'I'm Still Here' producer Rodrigo Teixeira, Alice Braga, Fernando Meirelles and Petra Costa are amongst signatories pleading for 'close international attention' to the upcoming second round in the polls between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro Several Brazilian members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, including Oscar nominees Kleber Mendonça Filho, Wagner Moura, Emilie Lesclaux, Fernando Meirelles, Alê Abreu and Petra Costa, and Oscar-winning producer Rodrigo Teixeira (“I’m Still Here”), have released an open letter calling international attention to the upcoming second round of Brazil‘s presidential elections. The polls will open Oct. 25 and see current president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva face far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. Flávio is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year and three-month sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup d’état after losing the 2022 presidential election.
Earlier this week, Variety published an in-depth report detailing how Jair Bolsonaro dismantled Brazil’s audiovisual sector, alerting to a similar future ahead if Flávio Bolsonaro wins the upcoming elections. Other high-profile signatories include Alice Braga (“City of God”), Karim Aïnouz (“The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão”), Sônia Braga (“Aquarius”), Gabriel Mascaro (“The Blue Trail”), Carolina Markowicz (“Charcoal”), Anita Rocha da Silveira (“Medusa”), Anna Muylaert (“The Second Mother”), Laís Bodanzky (“Brainstorm”) and Rio Film Festival director Ilda Santiago. The letter calls for “close international attention” to the elections, detailing how Flávio Bolsonaro has recently pledged “to rewrite Brazil’s 1988 Constitution” and noting an alleged U.S. intervention in the first round of the elections, reported by The Guardian in an investigation on how the “United States government allocated approximately US$1 million from a State Department human rights fund to a program called ‘Countering Lawfare and Censorship in Brazil.’” “We see the developments unfolding in Brazil as part of a broader pattern of alleged electoral interference across Latin America,” says the letter, which can be read in full below: An Open Letter from Brazilian Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to Our Colleagues in the Film Industry and the International Press We, Brazilian film professionals and members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood, wish to express our concern over the current political climate in Brazil and call for close international attention to the second round of the presidential election on October 25.
The margin between the two candidates in the first round was just 1.87 percentage points. Brazil is therefore a deeply divided country. We are nonetheless witnessing troubling signs of disregard for democratic norms, including allegations of possible foreign interference in Brazil that warrant transparent investigation and international scrutiny.
The Guardian has reported that the United States government allocated approximately US$1 million from a State Department human rights fund to a program called “Countering Lawfare and Censorship in Brazil.” At the same time, media observers have raised concerns about possible distortions in the reach of political content on Meta platforms and have called for an investigation. Among the cases cited are the Instagram accounts of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, which have reportedly experienced declines in reach, difficulties with access and visibility in search results, as well as an inability to promote posts through paid advertising. Another case involves a US-based website promoting the purchase of advertisements in support of candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in exchange for cryptocurrency tokens, under the promise of helping underprivileged children in Uganda.
Brazil’s Federal Police are also investigating suspicions of cash payments to voters in rural areas. Several of Flávio Bolsonaro’s proposals also warrant close scrutiny, including his pledge to rewrite Brazil’s 1988 Constitution, which marked the end of military dictatorship and the restoration of democracy in the country. According to the candidate, a new constitution would be drafted by a Congress dominated by a far-right majority.
This statement is particularly troubling in light of the attempted coup attributed to former president Jair Bolsonaro, the candidate’s father. The plot included plans to assassinate the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and his vice president, Geraldo Alckmin. Jair Bolsonaro is imprisoned in connection with this case, while his son has pledged to grant him amnesty as his first act in office.
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