From the Oscars to viral hits on digital platforms, the Brazilian audiovisual industry is seeing a surge in international prominence and seeking new markets after a 34.5% increase in exports between January and August 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.
According to the Brazilian Central Bank, revenues reached $359 million, stemming from audiovisual production services, rights, and related activities contracted by overseas clients.
Furthermore, figures from the National Film Agency (Ancine) show that 154 Brazilian feature films premiered in 2025, with 367 domestic titles screened in theaters nationwide, drawing over 11 million moviegoers.
Against this backdrop, Brazil is betting on continuing to translate creativity and critical acclaim into commercial opportunities to boost exports and strengthen an industry that received roughly $252 million in public funding in 2025, a 29% increase over 2024, according to Ancine.
“The domestic market is essential, but if we turn our back on the world, we will not be able to sustain the growth of our products. Brazil has quality, a strong brand, and a cultural richness that we cannot afford to waste,” Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade Márcio Elias Rosa said during an industry event in Rio de Janeiro in October.
Internationalization to fuel growth
To leverage these key differentiators, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) is spearheading a strategy to bring more production companies into foreign trade.
The agency works with industry groups across film, animation, advertising, and video games through training programs, content adaptation for foreign buyers, market intelligence, trade missions, and networking with potential partners and contract opportunities.
One example is the FilmBrazil initiative, created alongside the Brazilian Association of Audiovisual Production Companies for the advertising sector. In 2025, its 52 affiliated production companies generated $84.7 million in exports, up 52% from 2024.
Meanwhile, the Cinema de Brasil project, developed in partnership with the Siaesp audiovisual union, generated $73.9 million in exports between 2024 and 2025.
Focus on co-productions
To sustain growth, one of the most strategic initiatives is co-productions, which bring in foreign partners from the earliest stages of a project and improve its chances for international distribution.
Over the past two years, ApexBrasil-supported initiatives in this area involved around 75 productions and projects, generating approximately $60 million over the last year alone.
Additionally, Ancine issued 140 provisional international co-production approvals in 2025, compared to 56 in 2023.
This expanding model lies behind two of Brazilian cinema’s most notable recent global successes.
“I’m Still Here,” directed by Walter Salles, which won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2025 among other accolades, is a co-production between Brazil and France.
Similarly, Kleber Mendonça Filho‘s “The Secret Agent,” which secured two Golden Globes in 2026 and earned four Oscar nominations, was co-produced by Brazil, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Hits that cross borders
International interest in Brazilian content is also showing up on digital platforms.
Global viewership of Brazilian content on Netflix jumped 60% in the second half of 2025 compared to the first, according to the streaming giant. The company announced an agreement on Monday with domestic media giant Globo to add 18 award-winning Brazilian titles to its international catalog starting in December.
Highlighting the sector’s momentum, ApexBrasil Business Director María Paula Velloso said in a statement that “the audiovisual industry is about creativity, but it is also about services, technology, and international business” with significant capacity to “generate value for the country’s economy.” EFE