🎬 Lights, Camera, Justice!

Good morning and welcome back from Carnival! Rio de Janeiro will discover today which samba school is the winner of the 2025 Carnival! In São Paulo, the school Rosas de Ouro won; Marcha Verde, a school founded by ultras of the football team Palmeiras, was relegated. On Saturday, we explained the connection between football ultras and samba schools in São Paulo. 

The political impact of Brazil’s first-ever Oscar win

On Sunday night, amid the revelry of Carnival, millions of Brazilians paused their celebrations and crowded into bars and restaurants to watch the ceremony of the 97th Academy Awards. Their attention was fixed on “I’m Still Here,” a national blockbuster that confronts the country’s painful history of political disappearances during the military dictatorship that ruled from 1964 to 1985.

• When Penélope Cruz announced the film as the winner of Best International Feature, an explosion of cheers echoed through the streets of Brazil’s big cities — more reminiscent of a World Cup victory than an Oscar win.

👉 Why it matters. The impact of Brazil’s first-ever Oscar win as a possible catalyst for more cultural funding is obvious. However, this victory is profoundly significant for Brazil’s current political climate, too.

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