President, ministers celebrate Oscar nominations for “I'm Still Here”

For the first time in history, Brazilian cinema has earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. I'm Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui), directed by Walter Salles, received the prestigious nomination on Thursday, January 23, marking a milestone for the industry. In addition to Best Picture, the film is also competing for Best International Feature, while lead Fernanda Torres has been nominated for Best Actress. The Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 2.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrated the film's recognition. "The 'I'm Still Here' crowd can now request a song. Three Oscar nominations: Best International Feature Film, Best Actress and, look, BEST FILM. I’m so proud! Kisses to Fernanda Torres and Walter Salles," said Lula in a post on the network X.

Vice President Geraldo Alckmin also celebrated the achievement of national cinema by quoting an excerpt from the film. "'We're going to smile. Smile!' That's how Brazilians feel about the Oscar nominations for “I’m Still Here’ and Fernanda Torres. We're still here, smiling and rooting for our cinema!", declared Alckmin.

The Minister of Culture Margareth Menezes also celebrated the nominations. "The picture’s subject matter is rarely addressed; the film manages to sensitively portray the family drama within this context and, in doing so, raise awareness around the world," she said.

In addition to congratulating those involved in the production, the minister emphasized the importance of this recognition for Brazil’s film industry: "This moment opens up even greater possibilities and greatly strengthens national cinema, at a time when we are making significant investments to revive and strengthen Brazilian audiovisual production."

REPRESENTATIVENESS — The importance of recognition for a film that highlights topics relating to Human Rights and Citizenship was highlighted by the head of this ministry, Macaé Evaristo. “I still can’t believe that the story of a Brazilian woman who faced the military dictatorship and became a reference in the struggle of indigenous peoples has received three Oscar nominations! Go Brazil! Long live Eunice Paiva!”, exclaimed Macaé.

The Minister of Women, Cida Gonçalves, praised Brazil's unprecedented nomination in the Best Picture category, and praised the artists involved in the production. “The film was also nominated for Best International Feature Film, and Fernanda Torres is nominated for Best Actress, 26 years after her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, who also appears in the film, was nominated. In a moving way, Torres brings to life Eunice Paiva, who became a symbol of the fight against the dictatorship. I am immensely proud of these women and also of director Walter Salles, writer Marcelo Rubens Paiva and the entire cast and production team! I’m so proud of Brazilian culture and cinema!” The award is already ours!”, emphasized the minister.

A JOY FOR BRAZIL — In a video posted on her Instagram profile, actress Fernanda Torres celebrated her nomination for the 2025 Oscar and the other two nominations for “I’m Still Here”. “Our film is nominated not only for best foreign language film, but for Best Picture of the year. This is unimaginable. It is a historic thing, very emotional for me, because my mother was in this place 25 years ago, through Walter — and also because of what this means for Brazilian cinema, for Brazilian culture. A film spoken in Portuguese. I am very proud that a Brazilian story makes sense in the world and brings us this joy — not only for me, for Walter and for everyone involved in this film, but for the entire country,” she declared.

“Above all, I want to thank and pay tribute to this extraordinary woman called Eunice Paiva, who is behind all of this, who is the generator of all of this”, said Fernanda, referring to the character she plays in “I’m Still Here”. In the post, the actress also thanked Eunice's son, Marcelo Rubens Paiva, author of the book of the same name that inspired the film. “It’s an extraordinary book, and it allowed us to make this film,” he said.

GOLDEN GLOBE — In early January, President Lula expressed his appreciation and tributes to actress Fernanda Torres over the phone for her achievement at the Golden Globes, an awards ceremony held in the United States. She was the winner in the category Best Actress in a Drama Fil, for her performance in “I’m Still Here”. “Fernanda, my dear, a million congratulations to you. You, my dear, deserve it. You deserved it before. I can only imagine how your mother [Fernanda Montenegro, who 25 years ago was nominated in the same category for the film Central Station] felt. How proud she was of her dear daughter, of her artistic daughter. Brazil deserved this, you deserved it, Walter Salles deserved it and the film deserved it,” the president said at the time.

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS — Released in 2024, the film topped the Brazilian box office, attracting more than 2.9 million viewers. Recognized globally, “I'm Still Here” has collected awards at important international festivals. At the Venice Film Festival, it won Best Screenplay and received the Green Drop Award. It also won the Audience Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival and the Miami Film Festival GEMS. In France, during the Pessac Festival, it won the Danielle Le Roy Award and the Audience Award, confirming its strength among critics and audiences.

PLOT — The film tells the story of Eunice Paiva — whose husband, former federal congressman Rubens Paiva, was taken from their home in 1971 and killed by the Brazilian military dictatorship. Eunice and her family's quest in search of information about what really happened became a symbol of the fight for truth and the defense of human rights.