Gugu’s World, directed by Allan Deberton, has been chosen to compete for a Best International Feature Film nomination at the 2027 Oscars. The announcement was made Wednesday (Sep. 16) by the Brazilian Academy of Cinema and Visual Arts.

The film was chosen from among the six feature films shortlisted to represent the nation in the competition, which were unveiled on September 6. In total, 15 feature films were submitted and qualified to compete for Brazil’s spot.

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The motion picture was filmed in Quixadá, in the hinterlands of Ceará state, in Northeast Brazil. The plot follows the story of Gugu, played by Yuri Gomes, an 11-year-old boy who loves football and lives with his grandmother Dilma, portrayed by Teca Pereira.

When her health begins to fail, he tries to hide the situation so he does not have to move in with his father – played by Lázaro Ramos – in Brasília.

The film won the International Jury’s Grand Prix for Best Film in the official Generation Kplus screening and the Crystal Bear, awarded by the Youth Jury, both in Berlin, Germany. In Brazil, it was the most awarded film at this year’s Gramado Film Festival:

• Best Director;
• Best Actress for Teca Pereira;
• Best Supporting Actor for Lázaro Ramos;
• Best Film as chosen by the People’s Jury;
• Honorable Mention for Yuri Gomes, who plays the story’s protagonist.

“The excitement is immense, because among so many good films we’ve had this year – a lot of great movies, a lot of rich, valuable, and precious work – Guru’s World was selected to embark on this journey, which is a journey that, in fact, begins at home, with us valuing our own cinema,” Lázaro Ramos said on social media.

The chair of the Selection Committee, Clélia Bessa, also highlighted the film’s sensitive tone as a key factor in the selection.

“Allan Deberton’s Guru’s World has a sensitive narrative that resonates universally while also conveying a strong Brazilian identity rooted in a small town in Ceará. It’s about family, the bond between a grandmother and her grandson, childhood, and mortality, and it has already won awards at major international film festivals,” said Clélia Bessa.

Finalists

Brazil has been a finalist for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars on six occasions – most recently with the films The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, and I'm Still Here, by Walter Salles, which ultimately brought the Oscar to Brazil for the first time.

The official shortlist for Best International Feature Film at the 2027 Oscars, featuring the 15 pre-selected non-English-language feature films, will be announced in December by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which oversees the award. The announcement of the five official nominees for the category is scheduled for January 21 of next year.

Brazil’s longest-running film festival found itself at the center of its own drama, complete with a dash of suspense and action – but thankfully with a happy ending. The 59th edition of the Brasília Brazilian Film Festival begins this Friday (Sep. 11) after being canceled due to an alleged lack of funding and then reconfirmed within a few hours by the Federal District government.

Nearly 2,000 films were submitted – a new record for the festival. Of these, over 70 were selected for various programs. In addition to the competitive programs for feature films and short films, the festival will feature parallel programs and special screenings celebrating artists and themes relevant to the Brazilian audiovisual scene.

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Among the sections is Vozes e Lutas (“Voices and Struggles”), showcasing films noted for their portrayal of significant political and cultural movements. Among them is Pontos de Partida (“Starting Points”) by filmmaker Silvio Tendler, who passed away in September last year.

“Expectations are as high as they can be. One of the major highlights of this program is the significant presence of films from Brasília, with strong ties to the Federal District,” the festival’s general director, Sara Rocha, told Agência Brasil.

The festival began in 1965 and, over the decades, has established itself as a forum for discussion on Brazilian audiovisual culture. It was not held for only two years during the military dictatorship. During the pandemic, it was broadcast online.

In 2007, it was designated as an intangible cultural heritage of the Federal District.

“Heritage cannot be revoked. The festival is formally and emotionally recognized heritage, not only for Brasília but for all of Brazil. We are happy and proud to be able to present yet another edition of the festival. We hope everyone can enjoy it with us,” the general director declared.

About 60,000 people are expected to attend this year’s 25th edition of the Lavagem de Madeleine, or Lavage de la Madeleine, as it is called in French – one of the largest gatherings of Afro-Brazilian culture in Europe. Brazilians, French people, and tourists from around the world will gather in Paris from September 10 to 13.

Such is the expectation of the event’s creator, Roberto Chaves – or Robertinho, as the multi-artist is called. Born in the state of Bahia, Brazil, he has lived in France since 1990, where he promotes Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian culture.

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Designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage of France, the Lavagem de Madeleine is part of the French capital’s official calendar and receives support from the local city government and Bahia’s State Department of Tourism, as well as sponsorship from the Brazilian Tourism Board (Embratur).

The event is also part of the UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples, an international cultural itinerary that connects sites related to the history of slavery and seeks to preserve the memory of that period.

Origin

Robertinho explains that the idea to organize the washing of the steps of a church in Paris – inspired by the Lavagem do Bonfim at the Church of Bonfim in Salvador, Bahia – came about in 1998 at the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre, using the World Cup in France as an opportunity to promote Brazil.

“I wanted to bring Brazil closer to me, to ease my homesickness, my longing for family and friends, and to share its culture, so I thought of organizing an event inspired by Bahia, a place I knew well,” he said.

One day, while passing by the Church of La Madeleine, Roberto Chaves recounts, he decided to talk to the priest in charge of the parish and discovered that the priest had already visited Bahia and knew its people.

From then on, the washing grew in scale each year. “Last year, participants totaled 60,000.” The procession for the 2025 edition was led by the Afro-Brazilian group Olodum.

Significance

Robertinho believes that the washing is of great significance to Brazil and to Afro-Brazilian culture.

“The Lavagem shows that Brazil has cuisine, culture, capoeira, and dance,” he said.

Program

The photo exhibition Três Olhares (“Three Perspectives”), celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Lavagem, will open the event on September 10 at the Brazilian Embassy in France. On September 11 and 12, an Afro-Brazilian dance workshop will be held.

The parade is the event’s highlight. Over 700 artists will take to the streets of Paris on September 13, showcasing Afro-Brazilian culture. This year, singer Mariene de Castro and Robertinho Chaves will lead the procession.

“Fifteen Afro-Brazilian folk groups will march in the parade.” Also participating are percussion, samba, maracatu, and capoeira groups – as well as the women of Bahia, the baianas.

The gathering will take place at Place de la République. From there, the parade will proceed to the Church of La Madeleine, where the traditional symbolic washing of the steps by the baianas will take place, in a ceremony marked by dialogue between different religious and cultural traditions.

To highlight this syncretism, Brazilian opera singer Lorena Pires – a member of the Paris National Opera Academy since last year – will perform Ave Maria, reinforcing the convergence of the different cultural traditions that characterize the event.