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One very rarely gets the chance to be in a room with almost two hundred filmmakers from one single country, gathered not to pitch against one another for scarce grants, but to discuss ways of collaborating and understand where their national cinema is headed. This is precisely the offer on the table with the Projeto Paradiso National Talent gathering, which just wrapped a successful third edition, held in the burgeoning film capital of Recife. 

The biannual gathering celebrates the work of the renowned philanthropic initiative, led by the Olga Rabinovich Institute and supporting the Brazilian film sector through talent development, bursary programs, seminars and mentorship. This year’s meeting took place over April 16-18 and saw curated networking sessions, roundtables, and in-conversation events with Kleber Mendonça Filho, producer Emilie Lesclaux and British-Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. Attendees included Anita Rocha da Silveira (“Medusa”), Nara Normande (“Heartless”), Grace Passô (“Our Secret”), Vitrine Filmes’s Letícia Friedriech and Amazon Studios’ Jaqueline Souza, plus lauded Projeto Paradiso council members Marcelo Gomes (“Dolores”) and Gullane director Debora Ivanov. 

Variety was present at the event and spoke with several attendees to take the temperature of the national industry following two banner years of international success with the country’s first-ever Oscar for Walter Salles’s “I’m Still Here” and four Oscar nominations for Recife’s very own Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent.” From a strong Northeast momentum to a meagre Cannes presence in 2026, read our five takeaways below: 

The Northeast is the moment 

Despite the Northeast of Brazil having a strong cinema tradition, with exponents from Glauber Rocha to Marcelo Gomes and Guel Arraes, for decades, much of the money-churning industry was concentrated in the Southeast — specifically Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Filmmakers from other corners of the country have long voiced frustrations with a lack of access to resources and a certain feeling of segregation regarding available networking initiatives and opportunities. 

The last three years, however, have further solidified the Northeast as a prime talent exporter and a rich creative hub. While renowned regional filmmakers such as Gabriel Mascaro (“The Blue Trail”), Kleber Mendonça Filho (“The Secret Agent”), and Karim Aïnouz (“Motel Destino”) continued their well-established trajectories with successful titles at major festivals, a burgeoning new generation of filmmakers signalled a much-needed sense of continuation and renewal in the region. Names like Allan Deberton, Rafhael Barbosa, Tiago Melo and Nara Normande have launched festival darlings and have exciting new projects in the pipeline. 

During the Projeto Paradiso National Talent Meeting, many young filmmakers have voiced their desires to bring untold stories to the big screen and continue to expand a plural idea of Brazilianness through cinema internationally. With more and more film commissions popping up in the Northeast and renewed regional incentives as well as savvy producers with a wealth of co-producing experience, we are about to see many more interesting films coming out of the region. 

Cannes disappointment = new European opportunities 

Last year, Kleber Mendonça Filho brought the frevo from Recife to the Cannes Film Festival red carpet for the world premiere of his competition title “The Secret Agent.” Brazil was also the country of honor at the Marché du Film and brought a record-breaking number of industry attendees to the Croisette. With no Brazilian films announced at the festival this year, the feeling of surprise and disappointment was palpable at the gathering whenever the French fete popped up in conversation. So far, Brazil is only present through co-productions (“Elephants in the Fog” in Un Certain Regard, “Six Months in the Pink Building” in Critics’ Week and “La Perra” in Directors’ Fortnight) with no Brazilian directors scheduled to appear at the event in the official selection or sidebars. 

While the lack of Brazilian titles at Cannes bringing a bitter taste to the start of summer festival season, many producers and directors have emphasized a desire to look beyond the big European triad of Berlin, Cannes and Venice as launching pads. Rotterdam, which has a historic connection to Brazilian cinema, is a long-time darling and favorite, but more and more local talent is shifting their attention to festivals like San Sebastián, Karlovy Vary and Locarno as top choices to launch their films. 

Looking beyond Europe 

Europe still remains the goal for many Brazilian filmmakers when it comes to first sharing their films with audiences, but, more and more, producers are looking outside of Europe and the U.S. when setting up co-productions. Several producers attending the Projeto Paradiso gathering have shown a keen interest in better understanding financing systems in neighboring South American countries, with Chile in particular seen as a strong partner. 

