18 films that bring the SP Show to you on Netflix

Not everyone can live São Paulo International Film Festival personally, but with Netflix it is possible to experience a taste of the festival anywhere in the country. From north to south of Brazil, audiences can delve into stories that marked previous editions and discover new titles that expand the dialogue between cinema and the world.

The 49th Mostra began on October 16th, bringing together great highlights of national and international cinema. This year, Netflix has a major participation in the festival, with productions such as Frankensteinby Guillermo del Toro; Jay Kellystarring George Clooney and Adam Sandler; The Son of a Thousand Menadaptation of the book by Valter Hugo Mãe directed by Daniel Rezende; and The Left-Handed Girlby Shih-Ching Tsou, named as one of the best films at the Cannes Festival in 2025. They will all hit the service later this year.

And for those who want to extend this experience beyond the cinema, we have gathered some of the productions that were successful and are now part of the Netflix catalogue:

Saudade Made Home Here Inside
Winner of the first edition of the Netflix Award and highlight of the Show in 2023, Saudade Made Home Here Inside tells the story of Bruno (Bruno Jefferson), a 15-year-old boy who is irreversibly losing his vision. With all the uncertainties of adolescence, amplified by imminent blindness, the film converts the tragic fate of its protagonist into a story of collective learning. For its debut on Netflix, Haroldo Borges’ film was dubbed into 10 languages, subtitled in 32 languages ​​and won a large audience in countries such as France, Türkiye, Mexico and Hungary.

Serra das Almas
In 2024, the Netflix Award went to Serra das Almas, by Pernambuco director Lírio Ferreira, produced by Carnaval Filmes in co-production with Urso Filmes. The film takes place in Pernambuco, where a jewelry robbery brings together an old group of misfit friends, resulting in catastrophic consequences.

We are Guardians
Featured in the 47th edition, the Brazilian documentary directed by Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene and Rob Grobman follows the indigenous and environmental activist struggle against illegal deforestation in the Amazon, providing an urgent portrait of the climate crisis. In 2023, Somos Guardians won the Best Brazilian Documentary Award from the audience at the Show.

Nothing New on the Front
The war epic directed by Edward Berger was one of the highlights of the 46th Mostra in 2022, before becoming a global phenomenon. Netflix’s German production won four Oscars in 2023, including Best International Film, and offers a visceral portrait of the horrors of the First World War from the perspective of a young soldier.

Bard, False Chronicle of Some Truths
from the director Alejandro G. his arritu, Bardo had its Brazilian premiere at the 46th Mostra, in 2022. The production, an introspective and visually stunning journey about identity, memory and belonging, follows a Mexican journalist and filmmaker in a poetic reflection on his own past.

Roma
Contemporary classic by Alfonso Cuarón, winner of the Golden Lion in Venice and three Oscars, Roma was shown at the 42nd Mostra de São Paulo, in 2018. The film portrays, in black and white, the routine of a maid in Mexico City in the 1970s, combining intimacy, politics and memory.

Pedro Paramo
Adaptation of Juan Rulfo’s iconic novel, Pedro Paramodirected by Rodrigo Prieto and shown at the 48th Mostra in 2024, immerses the viewer in a dreamlike narrative about a man who visits the village of Comala in search of his father, only to discover that all its inhabitants are dead.

The Night of Fire
Shown at the 45th Mostra, the film by Mexican director Tatiana Huezo portrays the lives of girls in a village dominated by drug trafficking. Sensitive and powerful, the film was Mexico’s Oscar nominee and one of the highlights of the 2021 Showcase.

Family Piano
Adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer-winning play and directed by Malcolm Washington, the Netflix film was one of the highlights of the 2024 Show. In the story, an inherited piano divides brothers: one wants to sell it to guarantee his livelihood, while the other wants to keep it as a symbolic legacy.

Heartless
The award-winning feature film from Alagoas by Nara Normande and Tião is set in a coastal village and narrates the intense friendship between two teenagers during a summer of discoveries and transformations. The production was shown at the 47th Mostra in 2023 and received the ABRACCINE Award for Best Brazilian Film by a Debut Director.

Maestro
Directed by and starring Bradley Cooper, Maestro was a highlight of the São Paulo International Film Festival in 2023 and, in the following year, the Netflix original production won seven Oscar nominations. The film narrates the trajectory of conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper), intertwining his brilliant musical career with his intense and complex love story alongside actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).

My Blood Boils for You
Directed by Paulo Machline, the film tells the love story between singer Sidney Magal (Filipe Bragança) and Magali West (Giovana Cordeiro), narrating the personal and professional life of the Brazilian popular music icon. It was one of the Brazilian highlights of the 47th São Paulo Film Festival in 2023.

After sun
Intimate drama by director Charlotte Wells, starring Paul Mescal, which revisits the relationship between father and daughter during a vacation trip, combining memories and affections in one of the most acclaimed films of the year. During the 46th edition of the Mostra, in 2022, the film won the jury prize: the Bandeira Paulista trophy.

The Smoke Master
Directed by André Sigwalt and Augusto Soares, the Brazilian film combines martial arts, fantasy and humor in a revenge story. Brothers Gabriel (Daniel Rocha) and Daniel (Thiago Stechinni) face a curse from the Chinese mafia, which has already killed their grandfather and father, and need to master the Smoke Style, an ancient cannabis martial art. In 2022, at the 46th edition of the Mostra, the film received the Audience Award for Best Brazilian Fiction Film.

7 Prisoners
Directed by Alexandre Moratto and starring Christian Malheiros and Rodrigo Santoro, the drama portrays young people in conditions similar to slavery in São Paulo, denouncing precarious work and human trafficking. A highlight of the São Paulo International Film Festival in 2021, the film is a critically acclaimed Netflix original production.