# List of Brazilian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Brazil has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 1960. The award is handed out annually by the United States–based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature length motion picture produced outside the U.S. that contains primarily non-English language dialogue. It was not created until the 1956 Academy Awards, in which a competitive Academy Award of Merit was created for non-English speaking films, and has been given annually since.
Black Orpheus, a Portuguese language film shot in Rio de Janeiro with a large Brazilian cast and crew, won the award at the 1959 ceremony for France. Since the film was directed by French filmmaker Marcel Camus and produced by French companies, it was only able to be nominated as France's official submission.
In 1986, Kiss of the Spider Woman became the first Brazilian co-production to get nominated for Best Picture. However, it was ineligible to be selected as the official submission because it was mostly in English.

## Statistics

Seven film directed by Carlos Diegues (also known as Cacá Diegues) have been chosen to represent Brazil at the Oscars, more than any other filmmaker. Followed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos and Walter Salles, with four each.
Three films by Bruno Barreto were submitted, although his biggest success, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, the fourth highest-grossing film in the history of Brazilian cinema, was not chosen. His 1997 drama film Four Days in September was nominated at the 70th Academy Awards.
Suzana Amaral's Hour of the Star (1987) was the first film directed by a woman to be submitted. Only twenty-nine years later another film directed by a female filmmaker was selected as the Brazilian's entry: Anna Muylaert's The Second Mother (2015). Four years later, Babenco: Tell Me When I Die (2019), by Bárbara Paz became the third and last, as of 2025.
| Number of submissions | Name | Films |
| 7 | Carlos Diegues | Xica, Bye Bye Brazil, Subway to the Stars, Better Days Ahead, Tieta of Agreste, Orfeu and The Great Mystical Circus. |
| 4 | Nelson Pereira dos Santos | How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman, The Amulet of Ogum, Tenda dos Milagres and Memoirs of Prison. |
| 4 | Walter Salles | A Grande Arte, Central Station, Behind the Sun and I'm Still Here |
| 3 | Bruno Barreto | The Story of Fausta, Four Days in September and Last Stop 174. |

