Popular from Brazil
Good Morning, Verônica
(Bom Dia, Verônica)
A Brazilian police clerk investigates a series of abuse cases that leads her down a sinister path.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2020
- Creator Raphael Montes
- Cast Tainá Müller, Klara Castanho, Reynaldo Gianecchini
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Aquarius
Sometimes staying put is the greatest challenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, France • 2016
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Cast Sônia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Irandhir Santos, Humberto Carrão, Fernando Teixeira, Zoraide Coleto
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Friendly Beast
(O Animal Cordial)
When a restaurant owner is the victim of an attempted armed robbery, he takes everyone hostage – the criminals, but also his staff and his customers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2018
- Director Gabriela Amaral Almeida
- Cast Murilo Benício, Luciana Paes, Irandhir Santos, Camila Morgado, Jiddú Pinheiro, Ernani Moraes
- Genre Crime, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, VUDU Free
The Pink Cloud
(A Nuvem Rosa)
When a deadly pink cloud mysteriously appears, Giovana and Yago are confined in an apartment together after a one-night stand.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2021
- Director Iuli Gerbase
- Cast Renata de Lélis, Eduardo Mendonça, Kaya Rodrigues, Helena Becker, Girley Paes
- Genre Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Freevee, Hoopla
Laerte-se
A beloved cartoonist's story behind her coming out as transgender.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2017
- Director Lygia Barbosa da Silva
- Cast Laerte Coutinho, Eliane Brum, Rita Lee, Glamour Garcia, Angeli
- Genre Documentary
- Available on No streaming locations found.
The Mechanism
(O Mecanismo)
A scandal erupts in Brazil during an investigation of alleged government corruption via oil and construction companies.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2018
- Creator Elena Soarez, José Padilha
- Cast Júlia Svacinna
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
New from Brazil
Aquarius
Sometimes staying put is the greatest challenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, France • 2016
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Cast Sônia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Irandhir Santos, Humberto Carrão, Fernando Teixeira, Zoraide Coleto
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Kiss of the Spider Woman
In a South American prison, a gay man imprisoned for immoral behavior and a political prisoner come to understand and respect one another.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United States • 1985
- Director Hector Babenco
- Cast William Hurt, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga, José Lewgoy, Miriam Pires, Milton Gonçalves
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max
Two Irenes
(As Duas Irenes)
Two young girls, both named Irene, discover they are tied together by a dark, shocking secret.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2017
- Director Fabio Meira
- Cast Priscila Bittencourt, Isabela Torres, Marco Ricca, Susana Ribeiro, Inês Peixoto
- Genre Drama
- Available on Film Movement Plus
Vazante
A tale of slavery in early 19th century Brazil
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, Portugal • 2017
- Director Daniela Thomas
- Cast Adriano Carvalho, Luana Nastas, Sandra Corveloni, Juliana Carneiro da Cunha, Roberto Audio
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Macunaima
(Macunaíma)
The story of a man named Macunaíma and his adventures across Brazil
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 1969
- Director Joaquim Pedro de Andrade
- Cast Grande Otelo, Paulo José, Milton Gonçalves, Rodolfo Arena, Jardel Filho, Dina Sfat
- Genre Comedy, Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
The Cleaners
Who is controlling what we see... and what we think?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, Brazil, Netherlands • 2018
- Director Moritz Riesewick
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on The Roku Channel
Coffee with Cinnamon
(Café com Canela)
Five friends tell stories of love, loss, and grief.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2018
- Director Ary Rosa, Glenda Nicácio
- Cast Aline Brune, Valdineia Soriano, Babu Santana, Aldri Anunciação, Arlete Dias, Antônio Fábio
- Genre Drama
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Plex, Plex Channel
Araby
(Arábia)
A collection of life experiences. A road movie for Brazil's underclass.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2018
- Director João Dumans
- Cast Aristides de Sousa, Murilo Caliari, Gláucia Vandeveld, Renata Cabral, Renan Rovida
- Genre Drama
- Available on OVID, DocAlliance Films, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kanopy, Hoopla
The Circle Brazil
(The Circle Brasil)
In this fun reality competition, online players try their best to flirt, bond and catfish their way to a R$300,000 prize.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United Kingdom • 2020
- Creator
- Cast Ana Carla, Gabriel Moraes, João Akel, JP Gadelha
- Genre Reality
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Telescope Recommends
