'Feito Pipa' Seeks Oscar Nomination and Questions What Family Means in a Divided Brazil - 10/11/2026 - Culture - Folha de S.Paulo

"Feito Pipa," Allan Deberton's feature film, was selected in September by the Brazilian Film Academy to represent Brazil at the Oscars. The shortlist for Best International Feature Film will be announced on December 16 by the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The film won two awards at the Berlin Film Festival and moved audiences at the Gramado Film Festival.

The story follows Gugu, a boy who plays soccer but also wears makeup, dances and paints his nails. He lives with his grandmother, Dilma, in the backlands of Ceará. When she falls ill and begins to lose her memory, the boy starts lying to stay close to her. Actor Lázaro Ramos plays Batista, a father who disapproves of his son's interests and distances himself from him. The family dynamic subtly echoes debates from the country's most recent election period, when conservative lawmakers increased their presence in Congress.

"We didn't necessarily want to portray suffering and sorrow. There are films that already do that," says Deberton.