Brazil Chooses Feito Pipa for the 2027 Oscars—Can Brazilian Cinema Keep Its Momentum Going?

Brazil has its film for the 2027 Academy Awards.

The Academia Brasileira de Cinema has selected Allan Deberton's Feito Pipa, internationally titled Gugu's World, to represent Brazil in the race for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.

And the selection arrives at an extraordinary moment for Brazilian cinema.

After I'm Still Here made history by winning Brazil's first Academy Award for International Feature Film and The Secret Agent continued the country's presence at the Oscars, Brazil heads into another awards season with international attention firmly focused on its filmmakers.

Now, the focus shifts to Ceará.

A Brazilian Story Rooted Outside the Usual Postcard

Set in the interior of Ceará, Feito Pipa follows Gugu, a young boy who loves football and dance and has been raised by his grandmother, Dilma, a retired teacher who has given him an affectionate and accepting home.

When Dilma's health begins to deteriorate, Gugu faces the possibility of being separated from her and sent to live with his estranged father, Batista.

The film stars newcomer Yuri Gomes alongside Teca Pereira and Lázaro Ramos.

Director Allan Deberton and co-writer André Araújo drew upon memories of growing up in Russas, in Ceará's interior, while the film itself was shot in Quixadá.

That geography matters.

International audiences are often presented with a limited visual vocabulary for Brazil: Rio de Janeiro's beaches, Carnival, favelas, and a handful of instantly recognizable landmarks.

Feito Pipa offers something different—a Brazilian story rooted in the country's Northeast, its families, and its interior communities.

The Film Already Has a Festival Résumé

Brazil isn't sending an unknown quantity into the international race.

Feito Pipa premiered in the Generation Kplus section of the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won both the Crystal Bear for Best Film from the Youth Jury and the Grand Prix from the International Jury.

Its festival run continued from there.

At Brazil's Gramado Film Festival, Feito Pipa became the festival's most-awarded feature, winning Best Director for Deberton, Best Actress for Teca Pereira, Best Supporting Actor for Lázaro Ramos, and the Audience Award for Best Film.

The film has also received recognition at international festivals in Cartagena and Guadalajara.

That doesn't guarantee an Oscar nomination.

It does mean Brazil enters the race with a film that has already demonstrated an ability to connect with audiences and juries beyond its home country.

Brazil's Oscar Momentum

There is another reason Feito Pipa will be closely watched.

Brazilian cinema has entered a remarkable period of international visibility.

I'm still Here, directed by Walter Salles, became the country's first winner of the International Feature Film Oscar. Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent followed with another nomination the next year.

The question now isn't whether Feito Pipa can simply repeat those results. Awards seasons don't work that neatly.

The more intriguing question is whether the international attention surrounding Brazilian cinema represents something sustainable.

Brazil's cinema has always been rich in stories.

What has often been missing is consistent international access to the extraordinary range of stories the country is producing.

Beyond Rio

For me, this is also why Feito Pipa is particularly intriguing.

Brazil is not one story.

It isn't one city, one culture, or one image recognizable to international tourists.

A film emerging from Ceará and traveling from Berlin to the Oscar race gives international audiences another opportunity to see a Brazil that exists beyond the familiar postcard.

That is worth paying attention to regardless of what happens when Oscar nominations are announced.

Brazil's recent success in awards has created new opportunities.

Now Feito Pipa gets its opportunity to walk through it.

The Academy will announce nominations for the 99th Academy Awards on January 21, 2027. The ceremony takes place March 14.

Cup of Soul will be following Feito Pipa—and the broader International Feature Film race—through awards season.