Philanthropist Olga Rabinovich will receive the first Prêmio Encontros (Encounters Award) at this year’s São Paulo International Film Festival’s industry forum, Encontros de Ideas Audiovisuais. The award honors his enduring commitment to advancing Brazilian cinema and raising the international profile of Brazilian film and talent through his work with Projeto Paradiso.
The Encounters Awards was created to highlight the transformative role of private investment in culture, bringing together private funders and the creative professionals behind audiovisual productions. The inaugural honor will be presented to Rabinovitch during the event’s opening ceremony on October 14 and before a conversation with Neon President Jeff Dutchman.
Born in São Paulo, Rabinovitch spent years volunteering in hospitals and working closely with terminally ill patients. In 2018, she founded the Olga Rabinovich Institute, which soon launched Projeto Paradiso. This initiative is dedicated to the advancement of the Brazilian audiovisual sector and grew out of their belief that “stories can change the world”, as well as the decision to invest in the people who create them and share them with audiences around the world.
Renata de Almeida, director of the São Paulo International Film Festival, said, “Olga Rabinovich is the first recipient of the newly created Prêmio Encontros, as she was the inspiration behind the award.” I first heard Olga’s name in early 2018, when Joséphine Bourgois came to meet me about someone from the private sector who wanted to create an institute dedicated to cinema. The Olga Rabinovich Institute was announced during the 42nd Mostra, bringing a breath of hope to what promised to be a particularly difficult time for Brazilian film and culture.
“After eight years, Projeto Paradiso, an initiative of the Olga Rabinovich Institute, has already made a major contribution to strengthening the Brazilian audiovisual sector, discovering and supporting a new generation of talent,” the director added. “Projeto Paradiso has an excellent professional team, as its results clearly demonstrate. But the image that stays with me is of a meeting with Olga, climbing the winding stairs of our small building for a coffee in the festival office, somewhat disorganized. Because, in the end, almost everything really starts with an encounter.”
Courtesy of Milena Palladino
earlier this year, Diversity The philanthropist sits down before the third Projeto Paradiso National Network meeting in Recife, Brazil’s busy manufacturing hub. Rabinovitch said he “liked the idea of supporting cinema because I think it’s a magical art.” “You walk into the screening room not knowing whether you’re going to be excited or upset or moved. It’s a transformative experience. I think it’s incredible to have a community artistic experience that moves you like that.”
Projeto Paradiso provides comprehensive support to Brazilian screen professionals to maximize their presence on the global stage, supporting the development of stories through fellowships, residencies, workshops and other training and international outreach initiatives. The Paradiso Talent Network now includes 278 Brazilian professionals.
The organization also helps connect Brazilian talent and projects to the international industry through a network of more than 250 partner institutions in Brazil and abroad, including the Hubert Bals Fund, La Fabrique Cinéma de l’Institut Français, TorinoFilmLab, Film Independent and the Sundance Institute.
The initiative was behind recent festival titles such as Alan DeBarton’s Berlin-winner “Gugu’s World” and Grace Paso’s “Our Secret” and has a talent network of 264 professionals, including Anita Rocha da Silveira (“Medusa”), Juliana Rojas (“Good Manners”) and Deira Pais (“Psyche”).
In 2025 Projeto Paradiso teamed up with Embaratur Brazilian Tourism Board to launch Screen Brazil, presenting four Brazilian films a year in two calls – the latest of which closed on 2 October supporting their international distribution campaigns, with presentations being made by the international sales agent holding the film’s commercial rights. Announced at the Cannes Marché du Film this May, films supported to date include Gabriele Mascaro’s “The Blue Trail,” Rafaela Camelo’s “The Nature of Invisible Things” and the animated feature “Papaya.”
Projeto Paradiso’s relationship with the São Paulo International Film Festival dates back to 2018, when the philanthropy initiative was launched during the 42nd edition of the festival. Since then, Projeto Paradiso has continuously expanded its presence at the festival.
Since 2023, it has presented the annual Paradiso Distribution Support Award, which provides a distribution grant for the theatrical release of a fiction feature. In 2024, Projeto Paradiso was also one of the driving forces behind a new partnership with the Hubert Bals Fund (HBF), which led to the creation of HBF+Brazil after initial discussions at the Encontro de Ideias.
The 50th edition of the Sao Paulo International Film Festival will run from October 15-29.