By Isabel Teles and Luciana Magalhaes
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian movie “I Am Still Here”, set against the backdrop of the military dictatorship and recounting the true story of a mother of five whose husband disappears, made history on Sunday by earning Brazil its first Oscar in a main category.
In his acceptance speech, director Walter Salles dedicated the award to a woman who decided “not to bend and to resist.”
“This goes to her, Eunice Paiva, and it goes to the two extraordinary women who gave life to her, Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro,” he said.
Adapted from the poignant 2015 memoir written by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, the son of main character Eunice Paiva, “I Am Still Here” shares family’s heart-wrenching story of loss and resilience in the face of oppression.
The Paiva family was among the many victims of the military regime in Brazil, which lasted for 21 years and was established following a coup d’etat by the armed forces in 1964. During this period, thousands of people were detained, tortured, and hundreds forcibly disappeared, with many being exiled and persecuted.
The last Brazilian film to be nominated by the Academy in the international category was “Central Station” in 1999, also directed by Salles.
In 1960, France, Italy, Brazil co-production “Black Orpheus”, with a predominantly Brazilian cast and French direction won the international category, but the recipient of the prize was France.
The Oscars ceremony coincided with Brazil’s Carnival, and as the news of the win spread, the streets erupted in joy. Thousands of revelers, many of whom were holding Oscar statuettes or dressed as Academy Awards nominee Fernanda Torres, celebrated with music, dance, and festivities.
(Reporting by Isabel Teles, Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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