The Rio de Janeiro City Hall, through RioFilme, an agency of the Municipal Secretariat of Culture, is opening registrations from this Friday (January 23rd) until February 22nd for the first stage of the 2026 Carioca Audiovisual Promotion Program. After a public consultation phase, the company will invest R$ 5,3 million in the following segments: short films, local initiatives – film clubs, audiovisual exhibitions and festivals, and support for participation in international festivals and markets. All grants are non-refundable and their resources come from a partnership with the Ministry of Culture/Federal Government, through the Aldir Blanc National Policy for Cultural Promotion (PNAB). Registrations can be made through the RioFilme website. Public Notices area.
– The connection between the Federal Government and the culture of the municipalities is a great legacy. This transfer allows us to start the year launching a call for proposals that will boost projects essential to strengthening the audiovisual sector, such as short films, film clubs, film festivals and exhibitions, and also support for participation in international festivals and markets. This shows that the Aldir Blanc National Policy is a very democratic tool for access to culture – celebrated the municipal secretary of culture, Lucas Padilha.
The funds will be invested in four calls for proposals, as listed below:
– Production of Audiovisual Showcases and Festivals: R$ 2,5 million
– Support for Local Initiatives – Film Clubs: R$ 1,5 million
– Production of Short Films or Web Series: R$ 1 million
– Support for participation in International Markets, Exhibitions and Festivals: R$ 300
In addition to the calls for proposals opening for applications this Friday, RioFilme also announced the Electronic Games Call for Proposals, with an investment of R$ 1,5 million in municipal funds to be divided among the lines of Development of Playable Prototypes, Production of Complete Games, and Distribution of Developed Games. The games call for proposals is currently in the Public Consultation stage, which is available for contributions from the sector at [website address - please insert here]. RioFilme website until the 26st of this month.
According to Leonardo Edde, president of RioFilme, the Rio de Janeiro City Hall is starting 2026 with a clear agenda, always seeking predictability and continuity.
Our commitment to multiplying investments is only possible because there is a solid and continuous partnership with the Federal Government, with the Ministry of Culture through the PNAB (National Policy for National Audiovisual Communication), and a structuring articulation with ANCINE (National Film Agency) and FSA (Audiovisual Sector Fund), guaranteeing planning and scale for public policy. Our focus is to transform funding into measurable results: more production, more dissemination, more audience development, and more diversity — with the territory as the engine of belonging, self-esteem, and development.
New calls for proposals complement record investments in RioFilme's history.
RioFilme begins the year by focusing on non-refundable grant programs, fulfilling the company's goal of supporting the Rio de Janeiro audiovisual industry and encompassing all segments that traditionally form part of its Development Program, supporting initiatives that impact audience development and attraction, dissemination of audiovisual works, and diversity of projects and territories.
The new calls for proposals complement the RioFilme Development Program launched in 2025, which made the largest investment in the history of the City Hall in the Rio de Janeiro audiovisual industry, with R$ 138,3 million in resources. A record achieved thanks to the regional agreement between the municipality and the Federal Government, ANCINE and the Audiovisual Sector Fund.
Of this total, in the first half of the year, RioFilme invested R$ 38,3 million in contracting 84 projects. In the second half of the year, RioFilme announced its 2025 Program to Promote Audiovisual Production in Rio de Janeiro, with R$ 100 million invested in calls for proposals for Feature Film or Animation Production; Fiction or Animation Series Production; Feature Film, TV Movie or Documentary Series Production; Project Development; Feature Film Distribution; and Feature Film or Animation Production. Unlike those launched this Friday, all calls for proposals launched in 2025 are reimbursable. The project selection process was led by RioFilme, and the contracting of proposals is being conducted by the Audiovisual Sector Fund, Ancine, and BRDE.