The Ornithologist
(O Ornitólogo)
A lone ornithologist is swept away by rapids while looking for black storks along a river, waking to an unfamiliar world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Portugal, France, Brazil • 2016
- Director João Pedro Rodrigues
- Cast Paul Hamy, Xelo Cagiao, Jules Elting, Flora Bulcão, Isabelle Puntel, Chan Suan
- Genre Adventure, Drama
- Available on Strand Releasing Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Sócrates
After his mother’s death, 15-year-old Sócrates must survive on his own in the São Paulo favelas while wrestling with his grief.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2018
- Director Alexandre Moratto
- Cast Christian Malheiros, Tales Ordakji, Caio Martinez Pacheco, Rosane Paulo, Jayme Rodrigues
- Genre Drama
- Available on FlixFling, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Filmzie, Kanopy, Hoopla, Darkroom
Mars One
(Marte Um)
A middle class Black family in Brazil adjusts to life under a far-right extremist president.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2022
- Director Gabriel Martins
- Cast Rejane Faria, Carlos Francisco, Camilla Damião, Cícero Lucas, Ana Hilário, Russo Apr
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Ad Astra
An astronaut ventures into space, hoping to find his father.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United States • 2019
- Director James Gray
- Cast Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland, Kimberly Elise, Loren Dean
- Genre Science Fiction
- Available on Hulu, FXNow, fuboTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home
I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You
(Viajo Porque Preciso, Volto Porque Te Amo)
A geologist is sent on a solitary expedition to the wilds of northeastern Brazil to survey routes for a canal.
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- Brazil • 2009
- Director Marcelo Gomes
- Cast Irandhir Santos
- Genre Drama
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel
Waste Land
What lies at the heart of the world's largest trash city?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United Kingdom • 2010
- Director Lucy Walker
- Cast Vik Muniz
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
City of God
(Cidade de Deus)
Three young men embark on different yet intertwined paths as they try to survive in the dangerous favelas of Rio.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, France • 2002
- Director Fernando Meirelles
- Cast Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Matheus Nachtergaele
- Genre Drama, Crime
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
Aquarius
Sometimes staying put is the greatest challenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, France • 2016
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Cast Sônia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Irandhir Santos, Humberto Carrão, Fernando Teixeira, Zoraide Coleto
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
The Edge of Democracy
(Democracia em Vertigem)
A disturbing exploration into the complex truths behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Petra Costa
- Cast Dilma Rousseff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Michel Temer, Eduardo Cunha, Jair Bolsonaro
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Documentaries from Brazil
Pictures of Ghosts
(Retratos Fantasmas)
Step into the past life of downtown Recife - where lost memories reside and forgotten stories unfold.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2023
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Cast Kleber Mendonça Filho, Rubens Santos, Sônia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Lucrecia Martel, Alexandre Moura
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Criterion Channel
Tranny Fag
(Bixa Travesty)
Linn da Quebrada pushes back on the labels society tries to place on queer people of color.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Claudia Priscilla
- Cast Linn da Quebrada, Jup do Bairro, Liniker, Assucena Assucena, Raquel Virgínia, Ney Matogrosso
- Genre Documentary
- Available on GuideDoc, True Story, Apple TV, Kanopy, myfilmfriend
The Cleaners
Who is controlling what we see... and what we think?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, Brazil, Netherlands • 2018
- Director Moritz Riesewick
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on The Roku Channel
Convergence: Courage in a Crisis
While Covid-19 exacerbates vulnerabilities worldwide, unsung heroes at all levels of society help turn the tide toward a brighter future.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2021
- Director Orlando von Einsiedel
- Cast Wenhua Lin, Sara Khaki, Mohammad Rezi Eyni
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Central Airport THF
(Zentralflughafen THF)
A portrait of Berlin’s famed Tempelhof airport. Once glorified by Nazis, today it houses refugees and asylum seekers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, France, Brazil • 2018
- Director Karim Aïnouz
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Film Movement Plus
Elena
Elena — who spent her childhood in Brazil fearing an authoritarian regime — moves to New York and pursues a lifelong dream shared with her mother: to be a movie actress.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United States • 2013
