Walter Salles has revealed he’s wanting to work once more with The Bike Diaries star Gael Bernal García, and that a possibility practically arose forward of his making Oscar-winning drama I’m Nonetheless Right here.
“We’ve been attempting for a very long time,” Salles informed journalists on the Doha Movie Institute’s Qumra occasion this weekend, saying they’d labored on a challenge involving characters from totally different Latin American international locations that had not come to fruition.
“I developed it for Gael. I’d like to work once more with Gael. He’s certainly one of my closest buddies and one of many individuals I like most in life and in cinema as nicely, he was an unbelievable co-author of The Diaries,” Salles mentioned of the Mexican star, whose latest credit embody La Máquena and Holland.
“I like the concept of cinema being executed by a household, and Gael is definitely a part of that household… we see one another on a regular basis however we haven’t labored collectively as a lot as we would like however… wait.”
Walter Salles touched down in Qatar for a whirlwind 48-hour keep as certainly one of 5 Qumra Masters on the DFI’s annual challenge and expertise incubator, giving a masterclass and recommendation to a choice of the 49 collaborating tasks.
It was his ultimate journey earlier than heading again to Brazil for some much-needed R&R after six months on the awards path with Oscar-winner I’m Nonetheless Right here.
Salles mentioned his subsequent work precedence could be finishing his five-part documentary in regards to the lifetime of Nineteen Eighties soccer star and pro-democracy activist Sócrates (Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira), for a launch in Brazil on the finish of the 12 months.
“I haven’t stopped since… Venice so I hope my household hasn’t modified the lock on the door,” he joked. “I’m going to take a couple of weeks after which I’m coming into the enhancing room.”
The sequence explores Sócrates’ uncommon trajectory from a childhood within the decrease Amazonian state of Pará, to turning into a soccer star and launching a democracy motion primarily based on his experiences within the sport.
“Sócrates was a very distinctive man within the sense that he obtained a level in drugs. He grew to become a physician similtaneously he was enjoying soccer, which is a rarity, and in the midst of that, he additionally perceived that soccer was a rare automobile for political transformation, and he blended all of that into one journey,” defined Salles.
A part of the present had been shot in Italy with one total episode dedicated to Brazil’s notorious defeat towards Italy within the 1982 FIFA world membership, dubbed the “Sarrià Tragedy’ again house, he revealed.
“Among the gamers of the Italian staff in 1982 had been very beneficiant and gave us interviews. We did intensive work in Italy,” mentioned Salles.
Oscar journey
The director additionally mirrored on his awards season journey with I’m Nonetheless Right here which started on the Venice Movie Competition final September, the place the movie gained Greatest Screenplay, and culminated within the Greatest Worldwide Function Movie Academy Award on March 2, preceded by a Greatest Actress Golden Globe for the movie’s star Fernanda Torres.
Trying again over the past half 12 months, Salles mentioned the act of selling a movie within the Oscar race had modified significantly since his earlier runs with Central Station and The Bike Diaries in 1999 and 2005.
“The phrase ‘marketing campaign’ was by no means introduced up, or very hardly ever… it was actually about cinema and the movies,” he informed press earlier than heading to the airport. “I discover it very unusual that this phrase is used on a regular basis as a result of the dialogue must be solely about cinema.
“What saved us going was the truth that everyone, beginning with Sony Classics within the U.S., understood that the movie needed to converse for itself. So, the one marketing campaign… was to ask individuals to see the movie as a result of on the finish of the day, subtitled movies face a problem,” he continued.
“Very early on within the American market, Sony Classics began to ask individuals to see the movie and finally in Europe, we didn’t marketing campaign, quote, unquote, we solely launched the movie in several international locations.”
Salles recounted how I’m Nonetheless Right here had acquired the help of high-profile cinema figures throughout Europe because it rolled out in theatres within the area, together with Valeria Golino in Italy, Wim Wenders in Germany and Olivier Assayas in France, whereas Santiago Mitre (Argentina 85) obtained behind the drama in Argentina.
“For many who have been in Los Angeles, have you ever seen a billboard with our movie? No. A TV spot with our movie? No. An advert with our movie? No. However there have been individuals who really noticed the movie,” he mentioned.
This in flip had led to the next degree of public rankings, alongside critics’ rankings, which in flip helped stoke buzz across the movie, he steered.
Salles additionally touched on unbiased cinema’s sturdy displaying on the 2025 Academy Awards, topped by Sean Baker’s Anora taking 5 trophies together with Greatest Image and likewise together with Brady Corbet’sThe Brutalist successful in three classes and the triumph of Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis’ Stream within the Greatest Animation class.
“This particular Oscars was the celebration of unbiased cinema as a complete, in all fields,” mentioned Salles, including he agreed wholeheartedly with Baker’s battle-cry acceptance speech calling for movies to be proven in film theaters.
“I’d subscribe to all the pieces that he mentioned that day, particularly in regards to the significance of the collective expertise. On the finish of the day, we do what we do collectively, to be shared collectively.”
He mentioned I’m Nonetheless Right here – in regards to the true story of Eunice Paiva, whose left-wing activist husband Rubens Paiva disappeared within the early years of the 1964 to 1985 Brazilian navy dictatorship – wouldn’t have had the identical influence in Brazil and not using a theatrical launch.
“That so many various generations got here to the cinemas is what allowed them to then articulate ideas that had been in some way ignited by the movie, and do their very own movies… to inform tales about their households in that period, and that in some way created the necessity for the movie to be seen,” he mentioned.
“Households went to see the movie, but in addition teams of 10 buddies, simply to debate the movie afterwards. Would that ever have occurred on a platform?… What occurred on March 2 was fairly distinctive on this sense. All of the movies we talked about… they had been executed collectively and shared collectively.”