British-Nigerian Akinola Davies Jr., who attended the gathering for a lengthy in-conversation event and a screening of “My Father’s Shadow” at the imposing Cinema São Luiz, opened a local appetite for collaborations with African countries. Black Brazilian filmmakers spoke at length about the opportunities that lie in working within the diaspora, and how African countries offer not only similar cultures but also a felt kinship when it comes to understanding the post-colonial wounds permeating Brazilian society. Currently, there are very few co-productions set up between Brazil and the African continent, so there are still some logistical and bureaucratic hurdles on the way to making it a more common collaboration, but the desire is very much there in the South American country. 

Collaboration over competition 

Towards the end of the weekend, many attendees could be heard saying, “I wish we worked like this in São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro.” This sentiment often punctuated conversations with filmmakers from the Northeast, who have built a thriving industry based on collaboration over competition. While, of course, there is still high competition in the region, makers had to band together in the mid-2000s to figure out how to sustain an industry before incentives, and then again a few years later, once public funds became available and people needed to help one another to understand how to best access what was on the table.  

Projeto Paradiso has also adopted a similar ethos, structuring their talent network meeting around collaboration and knowledge sharing instead of creating a more traditional market event structured around competitive sections. “We want everyone to feel good,” Projeto Paradiso program director Rachel do Valle told Variety. “What other markets would call a pitching session, we call a connection session. It’s a space for talking, but also for listening. We want it to be enjoyable and fun.”

Consistent public funds: key to the future  

You can’t attend an industry event in Brazil without clusters gathering to talk about the country’s public policies and incentives. While filmmakers acknowledge the historic momentum of their national cinema on the international stage, many have voiced concern that the sense of victory might obscure the very real issues still permeating the industry. Key issues include the long-awaited regulation of streaming services, the need for a centralized national film commission, and, perhaps most pressingly, better-structured funding calendars. 

“10 years ago, the Ministry of Culture had specific open calls for debut filmmakers with a regional focus; we no longer have that,” said veteran producer João Vieira Jr. of Carnaval Filmes. “We need to have differentiated open calls: for first or second-time directors, established production companies, rural production companies… It is not a privilege, it is an intelligent way of managing public policies that ensures sustainability.” 

Producer Thais Vidal echoed that thought: “We have a consolidated state fund in Pernambuco, qualified crews and the structure to produce and post-produce in Recife, but we face the same issue that plagues the rest of the country, which is the lack of a fixed national financing calendar. This is needed so we can effectively plan ahead.” 

Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” held the No. 1 spot at the U.K. and Ireland box office for a third weekend, taking £2.6 million ($3.4 million) and lifting its total to £32.9 million ($44.5 million), according to Comscore.

“Project Hail Mary,” distributed by Sony, remained in second place, adding $2.3 million in its fifth frame to reach $41 million.

Entertainment Film Distributors’ “The Drama” placed third with $1.6 million in its third weekend, pushing its cumulative total to $10.9 million. Warner Bros.’ “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” was the top new entry in fourth place, debuting with $1.3 million.

Anime Ltd.’s reissue of “Akira” followed in fifth with $1.2 million, while Entertainment Film Distributors’ “The Magic Faraway Tree” continued its run in sixth place, adding $1.1 million for a $18.1 million total.

Further down the chart, Miracle Comms’ “Time Hoppers: The Silk Road” debuted in seventh place with $296,000. Trafalgar Releasing’s “BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Goyang: Live Viewing” held eighth with $275,000, while National Theatre’s “All My Sons – NT Live 2026” was in ninth place with $265,000 for a $807,000 cumulative.

Rounding out the top 10, Bakrania Media’s “Bhooth Bangla” added $253,000 in its second weekend, bringing its total to $299,000.

Meanwhile, in its fifth weekend, Moviegoers Entertainment’s Bollywood blockbuster “Dhurandhar” The Returns” was at No. 19 with $61,400. With a total of $5.92 million, it has surpassed the $5.91 million earned by “Pathaan” to become the highest grossing Indian film in the territory.

Looking ahead, Universal will look to maintain its dominance with “Michael,” launching wide across 300 locations, while Kazoo Films counters in the family space with “Hitpig!,” also rolling out broadly. A24 adds drama “Mother Mary,” directed by David Lowery and starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, opening across 100-plus sites.

Event cinema remains a key component of the slate, led by Trafalgar Releasing’s “The Magic Flute – ROH, London 2026.” Disney brings “Fight Club” back to cinemas in a 4K restoration, while Dogwoof releases documentary “The Last Spy” and Underground Slate adds “Searching for Satyrus” at the start of the following week.

