The federal deputy Mario Frias (PL), former Secretary of Culture in the Bolsonaro government, used his social networks this Saturday (25) to attack the film I’m Still Here. Frias, who had already criticized Fernanda Torres for the award for Best Drama Actress at the 2025 Golden Globes, has now spoken out against the film, calling it a “piece of communist propaganda and disinformation”.
The parliamentarian, who is also a former actor, began his criticism by stating that Brazilian culture should be associated with “good and truth”, and that transforming a work like I’m Still Here into art would be “destroying” national culture. “When you turn a piece of communist propaganda and disinformation into art, you are not enriching national culture, you are destroying it,” he declared.
Frias went on to call the film the “antithesis of art,” claiming that it is nothing more than a technique of “psychological manipulation.” According to the deputy, separating the aesthetic principle from the moral one is a serious mistake, especially for those who claim to be defenders of art.
In addition to criticizing the film, Frias also referred to the celebration surrounding Fernanda Torres’ award, considering it “self-flattery by left-wing activists”. The film, which was nominated in three categories at the 2025 Oscars, including Best International Film and Best Actress, continues to generate controversy amid these political divisions in the country.
Photography of the dictatorship
The film “I’m Still Here”, starring Fernanda Torres and Selton Mello, was directed by filmmaker Walter Salles and sold out cinemas in Brazil. The film’s plot is inspired by the book of the same name by journalist Marcelo Rubens Paiva, I’m Still Here, published in 2015.
In the autobiographical work, Paiva narrates the tragedy that his family experienced during the Military Dictatorship. Using his own childhood memories, he recounts the arrest and disappearance of his father, Rubens Paiva, in 1971. The story also focuses on the struggle of his mother, Eunice Paiva, who was arrested, tortured and had to rise up to raise her own children. five children, facing immense pain and adversity.
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The Brazilian film was nominated for the main category of the 2025 Oscar, Best Film, on Thursday (23), making history by being the first national feature film to compete in this category.
In addition, the production received two more nominations: Best International Film and Best Actress, for Fernanda Torres
