BONITO CINESUR 2025
Bonito South American Film Festival - 2025 | Brazil
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Competitive screenings of South American new feature and short films made between 2024 and 2025;
Parallel exhibition of South American children's animation film;
Competitive environmental-themed film exhibition;
Competitive exhibition of Mato Grosso do Sul film, with films made between 2024 and 2025;
Awards, debates, rounds of discussions aimed at international agreements;
Exchange with the most important festival directors in South America;
Workshops for children and the general community, workshops for film and audiovisual professionals and academics.
LOCATIONS
CMU - Multiple Use Center
ECOTOURISM, CULTURE and CINEMA
In Brazil’s heart, the city of Bonito is part of the Serra da Bodoquena National Park and one of the most important ecotourism spots in the country.
Mato Grosso do Sul borders Bolivia and Paraguay, from where the state received strong cultural influences and the composition of the ethnic identity of its people.
Bonito has around twenty thousand inhabitants and in this charming city there are rivers with crystal clear water, waterfalls, caves and the most beautiful landscapes of Brazil’s midwest. The cultural hub of Mato Grosso do Sul, Bonito hosts literary and Jazz festivals, besides one winter festival.
Bonito CineSur 2025 - South American Film Festival. Space for the gathering and integration of South American cinema and audiovisual productions, presenting its most recent films and bringing together professionals from all countries of the continent.
In 2024, its second edition enriched the cultural calendar of the city, the country and the continent with the screening of 42 films from 10 South American countries in 120 hours of free programming.
Bonito CineSur has been widely covered in the local and national press and in 2024 it grew in size and relevance with the participation of 40 public and private institutions, reaching 5.000 people directly, fostering the local creative economy by hiring 200 professional production services, technical equipment, as well as hotels, restaurants and transportation.
In 2025, the Bonito CineSur - South American Film Festival will occupy central spaces in the city of Bonito, and will continue to consolidate the convergence of culture - environment - tourism, intercommunicating cinematographically in South America, highlighting environmental issues and promoting the tourist destination of Bonito and our beloved Brazil internationally.
Bonito CineSur 2025 - South American Film Festival
NILSON RODRIGUES - Director
Producer of the movies “O outro lado do paraíso" (2015) and “O pastor e o guerrilheiro” (2022). Nilson was the director of Festival de Brasília do Cinema Brasileiro (1995, 1997, 1998 and 2011), and also of the “Festival Internacional de Cinema de Brasília” - Brazilian International Film Festival (from 2012 to 2017), of Bonito CineSur (2023 and 2024).
ANDREA FREIRE - Coordinator
Coordinator of the Bonito Winter Festival (from 2000 to 2006, 2015 and 2016); coordinator of Festival América do Sul (2004, 2005, 2015 and 2016); coordinator of the Screening Exhibit “Vídeo Índio Brasil” (2009), of the audiovisual production course “Mídias Contemporâneas Narrativas Populares” (2010); director, researcher and writer of the audiovisual series “EVOÉ – Drama Stories in Campo Grande” (2021). Coordinator of Bonito CineSur (2023 and 2024).
GUSTAVO DE ARRUDA CASTELO (Cegonha) - Coordinator
Cultural producer, coordinator of Temporadas Populares (1999 to 2002); General Director of the Mato Grosso do Sul Culture Foundation (2020 to 2022); Coordinator of Bonito CineSur (2023 and 2024).
THERESA HILCAR _ Coordinator
Journalist, columnist, press officer and TV producer. She has been working in the Mato Grosso do Sul press for 35 years and has worked for the most important media outlets. She has published five books and two anthologies. She is a member of the South Mato Grosso Academy of Letters.
JOSÉ GERALDO COUTO – Curator
Born in Jaú, in São Paulo state, in 1957. He is a journalist, translator and film critic. José Geraldo has worked for more than twenty years at the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. He is currently working at the Moreira Salles Institute. José has translated literary works by Henry James, Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, Martin Scorsese and Nelson Mandela, among others.
CECILIA DIEZ - Curator
University professor, general producer of the Mar del Plata International Film Festival (2021-23) and Ventana Sur (2022-23).
RODRIGO FONSECA - Curator
Curator, critic and researcher of Brazilian cinema, known for his work in curating exhibitions and film festivals, as well as his work as a journalist and teacher.
LUCIANA DRUZINA – Curator of the Anima Sur children's and youth exhibition.
Director of the company Druzina Content, where for over fifteen years she has been producing series, animated films, fiction and games, which are shown in more than fifty countries on the most diverse platforms and channels. . Curator of the parallel children's programming of Bonito CineSur (2023 and 2024).
ELIS REGINA – Curator of the environmental cinema exhibition
Journalist, Elis has already worked as a curator in many events, such as: “Comitiva dos Chefs Festival Movie Exhibit” (2019); Making Of exhibit – “O Cinema Está Aqui – Festcine América do Sul” (2014); “A Imagem do índio exhibit – Vídeo Índio Brasil” (2014 and 2015); “Comida em Movimento Festival – Cinema e Gastronomia” (2023), and the Bonito CineSur South American Environmental Film Festival (2023 and 2024).
MARCOS PIERRY - Curator of the South Mato Grosso Cinema Showcase
Journalist, critic, audiovisual curator, screenwriter, short filmmaker and film professor. He holds a master's degree from USP and a doctorate from UFMG. He is a member of the Brazilian Association of Film Critics (Abraccine). Curator of the Bonito CineSur showcase of cinema from Mato Grosso do Sul (2024).
BONITO CINESUR – South American Film Festival
Production - Associação Amigos do Cinema e da Cultura – AACIC
Private non-profit entity, founded in 2007, which has been developing cultural, educational and training projects for over fifteen years. Among the activities carried out, the “Cinesurdo" projects, The School in Cinema, Contemporary Dialogues, Popular Cinema Circuit and Cinema in Schools stand out, and the Youth Festival.
The association’s experience and technical capacity for developing and carrying out activities in the field of cinema, as well as in training, education and culture in general, has already been attested by the Education, Health and Culture Commission of the City Council of Brasília and by the Brasília University of Brasília.
CONTACT
AACIC Executive Secretary
Dulcinéia Miranda
aacicbonitosur@gmail.com
+55 (61) 98119-5417
