Brazilian cinema made history at the Academy Awards as Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here claimed the Oscar for Best International Film, marking Brazil’s first-ever win in the category. The emotional drama centers on Eunice Paiva, wife of former leftist congressman Rubens Paiva, who was taken by Brazil’s military dictatorship in 1971 and never returned.
The film stars Fernanda Torres as Eunice and features Fernanda Montenegro as her older self. During his acceptance speech, Salles dedicated the award to Eunice, calling her “a woman who chose not to bend under authoritarian rule, but to resist.” The audience rose in a standing ovation as he honored the two actresses who brought Eunice’s story to life.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva hailed the victory as “a day to feel prouder of being Brazilian,” praising the nation’s cinema, its artists, and its democratic spirit. Across Rio de Janeiro, the announcement electrified Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome, where tens of thousands erupted in joy at the news.
Based on the memoir of Eunice’s son Marcelo, the film is less about political battles than about resilience. Left to raise five children alone, Eunice rebuilt her family in the face of silence about her husband’s fate. “The smile is a kind of resistance,” Torres explained, reflecting on a scene where Eunice instructs her children to smile for a photograph despite their loss.For Salles, whose acclaimed works include Central Station and The Motorcycle Diaries, the film resonates globally because it speaks to fragile democracies and the universal struggle against injustice. “At its core,” he said backstage, “this is a film about hope, about choosing life even in the shadow of tragedy.”