## Submissions

At the 71st Academy Awards, Central Station received a nomination, alongside Fernanda Montenegro in the Best Actress category. It marked the first time that a Brazilian actor was nominated for an acting category.
At the 75th Academy Awards, even though City of God was selected as the Brazilian submission, the film was famously snubbed and the decision was met with heavy criticism, since it was considered the category's front-runner. In the subsequently year, at the 76th Academy Awards, the film was nominated in four categories: Best Director for Fernando Meirelles, Best Adapted Screenplay for Bráulio Mantovani, Best Cinematography for César Charlone, and Best Film Editing for Daniel Rezende.
At the 97th Academy Awards, Brazil won the award for the first time with I'm Still Here, becoming the first-ever Brazilian produced film to win an Academy Award, while the film was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Actress (for Fernanda Torres), marking the first time that a Brazilian film, shot in Portuguese, was nominated for Best Picture.
As of 2025, 54 Brazilian films have been submitted for the award. Five of these submissions resulted in nominations for the category, and one of them resulted in a win. Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by the Brazilian government for Academy Award consideration. The Brazilian nominee is selected annually by a committee assembled by the Brazilian Academy of Cinema.
| Year (Ceremony) | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Language(s) | Director(s) | Result |
| 1960 (33rd) | Death Commands Brigandage | A Morte Comanda o Cangaço | Portuguese | Carlos Coimbra, Walter Guimarães Motta | Not nominated |
| 1962 (34th) | Keeper of Promises | O Pagador de Promessas | Portuguese | Anselmo Duarte | Nominated |
| 1964 (37th) | Black God, White Devil | Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol | Portuguese | Glauber Rocha | Not nominated |
| 1965 (38th) | São Paulo, Incorporated | São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima | Portuguese | Luis Sérgio Person | Not nominated |
| 1967 (40th) | Case of the Naves Brothers | O Caso dos Irmãos Naves | Portuguese | Luis Sérgio Person | Not nominated |
| 1968 (41st) | The Amorous Ones | As Amorosas | Portuguese | Walter Hugo Khouri | Not nominated |
| 1969 (42nd) | Antonio das Mortes | O Dragão da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro | Portuguese | Glauber Rocha | Not nominated |
| 1970 (43rd) | Mortal Sin | Pecado Mortal | Portuguese | Miguel Faria Jr. | Not nominated |
| 1971 (44th) | Pra Quem Fica, Tchau | Pra Quem Fica, Tchau | Portuguese | Reginaldo Faria | Not nominated |
| 1972 (45th) | How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman | Como Era Gostoso o Meu Francês | Portuguese, French, Tupi | Nelson Pereira dos Santos | Not nominated |
| 1973 (46th) | João and the Knife | A Faca e o Rio | Portuguese | George Sluizer | Not nominated |
| 1974 (47th) | The Scarecrow's Night | A Noite do Espantalho | Portuguese | Sérgio Ricardo | Not nominated |
| 1975 (48th) | The Amulet of Ogum | O Amuleto de Ogum | Portuguese | Nelson Pereira dos Santos | Not nominated |
| 1976 (49th) | Xica | Xica da Silva | Portuguese | Carlos Diegues | Not nominated |
| 1977 (50th) | Tent of Miracles | Tenda dos Milagres | Portuguese | Nelson Pereira dos Santos | Not nominated |
| 1978 (51st) | The Lyre of Delight | A Lira do Delírio | Portuguese | Walter Lima Jr. | Not nominated |
| 1980 (53rd) | Bye Bye Brazil | Bye Bye Brasil | Portuguese | Carlos Diegues | Not nominated |
| 1981 (54th) | Pixote | Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco | Portuguese | Héctor Babenco | Disqualified |
| 1984 (57th) | Memoirs of Prison | Memórias do Cárcere | Portuguese | Nelson Pereira dos Santos | Not nominated |
| 1986 (59th) | Hour of the Star | A Hora da Estrela | Portuguese | Suzana Amaral | Not nominated |
| 1987 (60th) | Subway to the Stars | Um Trem para as Estrelas | Portuguese | Carlos Diegues | Not nominated |
| 1988 (61st) | The Story of Fausta | Romance da Empregada | Portuguese | Bruno Barreto | Not nominated |
| 1989 (62nd) | Better Days Ahead | Dias Melhores Virão | Portuguese | Carlos Diegues | Not nominated |
| 1991 (64th) | Exposure | A Grande Arte | Portuguese, English, Spanish | Walter Salles | Not nominated |
| 1995 (68th) | O Quatrilho | O Quatrilho | Portuguese | Fábio Barreto | Nominated |
| 1996 (69th) | Tieta of Agreste | Tieta do Agreste | Portuguese | Carlos Diegues | Not nominated |
| 1997 (70th) | Four Days in September | O Que é Isso, Companheiro? | Portuguese | Bruno Barreto | Nominated |
| 1998 (71st) | Central Station | Central do Brasil | Portuguese | Walter Salles | Nominated |
| 1999 (72nd) | Orfeu | Orfeu | Portuguese | Carlos Diegues | Not nominated |
| 2000 (73rd) | Me, You, Them | Eu, Tu, Eles | Portuguese | Andrucha Waddington | Not nominated |
| 2001 (74th) | Behind the Sun | Abril Despedaçado | Portuguese | Walter Salles | Not nominated |
| 2002 (75th) | City of God | Cidade de Deus | Portuguese | Fernando Meirelles | Not nominated |
| 2003 (76th) | Carandiru | Carandiru | Portuguese | Héctor Babenco | Not nominated |
| 2004 (77th) | Olga | Olga | Portuguese | Jayme Monjardim | Not nominated |
| 2005 (78th) | Two Sons of Francisco | Dois Filhos de Francisco | Portuguese | Breno Silveira | Not nominated |
| 2006 (79th) | Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures | Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus | German, Portuguese | Marcelo Gomes | Not nominated |
| 2007 (80th) | The Year My Parents Went on Vacation | O Ano em que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias | Portuguese, Yiddish, Hebrew | Cao Hamburger | Made shortlist |
| 2008 (81st) | Last Stop 174 | Última Parada 174 | Portuguese | Bruno Barreto | Not nominated |
| 2009 (82nd) | Time of Fear | Salve Geral | Portuguese | Sérgio Rezende | Not nominated |
| 2010 (83rd) | Lula, Son of Brazil | Lula: O Filho do Brasil | Portuguese | Fábio Barreto | Not nominated |
| 2011 (84th) | Elite Squad: The Enemy Within | Tropa de Elite 2: O Inimigo Agora é Outro | Portuguese | José Padilha | Not nominated |
| 2012 (85th) | The Clown | O Palhaço | Portuguese | Selton Mello | Not nominated |
| 2013 (86th) | Neighbouring Sounds | O Som ao Redor | Portuguese | Kleber Mendonça Filho | Not nominated |
| 2014 (87th) | The Way He Looks | Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho | Portuguese | Daniel Ribeiro | Not nominated |
| 2015 (88th) | The Second Mother | Que Horas Ela Volta? | Portuguese | Anna Muylaert | Not nominated |
| 2016 (89th) | Little Secret | Pequeno Segredo | Portuguese, English | David Schurmann | Not nominated |
| 2017 (90th) | Bingo: The King of the Mornings | Bingo: O Rei das Manhãs | Portuguese | Daniel Rezende | Not nominated |
| 2018 (91st) | The Great Mystical Circus | O Grande Circo Místico | Portuguese | Carlos Diegues | Not nominated |
| 2019 (92nd) | The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão | A Vida Invisível de Eurídice Gusmão | Portuguese | Karim Aïnouz | Not nominated |
| 2020 (93rd) | Babenco: Tell Me When I Die | Babenco: Alguém Tem que Ouvir o Coração e Dizer Parou | Portuguese | Bárbara Paz | Not nominated |
| 2021 (94th) | Private Desert | Deserto Particular | Portuguese | Aly Muritiba | Not nominated |
| 2022 (95th) | Mars One | Marte Um | Portuguese | Gabriel Martins | Not nominated |
| 2023 (96th) | Pictures of Ghosts | Retratos Fantasmas | Portuguese | Kleber Mendonça Filho | Not nominated |
| 2024 (97th) | I'm Still Here | Ainda Estou Aqui | Portuguese | Walter Salles | Won Academy Award |

## Shortlisted films

Since 2022, Brazil has announced a list of finalists that varied in number over the years (from 5 to 6 films) before announcing its official Oscar submission. The following films have been shortlisted:
| 2022 | A Mãe · Pedro, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea · Charcoal · Pacified · Paloma |
| 2023 | A Strange Path · Alien Nights · Our Dream · Toll · Vultures |
| 2024 | Cidade; Campo · Heartless · Motel Destino · Power Alley |