All the president's films

On Thursday the 7th, the sun hadn't yet set and the moon was already peeking over the horizon when the crew of The Secret Agent arrived at the Alvorada Palace in Brasília. The sky, tinted with various shades of orange, served as the backdrop for a scene that, despite taking place in the official residence of the President of the Republic, had more of a festive air than one of pomp and circumstance.

Having won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival in May – with the Palme d'Or for best director for Kleber Mendonça Filho and for best actor for Wagner Moura – the film had its first showing in the country that night.

"I'm a Brazilian artist from Pernambuco, and it's wonderful to be welcomed into this house," the filmmaker said into the microphone. "This event demonstrates this government's respect for culture." In 2016, when presenting Aquarius at Cannes, Kleber Mendonça Filho held up a banner reading "Temer Out." In 2021, as a member of the jury at the same festival, he told the international press that former President Jair Bolsonaro was boycotting culture.

During the administrations of Michel Temer and Bolsonaro, screenings at Cine Alvorada, which had become routine during Lula's first two terms, were discontinued. Although no films were shown, Bolsonaro even replaced the red upholstery on the chairs with blue fabric. Occasionally, he used the space for religious services.

The screening of The Secret Agent, preceded by Still Here in February of this year and The Last Blue in July, is part of a government-intensified effort to promote Brazilian cinema. At last week's screening, the campaign promoting Brazilian films, which will now be released nationwide, was presented before the feature film.

On the eve of the festive screening, more than a thousand filmmakers had sent a letter to the government asking for streaming regulation

The day before the screening, Brazilian filmmakers had published a letter addressed to Lula, in which they asked the government to raise awareness of the urgency of regulating streaming services in the country.

Márcio Tavares, executive secretary of the Ministry of Culture, says that the resumption of film screenings was a request made by Lula as soon as he returned to the Planalto Palace in 2023. But fulfilling the president's wish was not easy.

"The room had many structural problems," says Tavares. "This room was originally designed as a place for presidents to watch films with family and friends. But the projectors and sound system were very old, and it wasn't suitable for a quality screening."

The renovation was conducted with consulting from the Brazilian Association of Film Companies (Abraplex), which includes groups such as Cinemark and Cinépolis. The venue reopened in November 2023 with "Saudosa Maloca," which tells the story of Adoniran Barbosa.

Plans to establish a screening schedule were not implemented in 2024, according to Tavares, due to the president's busy international schedule. The idea is that, from now on, screenings will take place every two months.

If this room could talk… After being shown at Cine Alvorada for FHC, City of God (2002) had its age rating changed from 18 to 14 years old. Narradores de Javé (below) was one of the titles of the biweekly sessions that took place in 2003 – Image: Social Networks

Invitations are handled by the government's Communications Secretariat, and the First Lady plays an active role in organizing them. It was her suggestion, for example, that the film crew bring the Recife frevo group Guerreiros do Passo, the same group that performed at Cannes, to Alvorada.

The ceremony is divided into a public and a private part.

The public portion, outside the residence, included a small procession of the film crew—part of the cast, distributors, and press office—accompanied by a frevo group. Afterwards, Lula greeted journalists and photographers. After numerous photo opportunities, the First Lady, Culture Minister Margareth Menezes, Kleber Mendonça, Wagner Moura, and President Lula took the microphone.

The private part consisted of cocktails served before and after the session, informal conversations, hugs, and photos. All photos, however, are official, as guests must hand over their cell phones at the entrance and can only retrieve them upon leaving.

The screening takes place in a small room with 30 large chairs that aren't pushed together like in a regular movie theater. They're lined up, but not attached to each other, and are part of the original furnishings of the building designed by Oscar Niemeyer in the 1950s. Seats are pre-marked on a map.

Next to President Lula were Janja and Mendonça, who, at times, stood up to speak to the projectionist, likely to request adjustments to the projection. Before entering the room, everyone was served popcorn.

Sílvia Cruz, founder of Vitrine Filmes, distributor of both The Last Blue and The Secret Agent, and present at the screening, says that, more than highlighting a specific film, Cine Alvorada is about the whole: "Having a government that cares about the arts helps people realize the importance of culture. It has a huge symbolism, which can help audiences feel proud of Brazilian cinema."

The word "pride" was used by several attendees, indicating that this is the message the government wants to convey. Minister Margareth told CartaCapital: "We are once again living in a country that values and is proud of its own culture."

Although it only became a public event during Lula's first term, the history of presidential sessions didn't begin there. In 2002, during the promotion of City of God, the film's crew proposed a screening for former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso and his wife, Ruth Cardoso. Cardoso accepted and suggested that it be held at the official residence.

At the end of the screening, both said they were impressed. At the dinner that followed, the film's crew mentioned to the First Lady that the Ministry of Justice had set an 18-year-old rating for the film. Dona Ruth considered the decision a mistake, as the story was intended for school screenings. Three days later, the new rating was released: 14.

Under Bolsonaro, the red upholstery on the living room chairs was replaced with blue fabric.

At the time, the presidential campaign was underway, with Lula running for the Workers' Party (PT) and José Serra for the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB). At the request of Lula's team, the film was also shown to him at the São Paulo Cultural Center. From then on, it became a topic of comment from the then-candidate at rallies and interviews.

When Lula assumed the presidency in 2003, Brazilian cinema was experiencing a period of great enthusiasm. City of God was followed by other hits, such as Carandiru and God Is Brazilian, and a series of impactful productions.

That year, Brazilian titles sold 22 million tickets and accounted for 21.62% of the country's box office—a market share that would never be matched again. It was in this context that Antonio Grassi, then president of Funarte, took it upon himself to connect the president with the cinema industry and began holding biweekly screenings at Cine Alvorada.

During some fortnights, due to scheduling issues, there were no sessions, but many Brazilian films were shown there, such as The Man Who Copied, Amarelo Manga and Narradores de Javé.

Producer Vânia Catani, of Narradores de Javé, then at the beginning of her career, says that, at the dinner after the screening, when she was seated next to Lula, she thought something had gone wrong. "Then he said to me: 'I've often had this feeling of being in a place that isn't mine,'" she recalls, two decades later. During Dilma Rousseff's administration, the producer presented O Palhaço (2011) there. At that time, screenings were sporadic, and there was no post-screening dinner.

An act that is both political and cultural, the screening of Brazilian films at the Palácio da Alvorada ends up being a direct reflection of the relationship between cinema and the State – something that, for a century, has been constitutive of Brazilian cinema. •

*The journalist traveled at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture.

Published in issue no. 1375 of CartaCapital , on August 20, 2025.

This text appears in the print edition of CartaCapital under the title 'All the president's films'