With Lucrecia Martel and Leandra Leal in the lineup, Brazil’s 17th International Border Film Festival unveils 30 titles from 18 countries and launches a brand-new cash prize partnership with the Rio Grande do Sul State Legislature.
The selected films for the 17th International Cinema da Fronteira Festival – São Sebastião/Legislative Assembly Award were announced on Wednesday (25) during a ceremony at the Júlio de Castilhos Hall, inside the historic Palácio Farroupilha in Porto Alegre. The festival itself takes place in the border cities of Bagé and Sant’Ana do Livramento from April 29 to May 2, 2026, with free admission to all events.
A Selection That Highlights Women Filmmakers
The competitive lineup comprises 30 titles evenly split across feature films, short films, and animated shorts. Eight of the ten selected features are directed by Ibero-American women filmmakers, a clear signal of the festival’s curatorial priorities. This year, the festival received more than 3,200 submissions from 120 countries, including over 470 feature films.
Argentine auteur Lucrecia Martel brings her documentary “Nuestra Tierra” to the competition, while Brazilian actress and director Leandra Leal competes with “Nada a Fazer”. The feature film selection also includes works from Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, Bolivia, and Uruguay.
First-Ever Legislative Assembly Prize
For the first time in the festival’s history, the Rio Grande do Sul Legislative Assembly joins as a prize partner. A total of R$ 15,000 (approximately USD 2,800) will be awarded: R$ 10,000 for best feature film, R$ 2,500 for best short film, and R$ 2,500 for best animated short.
“For us at the Assembly, it is an immense joy to be part of the Border Festival and to work toward decentralizing cultural events to the interior of the state. Developing culture, new talent, and promoting the regional economy is of great importance.” — Sergio Peres, President of the Rio Grande do Sul Legislative Assembly
A Gateway for Mercosur Cinema
Zeca Brito, Bagé’s Secretary of Culture, sees 2026 as a turning point. “The Border Festival reaches its aesthetic maturity this year, establishing itself as Brazil’s gateway for quality cinema from the Mercosur region. It is a space for cultural exchange and dialogue, delivering what one expects from a truly international festival of excellence,” he said.
The feature film jury is curated by Fatimarlei Lunardelli, Jonas Chadarevian, and Roger Lerina. The short film selection was handled by José Eduardo Camargo, Marizele Garcia, Frederico Ruas, and João Werlang. Running alongside the festival, the V Sur Frontera WIP LAB offers workshops, work-in-progress screenings, and mentoring sessions for audiovisual professionals.
Selected Films
International Feature Film Competition
- “Aqui Não Entra Luz” (No Light Enters Here), dir. Karol Maia (Documentary, Brazil)
- “Ángeles”, dir. Paula Markovitch (Fiction, Mexico/Argentina)
- “Cartas Para…” (Letters To…), dir. Vânia Lima (Documentary, Brazil)
- “Cielo”, dir. Alberto Sciamma (Fiction, Bolivia)
- “Duas Vezes João Liberada”, dir. Paula Tomás Marques (Fiction, Portugal)
- “Futuro Futuro”, dir. Davi Pretto (Fiction, Brazil)
- “Nada a Fazer” (Nothing to Do), dir. Leandra Leal (Documentary, Brazil)
- “Nuestra Tierra” (Our Land), dir. Lucrecia Martel (Documentary, Argentina)
- “Un Futuro Brillante” (A Bright Future), dir. Lucía Garibaldi (Fiction, Uruguay)
- “Quemadura China”, dir. Verónica Perrotta (Fiction, Uruguay)
International Short Film Competition
- “A Biblioteca de Jorge Furtado” (Jorge Furtado’s Library), dir. Glênio Póvoas and Luiz Alberto Cassol (Brazil)
- “Cabeça, Ombro, Joelho e Pé” (Head, Shoulder, Knee and Foot), dir. Van Van (Brazil)
- “Coisas que Meu Pai me Deu” (Things My Father Gave Me), dir. David Selva, Victor Oliver and Yifan Wen (Brazil/Costa Rica/Portugal)
- “Do Caldeirão da Santa Cruz do Deserto”, dir. Weyna Macedo, Lucas Parente, Adeciany Castro and Mariana Smith (Brazil)
- “Entrevista com Fantasmas” (Interview with Ghosts), dir. Lincoln Péricles (Brazil)
- “Filme Pin”, dir. María Rojas Arias and Andrés Jurado (Colombia/Portugal)
- “Nuestra Sombra” (Our Shadow), dir. Agustina Sánchez Gavier (Argentina)
- “Pasta Negra” (Black Paste), dir. Jorge Thielen Armand (Canada/Colombia/Italy/Venezuela)
- “Pedra-mar” (Sea-Stone), dir. Janaína Lacerda (Brazil)
- “Te Extraño Perdularia”, dir. Manu Zilveti (Cuba)
International Animated Short Film Competition
- “After Me, The Flood”, dir. Max Shoham (Canada)
- “A Menina e o Pote” (The Girl and the Pot), dir. Valentina Homem and Tati Bond (Brazil)
- “Apocalypsis”, dir. Nicolás Sanabria, Emmanuel Alcalá and Andrés Llanezas (Argentina)
- “Duwid Tuminikiz – Makunaima é Duwid?”, dir. Gustavo Caboco Wapixana (Brazil)
- “Marimbã está Acontecendo” (Marimbã Is Happening), dir. Maryn Marynho (Brazil)
- “Sheep—Wolf”, dir. Polina Safina (Russia)
- “Shelter”, dir. Chiara Vincenti Zakhia (Italy/Lebanon)
- “Socially approved positions of bodies in space”, dir. Lera Oleynikova (Russia)
- “The entrance lies there”, dir. Haoyu Chen (China)
- “Um corpo sem cavalo?” (A Body Without a Horse?), dir. Lara Fuke (Belgium/Brazil/Finland/Portugal)
Event Info
- XVII International Cinema da Fronteira Festival
- April 29 to May 2, 2026
- Bagé and Sant’Ana do Livramento, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Free admission to all events
- Website: festivaldafronteira.com.br
- Instagram: @festivaldafronteira
