Rio Film Festival's Ilda Santiago: 'I Don't Want a Festival By-the-Book'

When the Camera Focuses on Brazil

Every time you attend a major international film festival in the last three decades, there's a good chance you'll spot an auburn-haired woman with striking big glasses and an impeccable fashion sense. She's Ilda Santiago — and she's become the face of the Rio Film Festival.

Santiago is not just the artistic director; she's a cinematic storyteller who has spent over three decades bridging Brazil's rich cultural landscape with global cinephilia. Her latest chapter at the Rio Film Festival sees her curating a program that reflects both the vibrancy of contemporary Brazilian storytelling and the country's deep-rooted filmmaking traditions.

"These are films that are not hermetic; they have an interesting visual language and a well-constructed sense of dramaturgy. They are, from a macro point of view, more commercial films; they can reach wider audiences," Santiago says.

The Bookend Films That Define the Festival

This year's festival opens with La Bola Negra, one of Cannes' buzziest selections this year. Directed by Los Javis, it's a gritty yet visually stunning narrative that dives deep into the social fabric of modern Brazil.

The festival closes with Club Kid, Jordan Firstman's ambitious feature about youth culture and identity in urban environments. Both films serve as gateways to a broader cinematic universe — one where Brazilian voices are not only heard but celebrated on an international stage.

With over 270 features across multiple sections, the festival also features 16 national Oscar submissions including Brazil's own Gugu's World, La Bola Negra, Lukas Dhont's Coward, and Markus Schleinzer's Rose, starring Sandra Hüller in a transformative performance. Other notable titles include Beth de Araújo's Josephine, Diego Luna's Ashes, and Benjamin Naishtat's Glaxo.

Premiére Brasil: A Showcase for National Talent

The festival's homegrown talent strand, Premiére Brasil, has evolved into an expansive umbrella program with over 100 films vying for the coveted Redentor Trophy. The festival features several world premieres including:

• 100 Days, Carlos Saldanha's live-action debut following the adventures of the beloved animated character from Rio
• The Hinterlands of Our Memories, a powerful documentary by Lucia Murat chronicling Brazil's military dictatorship era
• Fernanda, a compelling portrait of Oscar-nominated Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro in Pedro Waddington's biographical work

Santiago sees Premiére Brasil not only as a showcase for quality but also as a pathway for audiences to connect with the pluralistic nature of Brazilian cinema.

"Our cinema is plural. I don't want audiences to say they are going to the cinema to watch a Brazilian film; I want them to seek genre films, dramas, coming-of-agers, which just so happen to be Brazilian," she explains.

A Festival for the Digital Age

What sets this year's Rio Film Festival apart is its embrace of new media formats and its commitment to evolving with the times. Santiago wants a festival that can face the issues of our contemporary world — not one stuck in tradition.

"I don't want to make a festival by-the-book," she emphasizes. "I believe a festival needs to not only understand new formats, but work on the best way of welcoming them and embedding them into the identity of the festival. I am far from conservative in this sense."

With streaming platforms reshaping how stories are told and consumed, Santiago is keen to ensure that the Rio Film Festival remains relevant and accessible, using technology not just for dissemination but also for storytelling innovation.

Latin Connections: Spain and Brazil's Cinematic Future

This year marks a particularly exciting moment in the relationship between Brazilian and Spanish cinema. A major Spanish film opens the festival, and leading Spanish producer Esther García is presiding over the jury.

"This is a relationship we need to pay great attention to," says Santiago. "It's a natural pathway for Brazilian producers."

The growing linguistic and cultural affinity between Brazil and Spain has fostered deeper creative exchanges. Santiago notes how younger Brazilians are now actively learning Spanish, indicating a latent desire to reconnect with their Latin heritage.

"Brazilian cinema wants to be in conversation with Latin cinema, and Latin cinema wants to tap into the huge market that is Brazil," she reflects. "Spain consolidates a lot of Spanish-speaking cinema, and I believe it is the ideal partner to allow us to grow as an industry and build more and more partnerships with the world."

Embracing the New Generation

Santiago has placed particular emphasis on supporting coming-of-age narratives — a genre once dominated by Hollywood but now being redefined by Brazilian filmmakers.

"They used to be quite the American monopoly for a long time," she notes. "If we want to attract young generations to cinemas, they need to see themselves on screen. We need to foment a cinemagoing habit from an early age, when they are teens."

The festival also features several acclaimed Brazilian series, including Amazon MGM Studios' Marília Mendonça: All the Feels, a deeply personal documentary about superstar singer Marília Mendonça who tragically passed away in 2021. Other highlights include Aly Muritiba's City of God: The Fight Rages On and Leonardo Lacca and Marcelo Lordello's Delegado, produced by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Oscar-nominated Emilie Lesclaux.

The Power of Cinema to Heal and Inspire

Santiago believes cinema should offer more than just entertainment — it must inspire, heal, and challenge. "I don't think we should walk out of every film feeling like the world is going to end," she asserts. "Cinema has this capacity to get us out of our comfort zone, but also usher us into a place of hope and belief in humanity."

This sentiment echoes through her programming choices — films that reflect on societal issues without losing sight of human resilience.

"We have short-term memory as a society," she points out. "Many times, we don't know about our own stories. La Bola Negra, Coward, Prima Facie tell stories that use dramaturgy to usher in societal issues we might have either forgotten or not spoken about enough."

Looking Ahead: The Future of Brazilian Cinema

The 2026 Rio Film Festival represents a critical juncture for Brazilian cinema. Following back-to-back banner years with Walter Salles's I'm Still Here and Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent, this year's slate showcases a new wave of documentary storytelling that celebrates Brazil's cultural heroes.

Santiago is proud to highlight the stories of Fernanda Montenegro, singer Elza Soares, and Dior muse Vera Valdez — people who make us proud to be Brazilian. "These are people who make us proud to be Brazilian. I am a very, very proud Brazilian and I do what I do out of a desire to bring our stories and culture to the world and bring the world to my country," she says.

As the festival prepares to open its doors in October, one thing is clear: under Ilda Santiago's leadership, Rio Film Festival isn't just a showcase of Brazilian cinema — it's an invitation to explore, question, and dream.