The Gostoso Film Festival is held annually in the town of São Miguel do Gostoso, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, every November. Over five days, around 30 films are screened across the Competitive, Panorama, Potiguar and Special Screenings sections. The festival also hosts seminars and panel discussions with invited filmmakers.
The main stage of the Gostoso Film Festival is an open-air screening venue set up on Praia do Maceió beach, where the films of the Competitive and Potiguar sections are shown to audiences of more than 2,000 people each night. The Panorama screenings take place at Sala Petrobras, a climate-controlled geodesic dome tent that seats 130.
Audiences have the opportunity to see the latest Brazilian film releases, which compete for the Critics' Award and the Audience Award. All events are free of charge.
Conception
Eugenio Puppo
General Direction
Matheus Sundfeld, Eugenio Puppo
Produced by
Heco Produções and Coletivo de Direitos Humanos, Ecologia, Cultura e Cidadania (CDHEC)
Months before the festival begins, technical and audiovisual training courses are offered to young people from São Miguel do Gostoso. Since 2013, 57 workshops have been held and 29 short films produced, all of which have been screened at editions of the Gostoso Film Festival and at a number of national and international festivals. The workshops cover both theory and practice, including audiovisual language, screenwriting, cinematography, and art direction.
The collective "Nós do Audiovisual" grew out of these workshops. It was created on the students' own initiative to carry out projects independently, moving toward professionalization in the audiovisual sector and making São Miguel do Gostoso one of the main hubs of audiovisual production in Rio Grande do Norte.
Filmography
Maremoto
2023, fiction, 20 min
After becoming disillusioned with her passion for deep-sea diving, Léo—the youngest daughter of a fisherman—decides to change the course of her life and opens a motorcycle repair shop. However, the return of her brother, Maço, bringing the GPS belonging to their ailing father, leads Léo to consider making one final dive to recover a forgotten treasure.
Screened at the 35th São Paulo International Short Film Festival (Kinoforum), the 57th Brasília Film Festival, the 23rd Goiânia Mostra Curtas, and the 34th Curta Cinema Festival.
Received the TV Cultura "New Perspectives" (Novos Olhares) Mention at the 35th São Paulo International Short Film Festival (Kinoforum).
Nós do Audiovisual
2023, documentary, 20 min
After a decade of telling stories about its community, the Nós do Audiovisual Collective decides to tell its own story from both internal and external perspectives.
Screened at the 7th Curta Caicó.
Breaker
2022, fiction, 15 min
A family of four moves to a small town in Northeastern Brazil. The father, Marcos, and the mother, Irene, quarrel incessantly, despite claiming to be seeking a fresh start. Amidst the family crisis, a blackout hits the small town.
Stallholders
2022, documentary, 15 min
In early 2022, the Federal Heritage Secretariat ordered the beach stall operators at Tourinhos Beach to remove their stalls, citing environmental impacts. Concerned, the operators are seeking an agreement to continue their economic activities. This ongoing conflict dates back further, having persisted for nearly a decade.
Master Marciano
2021, documentary, 9 min
On the coast of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, a father and son recall traditions from the past that remain alive in their minds—traditions that transformed José Marciano into the city's greatest Boi de Reis master.
Papa-Jerimum
2021, documentary, 15 min
Mr. Leonardo was a pioneer in São Miguel do Gostoso, building the town's first inn. Throughout his journey, he contributed to Gostoso's development as it moved toward the future.
Screened at the 11th Ecofalante Film Festival and the 5th Curta Caicó.
Carte Blanche
2019, fiction, 9 min
In the small town where he lives, memories of the past run through Ian's mind and actions.
I've Been Wondering
2019, fiction, 11 min
Whether in the cultivated fields or on the soccer pitch, Fabiano will need to find his own essence.
Screened at Curta Caicó 2025, VI Cine Jardim, II Curta Parelhas Festival, and AFRONTE 2019.
Labyrinth Makers
2019, documentary, 7 min
A group of women from the coast of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, is fighting to ensure the art of labyrinth weaving is not forgotten. Amidst many adversities, they weave the threads of their own stories.
Screened at the 6th Cine Jardim Festival and the Macambira Showcase.
Júlia Porrada
2019, documentary, 13 min
In São Miguel do Gostoso, the mystical traverses the crossroads of a Northeastern woman with a fitting surname.