The specialty and international market is particularly busy. Mubi releases “Submarino” and “Agon,” while Curzon adds “Primavera.” Vertigo Releasing launches “Exit 8,” and BFI Distribution opens “Rose of Nevada,” starring George MacKay and Callum Turner. Bulldog Film Distribution releases “Ultras,” while Tull Stories debuts “The North,” and Metis Films adds “Surviving Earth.”

Further titles include Zee Studios International’s “Ginny Weds Sunny 2,” Miracle/Animitas Cine’s “Olivia,” and Miracle Comms’ “London’s Last Wilderness.”

The Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, the second oldest film festival in the world after Venice, is preparing to celebrate two milestones: 80 years since the first festival, and its 60th edition.

Among the events planned to commemorate the anniversaries is the exhibition titled “KVIFF 60/80 (1946–2026),” in which the festival looks back on its rich history with an exhibition of photographs focusing on its early years, the atmosphere of its pre-1989 editions, important moments and festival guests.

Thirty outdoor panels, located along the path between two of the festival’s iconic venues – the Grandhotel Pupp and the Hotel Thermal – will take visitors on a journey through the festival’s history and allow them to witness the changes it has undergone.

The Out of the Past section will “consist of 20 carefully selected films from previous editions of the festival, which are firmly linked to its history as milestones key to the KVIFF’s identity and reputation,” the festival’s artistic director, Karel Och, said.

The include Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s “A Matter of Life and Death,” which screened at the festival in 1947, and Ken Loach’s “Kes,” which won the top prize in 1970. Other films include Emilio Fernández’s “Río Escondido” in 1948, and Konrad Wolf’s “Lissy” from 1957.

The twin-city format of the festival’s first edition will be recalled in the form of a special preview screening of a selected film from this year’s program on July 1 at the historic Municipal Theatre in Mariánské Lázně.

As a gesture of thanks for playwright, author and Czech president Václav Havel’s long-term support and goodwill, the festival is marking what would have been his 90th birthday with a photographic exhibition at the Hotel Thermal commemorating his visits to the festival and his meetings with various representatives of world cinema.

For this and future editions, the Karlovy Vary festival is redesigning the area around the entrance to the Hotel Thermal’s Grand Hall with a new architectural design that will allow audiences to “more intensely experience and share in the festival atmosphere during the festival’s opening and closing ceremonies as well as at festival screenings.” Guest arrivals with live commentary will bring the festival action “closer to visitors and add interesting behind-the-scenes observations.” Screenings in the Grand Hall will offer audiences “a natural opportunity for a glamorous red carpet entrance.”

This year’s edition of the festival will present a gala screening of a digitally restored copy of Věra Chytilová’s tragicomedy “Tainted Horseplay,” which was shot in 1988.

At the center of this generational portrait of thirty-somethings is a group of friends who engage in regular drinking sessions, the occasional borderline prank, and casual sexual adventures – until, that is, the wild and promiscuous Pepe ends up in the hospital.

The group of friends subsequently undergo an anonymous blood test, which shows that one of member of their wild gang is HIV positive. This harsh confrontation with reality leads to a radical crisis of friendship.

Slovak actress Magda Vášáryová will receive the President’s Award at the festival, and in her honor it will screen Juraj Jakubisko’s “Birds, Orphans and Fools,” shot in the turbulent year of 1968. Its three main protagonists – Yorick, Marta, and Andrej – manage to survive in a world full of hopelessness and disillusionment thanks to “foolishness,” light-hearted play, and a philosophy of joy that, in their view, is the only possible path toward happiness.

Future Frames – Generation NEXT of European Cinema, a program organized by the Karlovy Vary and European Film Promotion, which has been helping talented European directors start their careers in the film industry since 2015, will return once again.

For the fourth year in a row, the program has been able to expand the opportunities it offers thanks to its partnership with lottery and entertainment company Allwyn, and also by collaborating with U.S. talent agency UTA and Range Media Partners, which provide young filmmakers with expert guidance and the chance to make important contacts.

Karlovy Vary’s programming team selects 10 film school students and graduates for Future Frames from a pool of candidates nominated by member organizations of European Film Promotion. The participating filmmakers present their short and medium-length films at the festival and take part in a mentoring program that includes training, networking and promotion.

This year’s Future Frames will take place from July 5 to 8 at the Hotel Thermal, which will once again host the creative and networking space that is the Allwyn Lounge. Here, participants will attend training sessions and individual meetings with representatives from UTA and Range Media Partners, who will provide them with feedback and subsequently select one director for a residency in Los Angeles sponsored by Allwyn. Last year’s winner was German director Simon Schneckenburger.