Fest Rio announces China Focus in 2026, premiered from CMG’s ‘Shenzhou 13’
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil-the Rio International Film Fest will have China as his national focus in next year’s edition, as part of the China-Brazil-cultural year from 2026, said Walkiria Barbosa, executive director of Rio Fest and Int’l Marketing.
The governments of the two countries announced in November 2024, during a visit to Chinese President Xi Jinping to Brazil, that the Cultural Year from China-Brazil will have a broad programming element in 2026, which are currently in preparation.
“China is the largest film market in the world. Our intention is to have in the 2026 edition of Rio Fest, the most important Chinese film production companies, streamers and exhibitors for a large business meeting and display of Chinese films,” Barbosa said Variety.
The China Media Group (CMG) gave a presentation in Riomarket on 3 October, the business part of Rio Fest, with the presence of the Latin -America Chief Bureau Zhu Boying of the company, as well as China’s Consul in Rio, Tian Min.
After the presentation, CMG premiered with the function ‘Shenzhou 13’, the first 8k film shot in the country in the room, which was released theatrally nationally in China 5 September.
The film shows the routine of astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu on the Shenzhou-13 mission, which was launched on October 16, 2021. The crew spent a total of 183 days in orbit for a new record for the longest continuous space travel by Chinese Astrican.
The film reveals awesome cosmic views and a glimpse of daily life in a job, trapped with 8K Ultra-High-Definition cameras. Most images were filmed by astronauts, with a Wang’s perspective that led the story.
The most important co-production of Brazil-China is now produced in the course by Rio-based LC Barreto and CCTV animation, a subsidiary of CMG. They develop a TV animation series and an animation function, both with Panda Hoho, a well-known character starring in other CMG productions.
“Hoho & The Tropical Sound Clash” is a 3D animation series aimed at toddlers. The series will have four seasons, each with 13 episodes of 10 minutes long.
Series Showrunner Joao Amorim told Variety The first season is expected to be opened in the second half of 2026 on free-to-air TV channels TV-cultura in Brazil and CCTV animation in China. Zhang Fan is the animation director of the series.
In the series, Panda Hoho will be part of a Trio Brazilian animals, with a Golden Lion Tamarin, a symbol of Brazilian biodiversity and Capy, an adventurous Capybara. In every episode the trio of adventures in Brazil, the discovery of unique bows, cultural traditions and important lessons about the preservation of the environment and the power of cooperation, begins.
The second LC Barreto-CCTV project, “Amazonika-the Origin” is a 3D animated function about the recreation of the Amazon Region forest, presented as an old link between the indigenous cultures of Asian and Brazil. Panda Hoho will help in this way, a young man who can communicate with nature, and Nika, a daring princess fighter, to restore harmony in a world on the edge of collapse.
“We work together with two indigenous Brazilians as consultants for the projects. Benki Piyãko is from the original people of Asháninka and Zezinho Yube is from the Huni Kuin people,” Amorim said.
