Shanghai Film Festival will show 9 Brazilian films

What starts this Saturday (June 13, 2026) will show 9 Brazilian films. It’s a record for Brazilian screenings at China’s main film festival and one of the biggest in Asia.

The Shanghai festival had its first edition in 1993 and is the only Chinese film festival classified as type A among competitive feature film festivals by the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations). It is the same classification as festivals such as Cannes, Venice and Berlin.

The Brazilian presence reflects the good moment of national cinema, which had two Oscar nominations in different categories in the last 2 years, but is also influenced by a partnership between the Brazilian government and the Chinese government: the Brazil-China Cultural Year 2026. Due to this institutional agreement, the Chinese festival will have its own program for Brazilian films called “Focus Brazil”.

Of the Brazilian films, only one is in the selection that competes for the “Golden Cup”, the main award at the Shanghai International Film Festival. It’s a Brazilian and British co-production.”The Luiza Desert”directed by Brazilian filmmaker Alan Minas. The Brazilian film will compete with 11 other films for the award.

Brazilian animation “Amadeo and the Hypothetical New World”directed by Brenda Lígia and Edu Felisto, is among the nominees to compete in the best animation category along with 4 other films.

The Shanghai International Film Festival will begin this Saturday (June 12) and end on June 21. According to organizers, 250,000 tickets were sold in 15 minutes when sales began last week.

Here is the list of Brazilian films that will be shown at the Shanghai International Film Festival:

• “The Desert of Luiza” (2026);
• “Amadeo and the Hypothetical New World” (2026);
• “Made Kite” (2026);
• “Narcissa’s Inheritance” (2025);
• “The Hour of the Star” (1985);
• “I’m going to Vigo!” (2025);
• “The Fabulous Time Machine” (2026);
• “Heart of Darkness” (2025);
• “Papaya” (2025).