Rio de Janeiro Unveils $3 Million Fund for International Co-Productions, Aiming to Bolster City's Global Filming Status

RioFilme, the film and TV agency of Rio de Janeiro, is set to announce a groundbreaking initiative aimed at boosting international co-productions within the city. At the upcoming Gramado Film Market during the Gramado Fest 2026, Leonardo Edde, president of RioFilme, will unveil a call for proposals totaling R$15 million ($3 million) for up to four ambitious collaborative projects involving Rio-based companies and their international counterparts. Edde revealed that this funding line would be open to both fiction and animated feature film projects, with details on the new incentive set to be disclosed at his panel discussion during Gramado Fest 2026. In order to apply, projects must adhere to Brazilian regulations, with co-production agreements between the Rio-based company and its international partner following the rules outlined in the countries' existing coproduction agreements if applicable. If no such agreement exists, the Rio-based production must hold at least 40% of the film's rights and employ a minimum of two-thirds Brazilian artists and technicians, as per general co-production guidelines set by Brazil's National Cinema Agency (Ancine). This initiative is part of an ambitious strategy to further establish Rio de Janeiro as a leading global production hub. Over the past few years, the city has streamlined its film commission and implemented incentives that have propelled it to the top tier among filmed cities worldwide, surpassing Paris and Mexico City in terms of days spent shooting on location. In the first half of 2026 alone, Rio hosted 40 international productions, marking a significant increase from the same period last year. Edde shared that the next step for Rio is to strengthen ties with China, Russia, and India – nations that are members of the BRICS alliance but currently have limited collaboration in film and TV production. Edde believes that cultural integration between these countries will be achieved through the growth of their audiovisual industries. The focus on China is particularly prominent this year, as Brazil and China celebrate the Brazil-China Cultural Year 2026. The Brazilian Congress is poised to approve a co-production agreement between the two nations, and a delegation from both governments, along with industry representatives and talents, recently visited the Shanghai International Film Festival. Edde also mentioned plans for members of the China Film Producers' Association (CFPA) to visit Rio de Janeiro from November 16th-19th, as well as RioFilm's intention to join the UHD World Association – a technical and industrial organization that includes giants like Huawei, iQIYI, Baidu, Alibaba, and Xiaomi. Furthermore, RioFilme is negotiating a partnership with the Hengdian Group, owners of the world's largest film and television production center – the Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang Province. The complex boasts numerous large-scale studios, outdoor sets, replicas of Chinese cities, palaces, and historical landmarks, as well as extensive crews, equipment, costumes, props, accommodation, technicians, and supporting actors. It also serves as a major tourist destination. The goal is to model Rio's Creative District, which encompasses the main sports complex of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, the city's Cinema Pole with 16 studios by year-end, and the production centers of free-to-air TV networks Globo and Record, after Hengdian. In terms of Russia, RioFilme and the Moscow Film Cluster (Moskino) signed a partnership agreement during Moscow International Film Week 2025. Moskino sent a large delegation to Rio2C – a major creative industry meeting in Rio de Janeiro – in May 2026, and negotiations for a coproduction agreement between the two countries are ongoing. India is also on RioFilme's radar, with Daniel Celli, coordinator of the Rio Film Commission, attending the first edition of the BRICS Waves Bazaar held in Mumbai in August 2026 – an event that brought together producers, studio and streaming executives, investors, government agencies, and media-technology companies from BRICS countries. "India and Brazil both have a rich film tradition," Edde stated. "We are discussing with Indian officials the creation of some form of financing to dub and license our content for open-access streaming platforms."