- Director Petra Costa
- Cast Li An, Elena Andrade, Petra Costa
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, VUDU Free, Kanopy
Waste Land
What lies at the heart of the world's largest trash city?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United Kingdom • 2010
- Director Lucy Walker
- Cast Vik Muniz
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
The Territory
The Indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people fight back against deforestation and illegal settling on their land.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, Denmark, United States • 2022
- Director Alex Pritz
- Cast Neidinha Bandeira, Bitaté Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, Ari Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Disney Plus
The Edge of Democracy
(Democracia em Vertigem)
A disturbing exploration into the complex truths behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Petra Costa
- Cast Dilma Rousseff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Michel Temer, Eduardo Cunha, Jair Bolsonaro
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
The Salt of the Earth
(Le sel de la terre)
A journey through the Earth's wrath and beauty with Sebastião Salgado.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Brazil, Italy • 2014
- Director Wim Wenders
- Cast Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders, Hugo Barbier
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas
An exploration of the many incarnations of democracy across the Americas
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Venezuela, Brazil, United States • 2008
- Director Michael Fox, Silvia Leindecker
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, YouTube, Kanopy
August Winds
(Ventos de Agosto)
Where things change, nature remains.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2014
- Director Gabriel Mascaro
- Cast Dandara de Morais, Geová Manoel do Santos, Gabriel Mascaro, Maria Salvino dos Santos, Antônio José dos Santos
- Genre Documentary, Mystery
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang
(Jia Zhangke, Um Homem de Fenyang)
Acclaimed filmmaker Zia Zhangke returns to the shootings locations of his films.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, France • 2014
- Director Walter Salles
- Cast Jia Zhangke, Wang Hongwei, Zhao Tao, Han Sanming, Nelson Yu Lik-wai
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
Cinema Novo
A movie-essay about the most important movement of Latin American cinema.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2016
- Director Eryk Rocha
- Cast Glauber Rocha, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, Leon Hirszman, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Ruy Guerra
- Genre Documentary
- Available on OVID, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Hoopla
Festival Favorites
Elena
Elena — who spent her childhood in Brazil fearing an authoritarian regime — moves to New York and pursues a lifelong dream shared with her mother: to be a movie actress.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United States • 2013
- Director Petra Costa
- Cast Li An, Elena Andrade, Petra Costa
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, VUDU Free, Kanopy
The Ornithologist
(O Ornitólogo)
A lone ornithologist is swept away by rapids while looking for black storks along a river, waking to an unfamiliar world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Portugal, France, Brazil • 2016
- Director João Pedro Rodrigues
- Cast Paul Hamy, Xelo Cagiao, Jules Elting, Flora Bulcão, Isabelle Puntel, Chan Suan
- Genre Adventure, Drama
- Available on Strand Releasing Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Prayers for the Stolen
(Noche de fuego)
Three young girls come of age in a small and war-torn town in Mexico.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico, Germany, Brazil • 2021
- Director Tatiana Huezo
- Cast Mayra Batalla, Norma Pablo, Olivia Lagunas, Teresa Sánchez, Guillermo Villegas
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Bacurau
A Brazilian village is targeted by a group of armed mercenaries… who may have met their match.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano Dornelles
- Cast Bárbara Colen, Udo Kier, Sônia Braga, Thomas Aquino, Silvero Pereira, Wilson Rabelo
- Genre Mystery, Thriller, Western
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
Invisible Life
(A Vida Invisível)
Two estranged sisters struggle to make lives for themselves despite the restrictive expectations of 1950s Brazil.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Karim Aïnouz
- Cast Carol Duarte, Julia Stockler, Fernanda Montenegro, Gregório Duvivier, Bárbara Santos, Flávia Gusmão
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Freevee
The Second Mother
(Que Horas Ela Volta?)
Unspoken class barriers within a home come crashing down when the live-in housekeeper's daughter suddenly appears.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2015
- Director Anna Muylaert
- Cast Regina Casé, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli, Michel Joelsas, Helena Albergaria
- Genre Drama
- Available on OVID, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel