World Focus 2027: Brazil

Every year, World Focus turns the spotlight on one country’s history of films for children. For our 2027 edition, that country is Brazil.

Brazil’s story is full of surprises. For decades children had few films of their own — then came the family comedies of Os Trapalhões, which sold millions of tickets, Xuxa’s fantasy adventures, and screen versions of beloved books and comics like Menino Maluquinho and Turma da Mônica. In the 1990s, when Brazilian cinema was struggling, children’s films kept audiences coming back.

Today Brazilian films for young people win prizes around the world. Alê Abreu’s hand-drawn O Menino e o Mundo (Boy and the World) was nominated for an Oscar, and earlier this year Feito Pipa (Gugu’s World) won the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival’s Generation Kplus section.

At the festival, World Focus: Brazil will bring classics, animation and brand-new films, plus talks and workshops with Brazilian filmmakers. World Focus is a celebration, not a competition — these films are not in competition for awards.

Read the World Focus page and the short history of Brazilian children’s cinema. The full program will be announced with the 2027 lineup.