How ‘I’m Still Here’ Broke U.K. Box Office Records: ‘Brazilian Enthusiasm,’ Awards Season Buzz and Altitude’s Clever Scheduling
variety.comAlex Ritman One of the dark horses of the 2025 awards season, Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” managed to claim the Oscar for best international film on Sunday night from under the nose of long-standing favourite “Emilia Pérez.” The acclaimed drama became the first Brazilian feature to be awarded the honor — although several pundits suggested the film, a powerful exploration of love and grief set during Brazil’s military dictatorship of the 1970s, had a decent swing at landing its other nominations of best actress for Fernanda Torres and — even — best picture.
But the one win for “I’m Still Here” was enough to provoke wild celebrations on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, where Torres, already something of a national hero, had been named an unlikely muse of this year’s carnival.
As it turned out, the timing of “I’m Still Here’s” awards ascendancy couldn’t have been better for its run many thousands of miles away in the U.K., where the Oscars ceremony took place place during its second weekend in cinemas.
Released by Altitude on Feb. 21 across 141 sites, the film had already broken British records long before the red carpet was being unrolled in front of the Dolby Theatre.
Read more on variety.com
