The largest school film festival in Brazil brings together 184 films in Cachoeiras de Macacu

Fun and Art Cachoeiras de Macacu, in the Serrana region of Rio, hosts the 18th edition of MacacuCine – International School Cinema Festival between this Friday (14th) and August 23rd. The event, considered the largest school film festival in Brazil, celebrates 20 years of history with a free program of films, competitive screenings and activities focused on education. According to the organization, 184 films will be shown, including short, medium-length and feature films produced in different Brazilian states and other countries. The expectation is to receive around 6 thousand spectators during the ten days of programming, the majority of which are students from the public school system. In 2026, the festival registered a record number of entries, with 402 films sent by producers from 21 Brazilian states and ten other countries. ? Follow the g1 Região Serrana channel on WhatsApp. The sessions will be held in different spaces at the Macacu Waterfall Center. Part of the program will also be available free of charge online, on the festival's official YouTube channel and on the MacacuCine website. MacacuCine celebrates 20 years with free programming from August 14th to 23rd Publicity Competitive screenings and public voting MacacuCine is focused on the use of audiovisual as an educational tool and brings together productions made by students, educators and filmmakers with works related to the school universe. The program is divided into five shows: School, University, Micro Shorts, Free and MICE Cuba (Muestra Internacional Cine Educativo). The School, University and Micro Shorts exhibitions are competitive and compete for the Paschoal Guida Trophy and cash prizes. The Micro Shorts Exhibition brings together 21 productions of up to 30 seconds. The films from the School and University exhibitions can be watched and voted by the public from 6pm this Friday (14th), via the festival's YouTube channel and the official website. The microshorts will be shown and voted directly on MacacuCine's Instagram Stories. The Livre and MICE Cuba exhibitions are non-competitive. The international exhibition brings together films produced by Cuban children and aims to expand cultural exchange and present different perspectives on childhood and education. Sessions in different spaces in the city The in-person program will be distributed across three spaces in the Macacu Cachoeiras Center. The MacacuCine Tent, set up in the courtyard of the Centro Cultural do Antigo Quintino, will operate between the 17th and 21st of August, from 9am to 5pm, with capacity for 150 spectators. Cine Macacu, at Ponto de Cultura Vale do Macacu, will have screenings between the 14th and 19th of August, from 5pm to 9pm, in a room for 30 people. Cinema na Praça will have free outdoor sessions at Praça Manoel Diz Martinez between the 20th and 22nd of August. On Thursday and Friday, screenings start at 7pm. On Saturday, the program will start at 5pm. Festival turns 20 Created in 2007 by Associação Cultural Vale do Macacu, MacacuCine has already held 18 editions in Brazil, four in Argentina and four in Uruguay. Over two decades, the festival screened more than 1,800 films, had the participation of more than 50 schools and reached more than 10,000 students. In addition to the annual program, the event maintains audiovisual training and democratization of access to cinema projects, such as MacacuCine nas Escolas, Circula MacacuCine, Macacu Cineclube, Portal CinEduca, MacacuCine Lab and Conecta MacacuCine. According to the festival's production coordinator, Filipe Gonçalves, the initiative seeks to strengthen audiovisual in the teaching and learning process, in addition to stimulating critical thinking and the exchange of experiences between students and educators. READ ALSO: VIDEO: Runaway truck hits school bus with students in São José do Vale do Rio Preto Demonstration in Teresópolis calls for Security Secretary to leave Nova Friburgo hosts free show “Nur na Escuridão” this Saturday