Maranhão film ‘Tomate’ wins best short award at national film festival

Maranhão film ‘Tomate’ wins award for best Brazilian short film Reproduction/Irin Omi Produções The Maranhão film “Tomate”, directed by Karle Costa and Breno Garcia, won the Maria Joana Award for Best Brazilian Short Film of 2026. The result was announced on Thursday (16), after the production participated in the Maria Joana Festival of Canadian Cinema, held in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. ? Click here and subscribe to the g1 Maranhão channel on WhatsApp The film was produced by Irin Omi, an independent producer created by students from the Social Communication course at the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA). Recorded entirely in São Luís, the project emerged during academic activities and brought together students from different areas of audiovisual. Lasting 15 minutes, “Tomate” mixes drama and comedy to address family conflicts, care and reconciliation between different generations. In the plot, a young man breaks off his relationship with his grandmother after an argument. Some time later, he needs to return home and take care of her, who is ill. Coexistence creates a new opportunity for rapprochement between the two.

The idea was inspired by the song “Tomate”, composed by Maranhão artist Victor Cravin in honor of his own grandmother. The team expanded the narrative with reports and experiences about family relationships, differences between generations and grief. A large part of the production costs, such as transportation, food and logistics, were paid by the team members themselves. In addition to directors Karle Costa and Breno Garcia, the festival organizers also congratulated Ranaisy Santos and the other professionals from the artistic and technical teams involved in the production.

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