The Brazilian Academy of Cinema announced on Wednesday a shortlist of six feature films competing to represent the country at the 2027 Oscar ceremony.
The organization chose the contenders from an initial longlist of 15 movies selected in late August. A committee of jurors will select the final submission on September 16.
The winning entry will seek a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. International Oscar organizers will announce the official list of nominees on January 21, 2027, ahead of the main awards ceremony on March 14, 2027.
The selection comes following landmark success for Brazilian cinema on the international stage over the past two years. Director Walter Salles's drama Still Here won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2025. That victory was followed by Kleber Mendonça Filho's thriller The Secret Agent, which made history as the most nominated Brazilian film in Oscar history with four nominations.
The Academy Awards are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honor artistic and technical achievement in global filmmaking. The national selection process is managed by the Brazilian Academy of Cinema.
Selection process for the 99th Academy Awards
Among the six shortlisted contenders is 100 Dias, a biographical drama documenting the life and maritime adventures of Brazilian explorer Amyr Klink. Actor Filipe Bragança stars as Klink, depicting his solo journey across the South Atlantic Ocean in a small rowing boat while attempting a feat never accomplished before.
Directed by Carlos Saldanha, the film portrays the ocean crossing between Africa and Brazil as a battle against fear, solitude, and physical limits. While his body resists the sea, Klink confronts memories, family conflicts, and choices that defined his life. Saldanha is globally recognized for directing major animated hit films including Rio and Ice Age: The Meltdown.
Considered one of the most anticipated Brazilian movie releases of the year, 100 Dias is scheduled to open in cinemas nationwide on October 29.
Coming of age stories in Piauí and Goiás
The shortlist also features A Fabulosa Máquina do Tempo, set in the semi-arid sertão region of Piauí in northeastern Brazil. The story follows a group of young girls as they navigate evangelical religious gatherings, social media networks, and aspirations for their future.
After inventing an imaginary time machine, the girls examine the harsh lives of their mothers and grandmothers, marked by poverty and social inequality, before traveling into a future where they see themselves free and fulfilled. Through playful imagination, they begin questioning what growing into womanhood means. The film premiered in late July and remains in theatrical release in select locations across Brazil.
Another contender is A Natureza das Coisas Invisíveis, which centers on ten-year-old Glória, played by Laura Brandão. Glória spends her school vacation inside the hospital ward where her mother works as a nurse.
While at the hospital, Glória meets Sofia, played by Serena, a young patient convinced that her great-grandmother's worsening health is caused by her hospital stay. Eager to leave the ward, the two girls find comfort in each other until an impending separation forces them and their mothers to travel together to the interior of Goiás state for the end of summer. The production will open in cinemas on November 27.
Family dramas set in Ceará and urban Brazil
Director Deberton's film Feito Pipa focuses on Gugu, played by Yuri Gomes, a young boy dreaming of becoming a professional football player. Gugu lives with his grandmother Dilma, played by Teca Pereira, who raises him with affection and freedom.
When Dilma's health begins to decline, Gugu tries to hide her condition to avoid being separated from her and forced to live with his father, played by Lázaro Ramos. Filmed on location in Quixadá, in the state of Ceará, the movie presents a narrative about growing up, belonging, and affection. Screenwriters Deberton and André Araújo drew the script from their childhood memories in Russas, Ceará. The film arrives in Brazilian theaters on November 5.
The shortlist also includes Nosso Segredo, a drama following a Black family attempting to rebuild their routine after a sudden loss and unexpected absence. As family members process their grief individually, the youngest son, Tutu, played by Efraim Santos, holds a secret capable of confronting their emotional pain and revealing a new path forward.
As repressed emotions and past family wounds resurface, the family realizes that only a deep conversation can help them move forward together. The movie debuted in theaters nationwide on August 27 and is currently showing in cinemas across the country.
Tragedy and guilt in Vicentina Pede Desculpas
The final film on the shortlist is Vicentina Pede Desculpas, set in the city of Belo Horizonte. The drama opens on a crowded commuter bus traveling toward the city center.
While crossing an overpass, the bus suddenly swerves off course, leaves the lane, and plunges onto the avenue below. One passenger survives with severe injuries, while all other passengers on board die in the crash.
The tragedy quickly becomes national news. Security camera footage from inside the bus begins circulating publicly, prompting speculation that the driver, Wesley, may have acted intentionally.
Vicentina, a 75-year-old retired schoolteacher and Wesley's mother, is devastated by the catastrophe. Uncertain of how to move forward, she decides to seek out the victims' families personally and ask for forgiveness. The production currently has no public trailer and does not yet have an official release date on Netflix.
