Belgium well represented in São Paulo: eight films featured in the 2025 festival lineup.
For its 49th edition, five Belgian titles have been included in the program of the São Paulo Festival.
The São Paulo International Film Festival is one of the biggest film events in Latin America. Its program is divided into three sections: the Competition, dedicated to the first and second films by young directors; International Perspectives, which presents a broad panorama of world cinema; and Special Screenings, devoted to landmark works and tributes.
Each year, the public is invited to award its own prize. For two weeks, nearly 300 films from around the world are screened in around twenty cultural venues across the city—cinemas, museums, cultural centers—turning São Paulo into the capital of cinema and a meeting place for audiences and creators.
This marks the world premiere of Maturity by Jean-Benoît Ugeux, featured in the “Competição Novos Diretores” section. The film is produced by Wrong Men and Apoptose and is represented internationally by Be For Films.
Ludovic, a successful forty-year-old architect, begins a romance with Nathalie, a mother of two young girls. As their budding love unfolds, Ludovic grows closer to the girls, developing an unexpected bond of complicity with them. But when Nathalie decides to distance herself from Ludovic, he feels he is losing something beyond his grasp. This marks the beginning of a terrible downward spiral.
Vitrival by Noëlle Bastin and Baptiste Bogaert is part of the “Competição Novos Diretores” section. The film was produced by Naoko Films and is represented internationally by Patra Spanou.
In the most beautiful village in the world, two cousins, neighborhood policemen, patrol the streets listening to the local radio. Confronted with a wave of suicides, Benjamin and Petit Pierre are trying their best to reassure the villagers. Anyway, life and daily chores must go on: there’s housework, folk events and dick graffiti swarming the walls of Vitrival.
Adam’s sake by Laura Wandel is included in the “Competição Novos Diretores” section. It was produced by Les Films du Fleuve and Dragon Films, and is sold internationally by Indie Sales.
Following a court ruling, four-year-old Adam is hospitalised for malnutrition. Lucy, he head nurse, allows Adam’s mother to stay past the court-mandated visiting hours. Complications ensue when the mother, once again, refuses to leave her son’s bedside. For the sake of the child, Lucy will do anything to help this mother in distress.
Wild Foxes by Valéry Carnoy, produced by Hélicotronc and represented internationally by The Party Film Sales, will also be screened in the “Competição Novos Diretores” section.
At a sports boarding school, talented young boxer Camille narrowly survives a fatal accident, saved by his best friend Matteo. After a swift recovery, an inexplicable pain gradually takes hold of him, threatening his dreams of greatness and his relationship with the team. In the ring and in a man’s world, there’s no room for weakness.
Valéry Rosier’s new film Rano will be presented in the “Perspectiva Internacional” section. Starring Belgian actress Mara Taquin, the film is produced by Wrong Men.
On a wild island off the coast of Madagascar, the destinies of two searching souls intersect. Macha, a young Belgian, flees an impossible grief and finds refuge with her mother. Franco, a Madagascan, returns to his native land to find a distant father and a mother who has mysteriously disappeared. As their personal quests intertwine, the island, steeped in mysticism, reveals the maternal and ambivalent power of water, capable of cradling as well as engulfing. An inner journey where denial collides with the force of origins and the power of nature.
Joachim Lafosse’s new feature Six Days in Spring is competing in the “Perspectiva Internacional” section. The film was produced by Stenola Productions and is represented internationally by Les Films du Losange.
Despite adversity, Sana wants her twins to have a spring vacation, but all her plans fall through. They secretly decide to stay in her former in-laws' villa on the Riviera, without telling anyone. Six days of sunshine that mark the end of innocence.
Hair, Paper, Water…by Nicolas Graux and Trương Minh Quý will be in the “Perspectiva Internacional” section . The film is produced by Dérives and sold internationally by Lights On.
In a cave, more than sixty years ago, she was born. Now she lives in a village, with many children and grandchildren to look after. Sometimes, she dreams of her dead mother calling her home—to the cave. The film captures fleeting moments of her daily life and the transmission of her fragile language, Ruc, to her grandchildren.
Produced by Les Films du Fleuve and sold by Goodfellas, Young Mothers by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne will receive the presented in the “Prêmio Humanidade ” award.
Jessica, Perla, Julie, Ariane and Naïma are housed in a shelter for young mothers. Five teenagers hoping for a better life for themselves and their babies.
In addition, there are numerous co-productions also supported by the CCA. These include Soft Leaves by Miwako Van Weyenberg, co-produced by Stenola Productions; Imago by Déni Oumar Pitsaev, co-produced by Need Productions; Julian by Cato Kusters, co-produced by Les Films du Fleuve; The Songbirds' Secret by Antoine Lanciaux, co-produced by Dragon Films and finally, Queen Momby Manele Labidi, co-produced by Frakas Productions
Finally, we should note the presence of Silent Rebellion by Marie-Elsa Sgualdo, co-produced by Hélicotronc, which also appears in the festival’s lineup.
The 49th São Paulo International Film Festival takes place in the city of São Paulo from October 16 to 30, 2025.
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