Screened at the 10th Goiamum Audiovisual Festival, VI Cine Jardim, 3rd Cine Verão Festival, and 3rd Curta Caicó Festival.
Ultimate
2018, fiction, 15 min
Seu Luiz navigates the ocean of his memories, letting recollections speak louder than reality.
Screened at Curta Caicó 2019, the 29th Curta Cinema, and the Ecofalante Film Festival.
Time Automaton
2018, fiction, 11 min
Renner lives in the fissures of what constitutes reality. A time traveler seeking to piece together the puzzle of his own history.
Screened at Curta Caicó 2019, the 2nd Curta Parelhas Festival, and the Fantastic Northeastern Marathon.
Fear Is a Bush
2018, documentary, 7 min
In the dead of night in São Miguel do Gostoso, fear and mystery make their home beneath a cashew tree.
Screened at the VI Boca do Inferno Festival.
Son of a Fish
2018, documentary, 13 min
A fish's child can be a fish, but can also be whatever they want to be.
Screened at the 30th São Paulo International Short Film Festival (Kinoforum), the 2nd Pará Ethnographic Film Festival, and Cine.Ema 2019.
Winner of the TV Cultura "New Perspectives" (Novos Olhares) Mention at the 30th São Paulo International Short Film Festival (Kinoforum).
A Wolf's Great Love
2018, documentary, 12 min
In search of true love, a young dreamer turns his reality into his own movie.
Screened at the 2019 Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival, 29th Cine Ceará, 14th Fest Aruanda, 8th Cinecipó, Curta Caicó 2019, Olhar de Cinema - Curitiba International Film Festival 2019, and 8th Curta Brasília.
Winner of the Special Recognition Award at the 2019 Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival, Honorable Mention at Curta Caicó 2019, and the Best Screenplay and Canal Brasil Acquisition Award at the 29th Cine Ceará.
The Great Ó
2017, fiction, 10 min
Nicolas and Ozório come across an advertisement for a new game they could never afford to buy. They decide to hatch a plan to steal it from a store in São Miguel do Gostoso.
Screened at the 2nd Curta Parelhas Festival.
Gostoso Coin
2017, documentary, 13 min
São Miguel do Gostoso is one of the few municipalities in Brazil to adopt its own currency. However, residents have not yet fully adapted to the new development.
The Two Sides of Waste
2017, documentary, 12 min
"The Two Sides of Waste" addresses an unresolved issue in the municipality of São Miguel do Gostoso: what to do with the tons of waste produced daily by the population?
The Father of the Night
2015, fiction, 7 min
Four teenagers get lost in the woods, led by a con-artist sorcerer who summons an evil spirit in hopes of foreseeing the outcome of an illegal gamble.
Screened at the 7th Cinefantasy Festival.
In Search of the Sun
2015, fiction, 15 min
The arrival of a boy from out of town stirs up the quiet town of São Miguel do Gostoso and heightens the adolescent dilemmas of sisters Sophia and Manu.
Winner of the Best Actress award at the 6th Curta Coremas Festival.
Flôzinha
2015, fiction, 11 min
Three would-be hunters head into the woods with the mission of catching a six-banded armadillo to satisfy Ms. Liquinha's craving. However, they made a big mistake: they didn't bring the tobacco for Florzinha.
The Boy and the Mysterious Box
2015, fiction, 10 min
Luiz would certainly spend his entire life playing in the warm dirt with his friends were it not for the arrival of a mysterious box. The box draws everyone's attention, and now the neighborhood is in trouble.
Screened at the 23rd Vitória Film Festival, 39th Guarnicê Film Festival, 2nd Curta Parelhas, and the 2026 Children's Film Showcase.
Between the Cloth
2014, fiction, 11 min
The reality of Chico, a boy who divides his time between working at the market to help his family and his schoolwork.
Promises
2014, documentary, 16 min
A documentary about the marker commemorating the discovery of Brazil, located on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte—the spot where, according to long-time residents, Brazil was discovered.
Screened at the 2015 Curta Canoa Festival.
The Storyteller
2013, fiction, 15 min
A free interpretation of the story of the founding of the municipality of São Miguel do Gostoso, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Gostoso Film Festival
Technical and Audiovisual
Training Courses