"Curta Cinema 2024: Film 'Engole o choro' wins national competition and qualifies for Oscar 2025"

"Engole o choro", by Fabio Rodrigo, from São Paulo, is the big winner of the Short Film National Competition (Photo: Disclosure)

The 33rd edition of Curta Cinema - Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival ended its program last Wednesday, April 24. The big winners were the films "Engole o choro", by Fabio Rodrigo (SP), and "Pigeons are dying, when the city is on fire", by Stavros Markoulakis (Greece), which are automatically eligible to compete for a nomination at the 2025 Oscars in the Best Fiction Short Film category. In this edition, the Festival registered a record number of entries - 4,750 films - and an increase of 40% in attendance compared to the last edition, totaling 4,000 spectators who visited the Estação Net Botafogo cinemas.

The winners of the other categories of the festival were also announced. For the first time, the festival was sponsored by Itaú Unibanco through the Federal Culture Incentive Law and supported by RioFilme, a body that is part of Rio de Janeiro's Municipal Department of Culture, through the call for proposals to support the production of audiovisual exhibitions and festivals.

Other award winners

In the national competition, "Quinze quase dezesseis", by Thais Fujinaga, won the Best Director Award. "Das águas", by Adalberto Oliveira and Tiago Martins Rêgo, won the Special Jury Prize, and "Ramal", by Higor Gomes, and "MBORAIRAPE", by Roney Freitas, won Honorable Mentions.

In the international competition, "Beutset" (Senegal/Switzerland), by Alicia Mendy, and "Cross my heart and hope to die", by Sam Manaosa (Philippines), were the winners in the Best Director category. The Special Jury Prize went to "El tercer mundo después del sol", by Tiagx Vélez and Analú Laferal, a production from Colombia. "Incident", by Bill Morrison; "Marica", by Anouk Chambaz; and "La historia se escribe de noche", by Alejandro Alonso, won Honorable Mentions.

The best films in the Panorama Carioca and Panorama Latino-Americano shows were, respectively, "Macaleia", by Rejane Zilles, and "As Marias", by Dannon Lacerda. The short film "América, do Sul", by Maria Clara Bastos, won the First Pictures Award.

The winner of the Canal Brasil Short Film Award is "Você", by Elisa Bessa - which receives R$ 15,000 - and the winner of the Canal Like National Competition, "Engole o choro", by Fabio Rodrigo. In addition, the Best Project Award of the 25th Short Film Project Laboratory gave first place to "Kika não foi convidada", by Juraci Júnior do Pará, from Rondônia, and second place to "O cadáver perfumado", by Fabrício Basílio, from Rio de Janeiro - which also receives the Edina Fuji, Conecta Acessibilidade and Link Digital awards.

Extended programming

This year, the program extends to São Paulo, on April 26 and 27, at the Museum of Image and Sound (MIS), with screenings of the programs Manifest Special, Total Refusal Special, Interfilm Special and Interzona Midnight. The program is available on the event's website. The Festival has the institutional support of the São Paulo Secretariat for Culture, the Creative Economy and Industry.

Curta Cinema Festival announces winners and qualifies two films to compete for a place at the Oscars