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It’s been a busy few weeks for RioFilme. The company, one of the largest city-backed audiovisual funds in Latin America, just had its first-ever stand at the Cannes’ Marché du Film as part of Brazil Country of Honor and is gearing to open a dedicated stand for the first time at Rio’s buzzy Rio2C, Latin America’s largest creativity event taking place from May 27 to June 1.
The Rio2C stand is held in partnership with Quanta, the São Paulo-based studio and post-production group that won the bid for the 30-year concession to Rio’s massive Polo Rio Cine Video, a complex of seven studios built by City Hall by 1988. Quanta has invested $15 million in renovating the complex and creating extra stages and plans to have a total of 15 fully operational studios in Polo Rio by March 2026.
The stand will showcase some of the industry’s leading tech resources. Audience members will be able to attend presentations about virtual production and motion capture, with Guel Arraes and Flávia Lacerda’s box office hit “The Rogue’s Trial” serving as a key showcase — a clear decision to emphasize the use of modern techniques in Brazilian productions. RioFilme will also be present at several panels, including one on the future of the Brazilian audiovisual production with Ancine’s Alex Braga and the Ministry of Culture’s executive secretary Marcio Tavares, where the Rio company will announce its new R$100 million ($18 million) incentive rollout.
Speaking with Variety in Cannes ahead of Rio2C, the President of RioFilme, Leonardo Edde, highlights the company’s internationalization efforts, saying they are currently looking for the “Gagacabana of audiovisual.” By that, the executive is of course referring to the history-making free Lady Gaga concert in Copacabana Beach, which attracted over 2 million spectators to the sands of Rio early in May and attracted great international attention.
“I am trying to find the Lady Gaga of audiovisual,” emphasized Edde. “Rio is ready for a production of this dimension. Today, Rio is capable of hosting major Hollywood productions that need studios as well as offering the natural beauty of the city and its surroundings.”
One project that can fit this ambitious bill is Netflix’s series adaptation of the Ira Levin novel “The Boys From Brazil,” which Edde says they are “actively trying to attract” to shoot in Rio. The project is set to star “Succession” star Jeremy Strong and hails from Peter Morgan, the creator of the critically-acclaimed Netflix series “The Crown.” Morgan is writing the adaptation and will executive produce along with Suzanne Mackie of Orchid Pictures.
In the first quarter of 2025, Rio accounted for 80% of the Brazilian film market share. Rio has also been consolidating itself as one of the most filmed cities in the world, surpassing major cinematic destinations such as Paris and Mexico City. In 2024, the city of Rio surpassed Paris’ numbers by nearly 40%, authorizing 8,782 filming days for 505 productions.
“Our goal is to pass Madrid, which had 12,000 shoot days at its highest,” adds Edde. “For that to happen, we need skilled workers and are heavily investing in technical and artistic training. Today we have technical courses running alongside high schools, so pupils come out of high schools already trained as audiovisual technicians.”
“Another main goal for 2025 is to host more international productions,” continues the RioFilme president. “We have a cashback program for productions coming from outside Rio and a specific program for international productions that help bring the name and image of Rio to the world. We came to Cannes to try to find a major production to bring to Rio. We want to do business. RioFilme is a public company, but it is a business.”
Rio City’s cash rebate, which allows foreign producers to receive a refund of up to 35% of the amount spent on filming in the city, was launched in 2022 and produced whopping results in the three years since. “Our return on the rebate is almost 700%,” says the exec. “We’ve seen a very rapid return on the rebate. In year one, it was 400%, year two was 700%, and we are now executing year three and promising a new cash rebate for 2025.”
Edde says that, unlike many other cities that launch attractive rebate schemes to increase demand, Rio’s rebate responded to a “long-suppressed demand.” “Rio is already a highly popular city that is widely recognized internationally, so the rebate was years in the making, and we are becoming more and more ambitious with it every year.”
Although RioFilme maintains a firm autonomy within its territory, Edde has been quick to praise the work of the Ministry of Culture and the federal support they have received under the Lula government following years of cultural cutbacks under the Bolsonaro administration. “Our relationship with the federal government is direct and prolific because Rio is a postcard for the country, and we want to establish ourselves as a great reference for the country’s audiovisual industry.”
The exec adds that Daniel Celli, the head of the Rio Film Commission, is working alongside the federal government on the development of a long-awaited national film commission, which he views as “key” for the future of Brazil’s industry. “It’s essential that we can create a national film commission that works as a hub for the whole country, because certain states and cities already have their commissions and they have to be centralized without stripping those bodies of their autonomy. I think this is the great challenge of the federal government, but also its great opportunity.”
Although internationalization is a great priority, RioFilme continues its home efforts. “We now have two main industry events where we can connect with audiences and industry members, Rio2C in the first half of the year and the Rio Film Festival in the second half. One of our focuses is the return of the Rio Film Festival as a major international festival. It has always been a reference, and we want the festival to be back to its full grandeur.”
Edde also says he and his team are working to bring MipTV to Rio now that the major B2B market is looking for a new home following its Cannes departure. “This is Brazil’s moment. Rio has an Oscar with ‘I’m Still Here’ and an increased national interest in our national cinema. We are currently in talks to bring MipTV to Rio, we want other major events to be held in the city.”
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