"I'm Still Here" boosts the recovery of national cinema, says Ancine.
The film was seen by over 5 million people in Brazil and grossed over R$ 100 million at the box office.
247 - The Secretary of Regulation of the National Film Agency (Ancine), Tiago Mafra, said that the film "I'm Still Here" is a "locomotive" for the recovery of national cinema. The film was watched by more than 5 million people in Brazil and grossed more than R$ 100 million at the box office. The work tells the story of Eunice Paiva's struggle after her husband, Congressman Rubens Paiva, was taken away by agents of the military dictatorship in the 70s.
“The impression is that there was indeed a disruption, a return to the pre-pandemic scenario, with 'I'm Still Here' being the main driving force, due to its award-winning performance. This opens the way for the release of future films. It's a real locomotive, propelling other films along the way,” he said in an interview with [publication name]. CNN Brazil.
Starting at 21pm (Brasília time) on Sunday (2), the film directed by filmmaker Walter Salles and starring actress Fernanda Torres is competing for the Oscar in three categories: Best Picture, International Film and Best Actress.
“I’m Still Here” coincides with the growth of Brazilian cinema, as 10,4% of theater audiences in 2024 sought out Brazilian films. This percentage did not exceed 5% in 2022 and 2023. The year 2025 was a record year for the number of operating theaters in Brazil: there are 3.517, distributed across all regions, in 460 cities. This number surpasses that reached in 2019, when the country had 3.478 theaters in 433 Brazilian municipalities.
According to the secretary, the film "seems to be driving the return of synergy between cinema, promotional campaigns, and the public; it seems to open up space for promotional actions and new releases to benefit from this engagement with cinema."
“We need more films with larger budgets, developed with the intention of breaking through audience and revenue barriers. Along with a strong exhibition infrastructure, this will strengthen national cinema,” Mafra added.
The film
The film was based on the autobiographical book by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, which narrated the story of his mother, the lawyer and human rights activist Eunice Paiva, during the military dictatorship (1964-1985) in Brazil.
The plot addresses the strength of women, resistance to oppression, the search for disappeared political prisoners, and the importance of memory, starting with the disappearance of former congressman Rubens Paiva in 1971. He had his political rights revoked in 1964 with the military coup, was tortured and murdered in Rio de Janeiro. His body was never found.
In 1996, Rubens Paiva's death certificate was issued. In 2025, the death certificate was corrected to state that the death was caused by state agents during the dictatorship.
