''Manas'' ('Sisters') is a 2024

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

co-written and directed by Marianna Brennand, in her feature film debut. It stars Jamilli Correa, Fátima Macedo, Rômulo Braga and

Dira Paes Ecleidira Maria Fonseca Paes (born 30 June 1968), known professionally as Dira Paes, is a Brazilian actress and television presenter. Among the numerous awards and nominations she has received, Paes won the Best Actress and Best Supporting Act ...

. The film had its world premiere in the ''Giornate degli Autori'' section of the

81st Venice International Film Festival The 81st annual Venice Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival was held from 28 August to 7 September 2024, at Venice Lido in Italy. French actress Isabelle Huppert served as Jury President for the main competition. Italian actress an ...

, where it won Director's Award, the section's main prize.

Plot

Marcielle, a 13-year-old girl, struggles to survive amidst a network of sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation in a small riverside community of

Marajó Marajó () is a large coastal island in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is the main and largest of the islands in the Marajó Archipelago. Marajó Island is separated from the mainland by Marajó Bay, Pará River, smaller rivers (especially M ...

, in the

Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...

Cast

* Jamilli Correa as Marcielle * Fátima Macedo as Danielle * Rômulo Braga as Marcílio *

as Aretha * Emily Pantoja as Carol * Samira Eloá as Cynthia * Gabriel Rodrigues as Danilio * Enzo Maia as Marcéu

Production

Documentary filmmaker Marianna Brennand's feature debut, the film is the result of her 10 years of research on the subject of child sexual abuse in the Amazon rainforest villages. It was produced by Inquietude, with

Globo Filmes Globo Filmes is a Brazilian motion picture production company owned by Grupo Globo. History It was founded in 1998 by Roberto Marinho. The films produced or co-produced by the company frequently obtain more than 90% of box office revenue in t ...

Canal Brasil Canal Brasil is a Brazilian subscription TV channel with programming focused on the country's audiovisual productions. It's the result of an association of Grupo Globo's cable TV division Canais Globo with the company Grupo Consórcio Brasil (G ...

, Pródigo and Fado Filmes serving as co-producers;

Dardenne brothers Brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne (; born 21 April 1951) and Luc Dardenne (born 10 March 1954), collectively referred to as the Dardenne brothers, are a Belgian filmmaking duo. They write, produce, and direct their films together. Their work tend ...

and

Walter Salles Walter Moreira Salles Júnior (; ; born 12 April 1956) is a Brazilian filmmaker. A major figure of the Resumption Cinema in Brazil, Salles is widely regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian filmmakers of all time. His List of awards and nomina ...

served as associate producers.

Release

The film premiered at the

, in the

Giornate degli Autori The Giornate degli Autori (; 'Authors' Days') or simply the Giornate, formerly also known in English as Venice Days, is an independent section of Venice Film Festival. Anac and 100autori are engaged to support and promote the Giornate. It was fou ...

sidebar, where it won the Director's Award. The film had its Brazilian commercial release on May 15, 2025.

Reception

The film received general positive reviews by critics. Vittoria Scarpa from ''

Cineuropa Cineuropa is an online information portal dedicated to the promotion of European cinema. It publishes daily news, reviews, interviews, and industry reports and maintains a database of information. It is available in four languages: English, Fre ...

'' write that the film "leaves you stunned – for the story it tells, for how it tells it and for the piercing performances of its actors". International Cinephile Society's Matthew Joseph Jenner described it as "a challenging film, but one that still manages to be captivating in spite of some of its thornier, more disconcerting material. It is beautifully constructed, with the cinematography in particular being a highlight". The film won the Critics Award for Best Brazilian Film at the 48th

São Paulo International Film Festival The São Paulo International Film Festival (), also known internationally as Mostra, is an annual film festival held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South Ame ...

, a Huelva Special Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 50th Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival, and the Jury Prize at the 33rd

Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival The Festival do Rio is an international film festival in Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populou ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2024 films 2024 drama films 2020s Brazilian films Brazilian drama films Portuguese drama films 2020s Portuguese-language films Films set in the Amazon Films shot in Amazonas (Brazilian state) 2024 directorial debut films