of Brazil's dictatorship. The focus, however, is on his wife, Eunice Paiva, portrayed by Fernanda Torres in her youth and Fernanda Montenegro in her later years. She faced the tragedy of her husband's disappearance during the regime, played by Selton Mello.
Interestingly, this nomination comes 26 years after Walter Salles' drama 'Central Station' (1998) was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. Fernanda Montenegro, Fernanda Torres' mother and the film's protagonist, was nominated for Best Actress but lost to Gwyneth Paltrow for 'Shakespeare in Love' in 1999.
President Lula commented on the event by congratulating the movie cast and cleverly mixing the post's content with a well-known Brazilian joke about the local football championship, where a player who scores three goals in a match gets to request a song on a famous Sunday TV show to celebrate his achievement.
A rough translation of the president’s post on X: "The 'I'm Still Here' gang can now request a song. Three Oscar nominations: Best International Film, Best Actress, and check it out, BEST FILM. I'm so proud! XXX to Fernanda Torres and Walter Salles."
A turma de “Ainda Estou Aqui" já pode pedir música. Três indicações ao Oscar: Melhor Filme Estrangeiro, Melhor Atriz e, olha, MELHOR FILME. Quanto orgulho! 🇧🇷 Beijo para Fernanda Torres e Walter Salles.
— Lula (@LulaOficial) January 23, 2025
A fun fact is that Brazilians are known for ruling the internet. Recent examples include the Golden Globe's Instagram post about the nominations, which got a record-breaking number of comments, as well as a New York Times piece about Fernanda Torres and her mother, and a Le Monde article criticizing the movie, showing how passionate and engaged the country fans are.
Even the Rio de Janeiro mayor's office account on X posted a reaction, writing: Fernanda Torres: "I don't want a World Cup atmosphere." Rio de Janeiro's posture:
Fernanda Torres: Não quero clima de Copa do Mundo
— Prefeitura do Rio (@Prefeitura_Rio) January 23, 2025
Os cariocas: pic.twitter.com/2dBv92QCbO
What are the odds?
Brasil de Fato's Central do Brasil program interviewed Elzemann Neves, a director, screenwriter, playwright, and professor at the International Academy of Cinema. Neves celebrates the nominations, but notes that the Oscars are a “party of the United States’ film industry.” In this context, Demi Moore is a strong contender for Best Actress for her role in ‘The Substance.’
“My feeling is that the world has been captivated by Fernanda's magnetism, spontaneity, and humor, but the Oscars celebrate the American film industry. The truth is that Demi Moore has a compelling story for them—an actress who was once a box office sensation, and made incredible films, but was never taken seriously. Now, she has resurfaced with a powerful, strong, and controversial film. It feels like a heroine’s journey for Demi Moore, so she has that advantage,” he says.
Neves also analyzed Brazil's chances in the Best Film categories. He believes 'Emilia Pérez' is 'I'm Still Here’s' main competitor, just as it was at the Golden Globes, where the French movie won Best Non-English Language Film.
"The way 'Emilia Pérez' represents the trans population, the stereotypical portrayal of Mexico, even working with American actresses speaking Spanish that is being questioned, and having a French director—all this controversy could weaken its position. I think 'I'm Still Here' could benefit from this loss of strength. However, the film community is enamored with 'Emilia Pérez'; it won awards at Cannes and the Golden Globes. We'll have to wait if it loses momentum amidst the controversy in this final stretch.”
The 2025 Oscars ceremony will be held on March 2 in Los Angeles, United States, and will be hosted by Conan O'Brien, a famous comedian and television presenter.
Edited by: Leandro Melito
