Scarlett Johansson on Opening Night, a Palme d'Or Winner and an Elon Musk Doc: 10 Highlights of the 50th São Paulo Film Festival

The São Paulo International Film Festival turns 50 in celebratory mode: the lineup unveiled on Saturday, October 3, includes 380 titles from 93 countries across 57 venues in the city from October 15 to 29, with tickets at R$26 (Monday to Thursday) and R$32 (Friday to Sunday), plus half-price options. Here are 10 highlights: 1) James Gray's 'Paper Tiger' opens the festival on October 14 at Sala São Paulo, with the director in attendance; the Cannes competition title stars Adam Driver, Miles Teller and Scarlett Johansson in a story of two brothers and a family threatened by the Russian mob, and hits Brazilian theaters on January 7, 2027. Gray also designed this year's poster. 2) Cristian Mungiu's 'Fjord', winner of the Palme d'Or. 3) May el-Toukhy's 'Unknown Woman' ('Mulher Desconhecida'), Golden Lion winner in Venice.

4) South Korean director Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love' ('Amor Possível'), Silver Lion winner in Venice. 5) Andrey Zvyagintsev's 'Minotaur', Grand Prix winner at Cannes. 6) 'Musk', Alex Gibney's documentary about Elon Musk. 7) Aaron Sorkin's new film, screening in Brazil as 'O Outro Lado das Redes'. 8) Allan Deberton's 'Feito Pipa', Brazil's pick to compete for a spot at the 2027 Oscars and one of more than 70 Brazilian films in the program, alongside 'London', winner of the Queer Lion in Venice, and 'A Margem do Rio', which screened at Locarno.

9) A crop of documentaries about Brazilian icons, with films on Belchior ('Alucinação'), Elza Soares ('Elza', by Eryk Rocha), Fernanda Montenegro ('Fernanda'), Ney Matogrosso ('Ney por Trás das Máscaras') and Chorão ('Se Não Eu, Quem Vai Fazer Você Feliz?'), plus Carlos Saldanha's '100 Dias', about navigator Amyr Klink. 10) A special screening of 'RRR' on October 19 with India's S.S. Rajamouli, who receives the Leon Cakoff Award, as do James Gray and Portuguese producer Paulo Branco. The pre-opening also features Kleber Mendonça Filho's short 'Sul de Teerã', and Boots Riley will present 'I Love Boosters'.