When I’m still there was announced as one of the 10 best Picture Oscar nominees, the co-producer Maria Carlota Bruno described the experience as ‘surrealistic’. It was not only her first Academy Award nomination, which she shares with producer Rodrigo Teixeira, but it was also the first time that a completely Brazilian film was selected for the highest honor of the academy.
“Although we knew that the film had a strong international reception, recognizing the best photo was further than everything we had imagined,” Bruno told Yahoo Entertainment. “It took a few days before the news really sinks, and even now it still feels extraordinary.”
The film, which plays in national theaters, has also collected nominations for the best international function and best actress for his star, Fernanda Torres.
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I’m still there Tells the true story of Eunice Paiva (played by Torres), a mother of five whose husband disappears under mysterious circumstances during the military dictatorship of Brazil in the early 1970s. The film is based on the memoirs of Eunice’s son, Marcelo Rubens Paiva, entitled I’m still there ((I’m still there).
“In essence, this film is about family,” said Bruno, “one of the most universal and timeless symbols that we all have.”
She mentions the ‘hard work and dedication’ of her entire team, but she also chooses his Brazilian director, Walter Salles.
“I have been working with Walter for 35 years, and through all the films and experiences we have shared during these three decades, one decisive characteristic has remained constant,” she said. “He is a meticulous maker.”
The director, who also helped the Oscar-nominated film Central station (1998), had the unique opportunity to direct the only two Brazilian best actress Oscar – genominees – Torres, who won the Golden Globe for her performance in January, and Fernanda Montenegro, who played in Central station And is Torres’s mother. Montenegro also plays Eunice as an older woman I’m still there.
“Past [Salles’s] Deep knowledge of cinematography, “said Bruno,” he is deeply sensitive and works on a deep personal level with actors – always gentle, always close. ‘
Salles told The Hollywood Reporter that he “is always attracted to stories where the journey of the character and the journey of the country mixes in one way or another.”
To evoke a striking version of Torres, Bruno said: “Walter carried out Fernanda’s interpretation into a deep restraint, so that the character Eunice Paiva was marked with complexity, endurance and hope.”
‘[Eunice] The film starts like a housewife, serves coffee and takes care of children, “Salles told The Hollywood Reporter. “And suddenly, while the film is developing, she becomes Achilles, she becomes Odysseus, she becomes the one who is in charge of the Trojan War.”
Calling the nomination a “historical milestone for Brazil,” said Bruno, “I am honored to be part of it. I am grateful for the opportunity to share our story with the public all over the world. This nomination is not just a recognition of our film – it is a celebration of Brazilian cinema and culture. “
