Screen Brasil Fuels Global Push for ‘Gugu’s World’ and ‘Our Secret’

At a modest‑sized panel during the Industry Days of the São Paulo International Film Festival, representatives from Screen Brasil announced their newest beneficiaries: Allan Deberton’s “Gugu’s World” and Grace Passô’s “Our Secret.” Both titles have already made some noise on the festival circuit, and now they’ll get a little financial boost to chase wider horizons.

“Gugu’s World,” which debuted at the Berlinale earlier this year, was later selected as Brazil’s official entry for the Best International Feature category at the 2027 Oscars. Thanks to the Screen Brasil grant, the film will receive $15,000 earmarked for its rollout in Spain, while German sales agent M‑Appeal will handle the international sales side of things.

Grace Passô’s “Our Secret,” a feature‑directorial debut that walked away with the coveted Kikito for Best Film at the Gramado Festival, is set for a North‑American push. The $15,000 grant will cover subtitling, marketing and other audience‑building costs for the U.S. and Canada, and Italy‑based The Open Reel will shepherd its sales.

Screen Brasil is a partnership between Brazil’s tourism authority Embratur and the cultural‑philanthropy group Projeto Paradiso. The programme’s mission is simple, yet ambitious: give Brazilian movies the extra push they need to travel beyond festivals and reach everyday cinema‑goers abroad. As Christiano Braga, Embratur’s audiovisual and creative‑economy coordinator, put it, “When our films show up on screens worldwide, they become cultural ambassadors – they showcase our landscapes, food, music and, ultimately, invite people to visit Brazil.”

Projeto Paradiso’s program director Rachel do Valle added, “Festival buzz is great, but it’s only the first step. The real challenge is getting these stories into the hands of regular viewers in other countries. That’s where Screen Brasil steps in.”

The initiative isn’t brand‑new. Last year, its inaugural batch funded three titles – “Papaya,” “The Blue Trail,” and “The Nature of Invisible Things” – each paired with an international sales partner. The success of that pilot helped shape this year’s selection and paved the way for a second round of applications slated for early 2027, timed to line up with major market weeks.

In short, the modest grants aim to cover the nuts‑and‑bolts of foreign distribution: subtitle creation, press kits, targeted advertising, and other promotional work that can make or break a film’s overseas fate. If all goes well, “Gugu’s World” and “Our Secret” could become the next wave of Brazilian titles that not only win awards but also win hearts on screens from Madrid to Montreal.