Renowned philanthropist Olga Rabinovich will be honored with the very first Prêmio Encontros (Encounters Award) at this year’s edition of the Encontro de Ideias Audiovisuais, which serves as the premier industry platform for the prestigious São Paulo International Film Festival. The newly minted award has been established to celebrate Rabinovich’s steadfast, long-term commitment to championing Brazilian cinema and boosting the international footprint of Brazilian filmmakers and creative talent through her groundbreaking work with Projeto Paradiso.
The Encounters Award was specifically conceived to highlight the vital, often transformative impact of private investment within the cultural sector, acting as a bridge that brings together private philanthropic funders and the creative professionals who drive audiovisual productions forward. Rabinovich is scheduled to receive this inaugural honor during the high-profile opening gala ceremony on October 14. Her recognition will also immediately precede an engaging in-conversation event featuring Neon president Jeff Deutchman, setting an inspiring tone for the industry panels and meetings that follow.
Born and raised in São Paulo, Rabinovich’s path to cultural philanthropy was shaped by years of dedicated volunteer work in hospitals, where she worked closely alongside terminally ill patients. Driven by a deep empathy and a profound appreciation for human narratives, she founded the Olga Rabinovich Institute in 2018, launching Projeto Paradiso shortly thereafter. The cultural initiative was built upon her foundational belief that “stories can change the world,” alongside a deliberate choice to directly invest in the passionate people who conceive these stories and strive to share them with diverse audiences around the globe.
Reflecting on the creation of the accolade, Renata de Almeida, director of the São Paulo International Film Festival, shared insights into how the honor came to life. “Olga Rabinovich is the first recipient of the newly created Prêmio Encontros, because she was the inspiration behind the award,” de Almeida noted. “I first heard Olga’s name in early 2018, when Josephine Bourgois came to see me about someone from the private sector who wanted to create an institute dedicated to cinema. The Olga Rabinovich Institute was announced during the 42nd Mostra, bringing a breath of hope at a time that promised to be particularly difficult for Brazilian film and culture.”
De Almeida emphasized the lasting impact of the organization over the years. “Eight years later, Projeto Paradiso, an initiative of the Olga Rabinovich Institute, has already made a major contribution to discovering and championing a new generation of talent, strengthening Brazil’s audiovisual sector as a whole,” she added. “Projeto Paradiso has an outstanding professional team, as its results clearly demonstrate. But the image that stays with me is of a meeting with Olga, climbing the winding stairs of our little building for a somewhat chaotic coffee in the festival’s office. Because, in the end, almost everything really does begin with an encounter.”
In an interview earlier this year with Variety, conducted ahead of the third Projeto Paradiso National Network Meeting in Brazil’s bustling creative and production hub of Recife, Rabinovich spoke candidly about her passion for the medium. “I loved the idea of supporting cinema because I feel it is a magical art form,” she said. “You enter a screening room without knowing whether you’ll be elated or disturbed or moved. It’s a transformative experience. I think it’s incredible to have a communal artistic experience that moves you like this.”
Through Projeto Paradiso, the philanthropist has established a comprehensive framework designed to offer expansive support to Brazilian screen professionals, helping them maximize their presence and competitive edge on the international stage. The organization aids in the careful development of narratives through targeted fellowships, specialized residencies, professional workshops, and a wide array of training and international reach initiatives. Over the years, the growing Paradiso Talent Network has expanded to encompass 278 Brazilian film professionals.
Beyond internal training and development, the organization actively bridges the gap between domestic talent and the global film industry. It achieves this by maintaining an extensive cooperative network of more than 250 partner institutions both within Brazil and across international borders. Notable global partners include prestigious entities such as the Hubert Bals Fund, La Fabrique Cinéma de l’Institut français, TorinoFilmLab, Film Independent, and the Sundance Institute.
The tangible results of these partnerships and fellowships are increasingly visible on the international festival circuit. Projeto Paradiso has recently provided crucial backing to critically acclaimed and buzzy festival titles, including Allan Deberton’s Berlinale-winning feature “Gugu’s World” and Grace Passô’s thought-provoking “Our Secret.” Furthermore, its illustrious talent network boasts 264 active professionals, featuring celebrated industry names such as Anita Rocha da Silveira, known for “Medusa”; Juliana Rojas, director of “Good Manners”; and prominent actress and filmmaker Dira Paes, recognized for her work on “Manas.”
In a major expansion of its international ambitions, Projeto Paradiso teamed up in 2025 with the Embratur Brazilian Tourism Board to introduce Screen Brasil. This strategic initiative provides critical financial and strategic support to four Brazilian films annually across two distinct funding calls—the most recent of which closed on October 2, geared toward bolstering international distribution campaigns. Under this program, formal submissions are handled directly by the international sales agents who hold the commercial distribution rights for each selected film.
First announced at the Cannes Marché du Film this past May, the slate of films backed by the initiative so far includes Gabriel Mascaro’s anticipated project “The Blue Trail,” Rafaela Camelo’s evocative “The Nature of Invisible Things,” and the imaginative animated feature “Papaya.”
Projeto Paradiso’s close institutional relationship with the São Paulo International Film Festival traces back to its inception in 2018, when the philanthropic initiative was officially unveiled to the public during the festival’s landmark 42nd edition. In the years since, the organization has steadily expanded its footprint, deepening its roots within the festival’s annual programming.
Since 2023, Projeto Paradiso has proudly presented the annual Paradiso Distribution Support Award, a vital grant that supplies essential funding for the theatrical release of a selected fiction feature film in Brazil. Building upon this momentum, Projeto Paradiso emerged in 2024 as one of the primary driving forces behind a fresh, strategic partnership with the Hubert Bals Fund. These collaborative efforts successfully paved the way for the creation of HBF+Brazil, following foundational discussions initiated during earlier editions of the Encontro de Ideias.
The milestone 50th edition of the São Paulo International Film Festival is scheduled to run from October 15 through October 29.
