Between national pride, story of revenge and carnival, Brazilians commemorate Torres‘ nomination at the Oscars for Best Actress and hope for the win.

Right after being nominated for best actress in leading role at the Golden Globes, Fernanda Torres asked her Brazilian fans: “Please, don’t act like it’s the World Cup”; for which their response was several parties for watching the ceremony, huge amounts of memes on the internet and massive social media interactions. Now, with one Golden Globe being won and the Oscar nomination for Torres, Brazil is outbursting in expectations for its national treasure — definitely acting like it is the World Cup.

Who is Fernanda Torres

Fernanda Torres was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscar for her role in the film I’m Still Here. In the drama, she plays Eunice Paiva, mother of five children and wife of a former congressman Rubens Paiva (played by Selton Mello), during the period of the Brazilian military dictatorship. The movie follows the journey of Eunice, who tries to find her husband kidnapped by the military. In addition to the Best Actress category, the film was also nominated for Best Picture and Best International Feature. I’m Still Here premiered in September at the Venice Film Festival, getting more than 10 minutes of applause. 

After that, Fernanda Torres, Walter Salles (the film’s director) and Selton Mello have been involved in promoting the movie around the world, including Rome. Since then, achieving a global box office of 20 million dollars, with more than 30 awards and Torres winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress.

Get to know more about Salles‘ new picture I’m still here in Raquel Tiemi‘s article.

This is the first time that Fernanda Torres has had such a large international campaign, so for outsiders, it may be the first time they have heard her name; however, for Brazilians, Torres has been known (and loved) for a long time.

She is the daughter of two great Brazilian actors: Fernando Torres and Fernanda Montenegro (95). In addition to having a name similar to her parents’, Fernanda also inherited their love for acting. The actress starred in several films during her career, but found eternal sympathy among the Brazilian people on television shows, with the sitcoms Os Normais (Normal People) and Tapas e Beijos (Slaps and Kisses).

Brazilian Gem

The nominations for major awards in the world of cinema touched the Brazilian public — who are not used to this type of recognition. The country, which is usually passionate and proud, found itself in ecstasy with Torres’ victory at the Golden Globes and euphoric with the Oscar nomination. An example of this passion is the astronomical engagement in posts related to Torres on the Academy’s official profile. 

In an interview with Variety magazine, Fernanda herself explains the Brazilian way of showing support and love:

Brazilians are heavy users of the internet. We consume our own culture — we are very proud of it. But when someone makes the miracle of crossing the border and is recognized in the world, Brazil goes nuts 

However, the affection for the actress is not the only thing that drives the support; there is also a feeling of revenge. Fernanda Torres is the second Brazilian actress to be nominated for an Oscar, the first being Fernanda Montenegro (yes, her mother), in 1999, for the movie Central Station. At the time, the award went to Gwyneth Paltrow, which still causes outrage among Brazilians today.

The last thing (apart from national pride and revenge), perhaps one of the most important, is that the Oscar ceremony will be held during Carnival. In Brazil, there are five days of holidays dedicated to parties, carnival blocks, music, barbecues, parades, decorations and tributes, with the entire country celebrating. If I’m Still Here wins in any category, multiply all that celebration by 10.

As the second woman to cross this Oscar threshold, Torres has already received all kinds of honors. In recent weeks, several carnival blocks with themes featuring the actress took place around the country, a giant doll was made in her honor and people dressed up as characters she played. Murals were painted on the streets all over the country, flags were raised and there was even an indigenous ritual to send good vibes for the film to win the coveted Oscar. On the internet, the mood isn’t much different or less flattering, with a savory snack printed with Torres’ face, fanarts, memes and a lot of anxiety.

In Brazil, Fernanda Torres has already won the Oscar. Regardless of the result of this Sunday, the actress returns to the country as a champion for overcoming national barriers and presenting a film spoken in Portuguese, with a protagonist who is a symbol of the fight against the dictatorship. According to Fernanda Montenegro herself, for The Hollywood Reporter magazine:

She has already won — before, during and after,” Montenegro says. “Being nominated is the Oscar itself

^{Featured image: Golden Globes on Instagram}