Brazil debuts at QCinema International Film Festival with acclaimed feature 'Manas'

Brazil is making a remarkable debut at the 2025 QCinema International Film Festival with the screening of the multi-award-winning feature Manas, a Brazilian–Portuguese co-production directed by Marianna Brennand. The film will be showcased in QCinema’s New Horizons section, which features innovative and socially relevant works from around the world.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, through the Instituto Guimarães Rosa and the Embassy of Brazil in Manila, is honored to join QCinema, now in its 13th edition, as a partner. The Embassy extends its appreciation to the Quezon City Government, the QC Film Development Foundation, and the QC Film Commission for their collaboration in strengthening cultural and artistic ties between Brazil and the Philippines.

This year’s QCinema coincides with Quezon City’s recent designation by UNESCO as a Creative City of Film, a recognition that celebrates the city’s dynamic film industry and commitment to creativity and cultural innovation.

Filmed in the Brazilian Amazon, Manas follows Marcielle, a 13-year-old girl growing up in a riverside community on the island of Marajó. The film captures her coming of age amid the natural beauty and social challenges of Amazonian life, addressing themes of resilience, gender, and social justice. Though a work of fiction, it is based on more than a decade of field research by director Marianna Brennand and her team.

Described as a film made by women, about women, and for women whose voices are often unheard, Manas has deeply moved audiences worldwide. It has received more than 30 international awards, including honors at Venice, Cannes, Montreal, and Beijing, and has garnered the support of artists such as Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, who helped bring the film to a broader global audience.

The screening of Manas at QCinema also resonates with COP30, currently being held in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon – the first time a UN Climate Conference takes place in the world’s largest tropical rainforest. Both events underscore the global importance of environmental preservation, cultural exchange, and inclusive, sustainable development.

As one of Brazil’s most celebrated recent productions, Manas was shortlisted by the Brazilian Academy of Cinema among six films considered for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The final Brazilian submission, The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Wagner Moura, was honored at the 78th Cannes Film Festival and received the Critics’ Prize, now standing as Brazil’s official contender for the 2026 Oscars.

In 2025, another Brazilian film, I’m Still Here, won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, reaffirming the strength, diversity, and growing international recognition of Brazilian cinema.

Screening Details

Film: Manas

Director: Marianna Brennand

Year: 2024 | Running time: 101 min | Format: DCP

Genre: Fiction | Country: Brazil

Languages: Portuguese | Subtitles: English

Date | Time | Venues: 

17 November 2025, 1:30pm, Gateway 18

19 November 2025, 1:30pm, Fisher Mall 3

22 November 2025, 3:10pm, Gateway 16

For more information about the film and the screening schedule:

https://qcinema.ph/film/manas/

https://qcinema.ph/schedule/

https://www.facebook.com/QCinemaPH