The Blue Trail (Drama)

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Director: Gabriel Mascaro
Producer: Sandino Saravia Vinay,Rachel Daisy Ellis
Screenwriter: Tibério Azul,Gabriel Mascaro
Cinematographer: Guillermo Garza
Composer: Memo Guerra
Editor: Sebastían Sepúlveda,Omar Guzmán
Production Designer: Dayse Barreto
Costume Designer: Gabriella Marra
Key Cast: Rodrigo Santoro,Denise Weinberg,Adanilo Costa,Miriam Socarrás

Taking home the Berlinale Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, this brightly coloured odyssey is a spirited rebuke to ageism.

In a futuristic yet hyper-bureaucratised Brazil, retirement has questionable consequences. On the one hand, 77-year-old Tereza is hailed as a ‘national living heritage’; on the other, she has been placed under the guardianship of her daughter, and will soon be forced to live in a colony for seniors. But Tereza has one rather big dream left: to fly on a plane before she’s shipped off and forgotten. Embarking on a fantastical journey through the Amazon, she encounters a blue drool-discharging snail with an ability to chart a person’s destiny, a shady boat captain and a sly new friend with secrets – and lessons – of her own.

Known for his penchant for vivid colour, director Gabriel Mascaro (Divine Love, MIFF 2019) once more brings his palette of saturated hues and surreal beauty to the screen – this time, in collaboration with cinematographer Guillermo Garza, shooting in an intimate 4:3 ratio. Veteran Brazilian stage and screen actor Denise Weinberg delivers a warm, luminous performance as Tereza, while Rodrigo Santoro (300) lends his own star power to enigmatic helmsman Cadu. A richly imaginative tale of dignity, dreams and resistance, The Blue Trail scooped three awards at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival.

“Centred on a winning performance from Brazilian stage and screen veteran Denise Weinberg … The Blue Trail is entrancingly unpredictable in its picaresque unravelling.” – Screen Daily

MIFF x Barra: The 15 August session is bookable as a Food & Film event. 

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