Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The Rio International Film Festival will feature China as a country focus for next year’s edition as part of the 2026 China-Brazil Culture Year, said Walkiria Barbosa, executive director and INT’L marketing at Rio Fest.
The governments of both countries announced during the Chinese President Xi Jinping visit to Brazil in November 2024 that the 2026 China-Brazil Cultural Year will feature a wide range of programming elements currently under preparation.
“China is the world’s largest film market. Our intention is to have major Chinese film production companies, streamers and exhibitors for the conventions and screening of large Chinese film companies in the 2026 edition of Rio Fest,” Barbosa told Variety.
China Media Group (CMG) gave a presentation on October 3rd in Riomark, the business section of Rio Fest. The company’s Latin American Chief Bureau Zoo Boy and the presence of Tianmin, the Chinese Consul in Rio.
Following the presentation, CMG premiered a feature called “Shenzhou 13,” the country’s first 8K filming, which was released nationwide on September 5th, the country’s first 8K filming.
The film depicts the routines of astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu on the Shenzhen-13 mission, which began on October 16, 2021.
The film reveals a glimpse of adoring space views and everyday life in orbit, shot on an 8k ultra-high resolution camera. Most of the footage was filmed by astronauts, and the king’s point of view guided the story.
The current major Brazilian Mina co-production is produced by RIO-based LC Barreto and CCTV Animation, a subsidiary of CMG. They are developing the TV Animation Series and animation features along with Panda Hoho, a well-known character who appears in other CMG productions.
“Hoho & The Tropical Sound Clash” is a 3D animation series aimed at preschool children. The series has four seasons, each running 13 episodes for 10 minutes in length.
Series showrunner Joao Amorim told Variety that the first season will open in late 2026 with Brazil’s free broadcast television channel TV Cultura and China’s CCTV Animation. Chang Hwan is the animation director for the series.
In the series, Pandahojo forms part of a trio of Brazilian animal, along with the golden lion tamarin, a symbol of Brazilian biodiversity, and Capi, an adventurous capybara. In each episode, the trio embark on a Brazilian adventure, discovering unique biomes, cultural traditions and important lessons about the power of environmental conservation and collaboration.
The second LC Barreto-CCTV project, “Amazonika – The Origin,” is a 3D animation feature about Amazon Rainforest’s recreation, presented as an ancient connection between Asian and Brazilian indigenous cultures. Pandahoho helps Nika, a young Zo and a bold princess warrior who can communicate with nature, restore harmony in the world at the edge of the collapse.
“We are working with two Indigenous Brazilians as consultants on the project. Benki Piyãko is the former people of Asháninka and Zezinho Yube is the people of Huni Kuin,” Amorim says.
