The Best Picture at the Oscars, with I’m Still Here also getting Best International Feature Film and Best Actress In A Leading Role noms.

As always, the Oscars 2025 nominations came with both major snubs and fascinating surprises. Between Challengers not getting a single nomination – not even for Original Score – and Pamela Anderson not getting a Best Actress nom, a lot of predictions were proven wrong. However, one of the most interesting surprises was I’m Still Here getting a Best Picture nomination in a historical moment for Brazilian cinema that speaks to a wider Oscars trend of recognizing non-English language movies beyond the International Feature Film award.

What Is I’m Still Here About?

I'm Still Here Is Based On A True Story

Set in 1970 during the military dictatorship that rose to power in Brazil after a coupe coup d'état in 1964, I’m Still Here is based on the true story of Eunice Paiva, an activist whose husband is taken by the military and “disappears.” I’m Still Here follows Eunice as she tries to learn the truth about what happened to her husband, Rubens Paiva, a former congressman who had already lived six years in exile for opposing the military government. After being arrested and tortured herself, Eunice eventually learns from non-official sources that her husband was killed.

The military dictatorship in Brazil lasted until 1985.

What follows is a gut-wrenching story about Eunice having to move on with her life without ever receiving official confirmation of what happened to her husband, which is something countless people had to face during the military dictatorship in Brazil. I’m Still Here sees Eunice in different stages of her life, including at an old age and dealing with Alzheimer’s, with Torres’ performance capturing all the angsty and pain caused by the lack of answers. The truth about what happened to Rubens Paiva was only disclosed in 1995, 25 years after he was taken.

How I’m Still Here Received A Best Picture Nomination

Fernanda Torres’ Performance Put The Movie On The Map

I’m Still Here’s awards run began at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in September 2024, where the movie had its world premiere. Directed by Walter Salles, who directed the Golden Globes-winning film Central Station in 1998, I’m Still Here appeared as a possible Oscars contender primarily due to Fernanda Torres’ performance. With no Brazilian movie having ever won Best International Film and only four ever getting nominated, I’m Still Here’s chances at the Oscars didn’t seem too big at first. However, as Torres’ performance started to gain worldwide attention, the film as a whole gained more recognition.

While the Brazilian-American film Kiss of the Spider Woman was nominated for Best Picture in 1986, I'm Still Here is the first fully Brazilian production to get nominated for Best Picture.

One of the biggest stories of this year’s awards run has been how Fernanda Torres’ mother, Brazilian legend Fernanda Montenegro, was so far the only Brazilian actor to have even been nominated for an Oscar. In 1999, Fernanda Montenegro was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in Central Station but lost to Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love. Torres now s her mother as the only two Brazilian actors to have ever been nominated at the Oscars. Interestingly, Fernanda Montenegro is also in I’m Still Here as the older version of Torres’ character, Eunice Paiva.

Fernanda Torres’ Golden Globes win brought even more attention to I’m Still Here.

Given how Fernanda Montenegro’s loss at the 1999 Oscars is considered by many an upset, the idea that her daughter, Fernanda Torres, could get a nomination and perhaps even a historical win for her performance in I’m Still Here became one of the most interesting prospects of this year’s awards run. Fernanda Torres’ Golden Globes win brought even more attention to I’m Still Here, with Sony and StudioCanal then intensifying the campaign for the film with more screenings and interviews.

I’m Still Here’s Best Pictures nomination is also part of a larger Academy trend of recognizing international movies in multiple categories instead of just Best International Feature Film. Parasite’s historical win at the 2020 Oscars arguably changed the game for foreign pictures in American awards, as seen with Drive My Car, Anatomy of a Fall, Emilia Pérez, and I’m Still Here all getting Best Pictures nominations since.

Will I’m Still Here Win Best Picture?

I’m Still Here’s Chances Explained

While I’m Still Here has made history with its three nominations, one of which had never happened for a Brazilian film, its chances of winning Best Picture are slim. With just three nominations, plus the fact that is Best Picture nom is considered a huge surprise, there are not many reasons to believe that I’m Still Here could win the biggest award of the night. With 13 nominations, Emilia Pérez has come up as a surprising favorite not only for Best International Film but also for Best Picture.

With 10 nominations each, The Brutalist and Wicked are also placing themselves as Best Picture favorites, with the former arguably being the frontrunner. That said, Fernanda Torres has a significant chance of winning Best Actress given how much her performance has been praised, with another clear frontrunner being Demi Moore. Both Torres and Moore won the Golden Globes for their respective categories and are now in a good position at the Oscars. The fact that The Substance also got a Best Picture nom makes the Best Actress category even more difficult to predict.

I’m Still Here's Release Date: Is It In Theaters Or On Streaming?

I’m Still Here Has Yet To Have A Wide Theatrical Release In The US

After premiering in Brazil and receiving a limited run in its home country in September 2024, I’m Still Here had a limited qualifying run in the United States in November. The movie also received a nationwide release in Brazil around the same time but would only return to theaters in the US in January 2025 for a few more screeners. On February 14, I’m Still Here will receive a wide theatrical release in the US, two weeks before the Oscars.

I’m Still Here’s streaming home has yet to be revealed, and it is unclear when the movie will be available on a streaming platform. It also remains to be seen when I’m Still Here will get digital and physical releases, although it may take a while considering its wide theatrical release in the United States won’t happen until February. Still, the Oscars nominations are sure to bring even more attention to I’m Still Here beyond Fernanda Torres’ performance, which might accelerate its digital and physical distribution as well as the plans for its streaming release.