Petrobras Failed to Pay out Promised Awards to Films in 2018

The company honored documentaries and fiction films in film festivals last year

São Paulo

At least four films awarded by Petrobras in ceremonies held at the country's largest film festivals last year did not receive their promised awards - between R$ 100,000 and R$ 200,000 - even though the films were used to promote the state-owned company. 

The prizes were intended to boost the films’ distribution in Brazil. For example, the feature film "Meio Irmão”, directed by Eliane Coster, won an award at the São Paulo International Film Festival last October. The production should have receive R$ 200 thousand.

A scene of film "Meio Irmão" - Divulgação

The same happened to the documentary "Tower of the Maidens," which won five awards at the Mostra and the Rio Festival, including the best film chosen by the public.  The film should have received R$ 100 thousand. At the Brasília Festival, the documentaries "Bixa Travesti" by Claudia Priscilla and Kiko Goifman, and "The Other Side of Memory" by André Luiz Oliveira faced the same situation.

At least three of the winning films collide ideologically with the Bolsonaro government, noting that the president has already asked the management of Banco do Brasil to censure an ad that celebrated the diversity of races and genres.

In the president's view, "what can not be allowed is the use of workers' money for it [the nature of the content of propaganda]. It's not censorship, it's respect of the the Brazilian population. "

Asked about the cancellation of the award payments, Petrobras spokesmen said that "the company's sponsorship budget was reduced in light of the company's resilience plan, released in March," and that "some sponsorships are being reevaluated ".

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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