Project to support

29th Brazilian Film Festival of Paris

Project summary

Created nearly three decades ago, the Brazilian Film Festival of Paris is one of the leading showcases for Brazilian cinema in France. Held every year at Cinéma L’Arlequin, in the heart of Paris, it introduces French audiences to Brazil’s diversity through a selection combining major popular successes, award-winning auteur films, documentaries, and works addressing social and political issues.

In addition to screenings, many of which take place in the presence of directors and actors, the festival features a competition, school screenings, Brazilian music concerts, samba performances, and a professional forum that encourages co-productions between France and Brazil.

A meeting place for French audiences, the Brazilian community, and Portuguese speakers in Paris, the festival promotes intercultural dialogue, the development of new audiences, and cooperation between the two countries, while contributing to the circulation of Brazilian cinema in Europe.

Festival objectives in terms of promoting cultural diversity

The Brazilian Film Festival of Paris aims to introduce French audiences to the plurality of Brazil, a country characterized by the diversity of its origins, regions, languages, and artistic expressions. Its objectives in this area are to:
 

  • Showcase Brazilian cinema in all its diversity. The program brings together major popular successes, award-winning auteur films, documentaries, and films addressing social and political issues. In 2026, 33 films were presented across 38 screenings, including a competition, out-of-competition documentaries, and premieres. French audiences can thus discover an image of Brazil that goes beyond stereotypes.
  • Give visibility to diverse voices and narratives. The festival highlights Black artists, women filmmakers, and works addressing issues of identity, gender, memory, and social concerns. The tribute to Taís Araújo and Lázaro Ramos in 2026 reflects this commitment.
  • Promote intercultural dialogue between France and Brazil. The audience is diverse: approximately 49% French and 40% Brazilian, in addition to Portuguese speakers from other countries. The festival provides a space for encounters between the two cultures and with the Brazilian diaspora in France. The 46 guests who attended in 2026 also participated in discussions with the audience.
  • Go beyond cinema. The parallel program introduces Paris audiences to other forms of Brazilian cultural expression: music (in 2026, a concert by Alaíde Costa with Philippe Baden Powell and a recital by Miguel Mattos) and samba (in 2026, a performance by the União de Maricá samba school’s percussion section at the closing event).
  • Develop new audiences. School screenings bring young people in France closer to the Portuguese language and Brazilian culture.

Encourage professional cooperation. The Brazil-France Audiovisual Forum, held at the Brazilian Embassy, brings together professionals from both countries and encourages co-productions. In 2026, approximately 40 professionals participated, and five projects were presented in pitching sessions.

Values promoted by the project

  • Diversity. The festival presents a plural Brazil through works representing different genres, regions, origins, and points of view, while providing space for Black artists, women filmmakers, and underrepresented narratives.
  • Intercultural dialogue. The project brings France and Brazil closer together and creates a meeting place for French audiences, the Brazilian community, and Portuguese speakers in Paris.
  • Access to culture. School screenings and a program combining popular successes with auteur cinema make it possible to reach diverse audiences, including people who have never previously encountered Brazilian cinema.
  • Freedom of expression and critical thinking. The festival provides a platform for films addressing social, political, and memory-related issues and encourages dialogue between artists and audiences.
  • Recognition of artistic creation. The project gives international visibility to Brazilian filmmakers, actors, and film professionals and celebrates cinema as a living cultural heritage.
  • Cooperation and exchange. The Brazil-France Audiovisual Forum and the joint work of teams from both countries strengthen professional and economic partnerships between them.
  • Commitment to the local community. Approximately 50 professionals and 35 volunteers are involved in each edition, and a significant share of the budget is invested locally, generating activity for the French cultural sector.

Practical information:

20-27 April 2027

Estimated budget:
The project’s total budget is €200,000. Partial contributions are naturally possible. The project is already authorized to raise funds under Brazil’s Rouanet Law.

Geographic area of the project: Paris

Cultural sectors involved:

Film and audiovisual. This is the project’s primary sector and includes:

    • exhibition: 38 screenings at Cinéma L’Arlequin;
    • distribution: releases and circulation of Brazilian films in France;
    • production and co-production: the Brazil-France Audiovisual Forum, with project pitching sessions;
    • French subtitling and translation of the films.

Music. The parallel program includes concerts and recitals, such as Alaíde Costa with Philippe Baden Powell at the Alliance Française de Paris and the recital by Miguel Mattos in 2026.

Folk arts and Carnival. In 2026, the 30-member percussion section of the União de Maricá samba school performed at the closing event.

Education and cultural mediation. School screenings help develop new audiences, while meetings and discussions with guests bring artists and audiences closer together.

Press, communications, and digital media. The festival received coverage in the French and Brazilian press (approximately 25 media mentions in France and 332 articles in Brazil) and had a strong digital presence on social media, its website, and YouTube.

Graphic design and editorial production. The festival produces printed materials and a visual identity.

Benefits offered to supporting partners:

Brand visibility (tailored based on discussions with each company):

  • Logo placement on festival materials: poster, catalog, program, website, newsletter, and social media (575,000 accounts reached on Instagram in 2026).
  • Screening of a promotional or corporate video before screenings at Cinéma L’Arlequin (7,740 attendees in 2026).
  • Mention in press releases and communications with French and Brazilian media (332 articles in Brazil in 2026, with an estimated media value of BRL 72 million).
  • On-site brand presence through banners, booths, or distribution of materials.
  • Public relations and networking: invitations to the opening and closing screenings, both of which reached full capacity in 2026.
  • Access to festival guests (46 in 2026), including Brazilian actors, directors, and public figures.
  • Private screening or exclusive event for the company’s clients and employees.
  • Participation in the Brazil-France Audiovisual Forum, providing opportunities to connect with professionals from both countries.
  • Brand association: possibility of naming an award, a screening, a thematic focus, or a masterclass after the company.
  • Association with the values of diversity, intercultural dialogue, and access to culture.
  • Exclusive content for the company’s communication channels: interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and photos.
  • Reporting: final report presenting audience, media, and social media figures, as well as a press review documenting brand mentions.