RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Rio Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere announced a 225 million reais ($45 million) investment package through 2028, including public policies, grant programs and initiatives aimed at strengthening the local cultural sector and film and television industry.
Cavaliere made the announcement during the “Culture All Year Round” panel at Rio 2C, Latin America’s largest gathering of creativity. The panel also included Márcio Tavares, Secretary General of the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, Lucas Padilla, Secretary of Rio Culture, Leonardo Edde, President of Riofilm, and Renata Magalhães, President of the Brazilian Film Academy.
This investment is part of Rio de Janeiro’s cultural and audiovisual industry plan. The initiative aims to expand access to financial resources, support cultural institutions, and strengthen Rio as a center for cultural and audiovisual production.
“We have signed the release of a record investment that will put the city of Rio in a leading position in the all-important audiovisual industry. This investment will enable hundreds of productions,” Cavaliere said. “(Creative) industries create jobs, generate income and make Rio de Janeiro, in particular, a meaningful place in the world.”
Among the key announcements is the creation of an unprecedented continuous funding policy featuring a permanent grant call focused on strengthening cultural institutions and speeding up approval and disbursement processes. The model includes four selection cycles throughout the year, with up to eight projects selected per cycle.
(From left to right) Lucas Padilla, Márcio Tavares, Eduardo Cavaliere, Renata Magalhães, Leonardo Edde.
Iago Campos
The City of Rio will also fund a grant program for research and artistic residencies, awards to recognize popular and urban cultural expressions and encourage local artistic production, archives and memory preservation, mapping and recognition of masters of popular culture, and a grant program to the Knowledge Library in Plaza Onze and the Rio African Cultural Center in Cais do Valongo.
“The audiovisual industry is strategic for our country and gives Brazil a major leadership role. International productions seek Rio de Janeiro as a filming location. This is an industry that needs to be encouraged, and we will continue to grow and move forward with the industry, elevating Rio de Janeiro more and more as the audiovisual capital of Brazil and the world,” Cavaliere said.
