I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui) | Altitude Celebrates As The Film Opens As The Highest Grossing Latin American Film At The UK & Irish Box Office
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Carl Roberts 
Walter Salles’s acclaimed film I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui) becomes the highest-grossing Latin American film at the UK & Irish Box Office
Have you experienced I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)?
Altitude are celebrating Walter Salles’s triple Oscar-nominated I’M STILL HERE opening to £486,391 at the UK and Irish box office this weekend. That figure makes it the highest opening Latin American film in the UK & Ireland, surpassing Salles’s own, THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES, and the top opening Brazilian film since 2003’s CITY OF GOD.
It’s the highest opening for a foreign language film this year and Altitude’s largest foreign language title of all time, surpassing fellow BAFTA nominees LOVELESS and TITANE. Altitude’s release in 141 sites follows a string of hugely successful festival appearances and a large number of sold-out preview screenings in key UK and Irish cities owing to phenomenal demand.
I’M STILL HERE has three Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Actress in a Leading Role and International Feature Film, and was BAFTA-nominated for Film Not In the English Language. Fernanda Torres won the Golden Globe for Best Actress (Drama), and the film won Best Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival.
Our Senior Editor Phil Roberts had this to say in his Letterboxd views:
Walter Salles’ #ImStillHere is an incredibly powerful, poignant and moving exploration of the atrocities committed by the military dictatorship in Brazil.
Beautifully directed, the film is a harrowing retelling of a true life story. Fernanda Torres is a tour de force!
BRYONY FORDE
Bryony Forde, Director of Theatrical Sales at Altitude, commented,
“We have been on a long journey with Walter Salles’s stunning I’M STILL HERE since acquiring the film at script stage, and it’s been incredible to see it receive such an amazing reception from UK and Irish audiences. Demand for the film has been unprecedented and we have seen a number of cinemas break their own box office records with the release. They have pulled out all the stops to help make the film a success and we are grateful for their ongoing support. With the film’s three Oscar nominations this weekend, we hope to see this powerful and compelling film reach even more people here in the UK and Ireland. Good luck to Walter, Fernanda and all the team behind such a fantastic film!”
The UK and Irish performance follows the film’s remarkable global box office success. It was the biggest Brazilian film of 2024, grossing over $18,000,000 (USD) to date, making it Walter Salles’ biggest movie ever in Brazil. In the United States, Sony Pictures Classics’ release has grossed over $4,250,000, and it has pulled in more than $2,200,000 in French cinemas.
PREMISE
In the early 1970s, Rio de Janeiro is under the tightening grip of a military dictatorship. Enter the Paiva family: father Rubens, mother Eunice, and their five children, residing in a beachside rented house, always welcoming friends with open doors. Their shared affection and humour serve as subtle acts of defiance against the country’s oppressive regime. However, their lives are irrevocably altered by a sudden, violent event. In its wake, Eunice must reinvent herself and forge a new path for her family. This poignant tale, drawn from Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s memoir, has shed light on a significant yet concealed segment of Brazil’s history.
The film has been a remarkable box office success in its native Brazil. Since its cinema release last month, the film has become the biggest Brazilian film of 2024. With over 2.6 million admissions and grossing over $9,000,000 (USD) so far. Making it Walter Salles’ biggest movie ever in Brazil and captivating audiences across the country.
CREDITS
Directed by Walter Salles and starring Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello and Fernanda Montenegro. The film is written by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega, based on the book by Marcelo Rubens Paiva. The Producers are Maria Carlota Bruno. Rodrigo Teixeira and Martine de Clermont-Tonnerre. The Executive Producers are Giulherme Terra. Thierry de Clermont-Tonnerre. Lourenço Sant’anna. Renata Brandão. Juliana Capelini. David Taghioff and Masha Magonova. I’M STILL HERE also features an original score by Warren Ellis.
WALTER SALLES
Director Walter Salles said,
“When I first read I’m Still Here by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, I was deeply moved. For the first time, the story of the desaparecidos, the people snatched from their lives by the Brazilian dictatorship, was being told from the perspective of those left behind. In the experience of one woman – Eunice Paiva, a mother of five – there was both the story of how to live through loss and a mirror of the wound left on a nation. It was also personal: I knew this family and was friends with the Paiva children. Their house remains etched in my memory. During the seven years we spent creating “I’m Still Here,” life in Brazil veered dangerously close to that past – which made it all the more urgent to tell this story.”
I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui) is in UK & Irish cinemas now.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
