Fernanda Torres and Selton Mello on the ‘Ripped From the Headlines’ Story of I’m Still Here…
In this behind-the-scenes interview from Sony Pictures Classics, the studio behind the 2024 Academy Award-winning Best Foreign Language Film from Brazil, I’m Still Here, stars Fernanda Torres and Selton Mello take us deeper into the history, and the real family at the center of Walter Salles‘ film. Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva‘s 2015 memoir of the same name, Torres stars as Eunice Paiva, a mother and activist coping with the forced disappearance of her husband, the dissident politician Rubens Paiva (Mello), during the military dictatorship in Brazil. The screenplay is written by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega and features Torres’ real mother Fernanda Montenegro as older Eunice Paiva.
![Marcelo Rubens Paiva (Brazilian Portuguese: [maʁˈsɛlu ˈʁubẽs ˈpajvɐ]; born 1 May 1959) is a Brazilian novelist, playwright, screenwriter and journalist born in São Paulo, Brazil. He is the son of Rubens Paiva, who was murdered during Brazil's military dictatorship in 1971. The impact of his father's disappearance on his family's life, especially on his mother, Eunice Paiva, is portrayed in his 2015 autobiography Ainda estou aqui, which served as the basis for the Oscar-winning 2024 film I'm Still Here.](https://i0.wp.com/moviestohistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Marcelo-Rubens-Paiva.jpg?ssl=1)
![Ainda Estou Aqui is a memoir by Marcelo Rubens Paiva. It was published on 4 August 2015 by Alfaguara, a subsidiary of the Brazilian publisher Companhia das Letras.[1][2][3][4] Synopsis The autobiographical work deals with the author's delicate relationship with his mother, Eunice, and is marked by the passage of time.[1] At the beginning, we follow Eunice Paiva in her old age and with signs of Alzheimer's disease.[5][6] Throughout, the reader discovers details about the author's childhood and family. Another subject addressed is his father, federal deputy Rubens Paiva.[7][8] Marcelo Paiva shows affection for his family and addresses the issues surrounding the military dictatorship in Brazil and his father's death.](https://i0.wp.com/moviestohistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Ainda-Estou-Aqui.jpg?ssl=1)
You can watch a clip of the full interview with Fernanda Torres and Selton Mello below:
I’m Still Here is available now with a subscription to Netflix…
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