"I’m Still Here" wins Goya Award for best Ibero‑American film
The Brazilian film I´m Still Here, directed by Walter Salles, won the 2025 Goya Award for Best Ibero-American Film. Considered the highest honor in Spanish cinema, the award was announced on Saturday (Feb. 8).
This marks the first time a Brazilian production has both been nominated and won in this category. In the 39th edition of the awards, I´m Still Here competed against four other films: El Jockey (Argentina), Agárrame Fuerte (Uruguay), El lugar de la outra (Chile), and Memorias de un Cuerpo que Arde (Costa Rica).
In a letter read during his acceptance of the Goya trophy, director Walter Salles thanked the Spanish Film Academy for the award and emphasized that this was the first time a Brazilian film had been nominated in this category.
"I'm Still Here is a film about a family's memories during the long night of Brazil's military dictatorship, intertwined with the memory of my country. I would like to dedicate this award to Brazilian cinema, to Eunice Paiva and her family, and to Fernanda Montenegro and Fernanda Torres," wrote director Walter Salles in his letter.
In January, actress Fernanda Torres won in Los Angeles the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama for her performance in I'm Still Here. This marked the first time a Brazilian had received the award.
I'm Still Here was also nominated in three categories at the 2025 Oscars: Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, and Best Actress for Fernanda Torres. The ceremony is set to take place on March 2 in Los Angeles.
The Movie
The Brazilian drama I'm Still Here is based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva's autobiographical book, which recounts the story of his mother, lawyer and human rights activist Eunice Paiva, during Brazil's military dictatorship. Fernanda Torres portrays Eunice Paiva, who passed away in 2018.
The plot explores the fight for democracy, resistance to oppression, the strength of women, the search for missing politicians, and the importance of memory. It begins with the 1971 disappearance of former federal representative Rubens Paiva (played by Selton Mello), Eunice Paiva's husband. A Brazilian politician whose rights were revoked following the 1964 military coup, Paiva was tortured and murdered in Rio de Janeiro, and his body was never found.
Rubens Paiva's death certificate was initially issued in 1996. In 2025, it was amended to reflect that his death was caused by state agents during the military dictatorship.
