Rio Film Festival Head on Bookending Fest With ‘La Bola Negra’ and ‘Club Kid,’ Expanding Premiére Brasil: ‘I Don’t Want a Festival By-the-Book’

Artistic director Ilda Santiago lines up some of the year’s buzziest titles alongside a new generation of Brazilian talent that reflects strong industry momentum

By Rafa Sales Ross

Rafa Sales Ross

Guest Contributor

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If you ever attended a major film festival in the last three decades, chances are you came across an auburn-haired woman sporting fashionable big glasses and pristinely curated outfits from some of Brazil’s most exciting up-and-coming fashion designers. This is Ilda Santiago, the artistic director of Brazil’s leading Rio Film Festival. The programming veteran has spent decades working to narrow the bridges between her hometown and international cinephilia, working tirelessly to secure some of the year’s buzziest titles for her festival as competition grows fiercer and fiercer.

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