Sean Penn joined Marianna Brennando’s debut feature, Manas, as an executive producer. Brazilian Cinema won the Brennando the Best Director Award at Venice Days, an independent parallel section of the Venice Film Festival.
Penn will be joining the film as Walter Salles, Jean-Pierre, Luc Dardenne, director of “I’m Still Here” as executive producer of the film as Maria Carlota Bruno, of “I’m Still Here.”
Check out the “Manus” trailer here.
Penn said in a last-minute tradition filled with “Walter Sales’s ‘I’m Still Here’, Marianna Brenand’s film Manas continues the legacy of Brazil’s most enduring cinema. My skin came back after seeing it. ”
Speaking about Penn’s support and addition to the film as an executive producer, Brenand said: “I first met Sean at Cannes. In the evening, I was awarded the New Talent Award for Women’s Movement from the Kering and Cannes Film Festival with Nicole Kidman, a pivotal night in my career. I had to know who was behind those words and watch the film that moved so much in the audience that night.
“After watching ‘Mana’ he called me to share with me how deeply he was being shaken by the film. He spoke about the power of cinematic narratives that reveal stories that are difficult to tell, reflecting the living reality of countless women and children all over the world, to help them convince themselves to reach the film, not from all over the world.
“Shaun has long been inspiring me – not just for his work as a filmmaker, but for his courage as a social activist and humanist. “Mana” was born out of a deep desire to stimulate empathy and encourage social and political change.
Born out of a decade of research on Amazon, Brenand began his documentary career, creating Manas, which tells the story of 13-year-old Marciel, from Malajo Island. Silence in a society that ignores violence against women and children, she stands up to the wounds of generations, controls her destiny, and changes the destiny of her family forever.
Manas is internationally recognized and has been awarded 26 awards to date. Previous awards include Best Director Award at Venice Days, Kering Women in Motion Emerging Talent Award at Cannes, International Newcomer Award at the 2024 IFFMH (Mannheim-Heidelberg), Best Brazilian Film Award at the 48th Sao Paulo International Film Festival, and Audience Award at the 50th Huelva Ibero American American Film Festival.
“Manus” is one of 16 titles under consideration to represent Brazil at the Academy Awards. If “Mana” is selected as a submission for Brazil’s official Academy Awards, Brenand is only the third woman to which a film has been submitted in this category, and if nominated, the Brazilian woman was awarded an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature Film.
“Manus” was recently acquired by Kim Stim for a US release, but Bendita Film Sales has launched international sales in some regions at the Toronto Film Festival. Kimstim will release films in up to 20 US cities on the day it is announced soon.
Internationally, “Manus” has already been released in Brazil, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Portugal. In Brazil, the film maintained an astounding 13 weeks of running in cinemas, performing in over 70 theaters nationwide.
