São Paulo – The 8th edition of the Brazilian Film Festival in Beirut, Lebanon, will begin next Tuesday (16). Organized by the Brazilian Embassy in Beirut and the Guimarães Rosa Institute (IGR), the event will be held at Cinema Metropolis through Saturday (20).
At a time when Lebanon has been affected by attacks stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, the IGR and the Embassy state in the festival’s presentation note that, amid the country’s current challenges and recovery efforts, the event reaffirms the importance of culture as a source of dialogue.
“Through stories that transcend borders, cinema brings people together and reminds us of shared experiences and aspirations. It highlights the value of supporting local initiatives that enrich public life and help strengthen bonds between our societies,” the note states.
The festival’s opening film, which will also make its Lebanese theatrical debut, is the acclaimed The Secret Agent (2025), directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. Starring Wagner Moura, the feature was nominated for four Academy Awards this year: Best Actor, Best International Feature Film, Best Picture, and Best Casting.
Among other accolades, it won the Golden Globe for Best Non-English Language Film and Best Actor for Wagner Moura. Moura and Mendonça Filho were also honored at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, receiving awards for Best Actor and Best Director, respectively.
The festival lineup also includes The Blue Trail (2025) by Gabriel Mascaro, Vitória (2025) by Andrucha Waddington, and The Best Mother in the World (2025) by Anna Muylaert.
The program also features the animated film Papaya (2026) by Priscilla Kellen, and Brazilian classic City of God (2002) by Fernando Meirelles.
More information and the full schedule are available here.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
