26 years ago, the acclaimed Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro made history by becoming the first Brazilian actress to be nominated for an Academy Award. Only a year later, she became the first Brazilian actress to be nominated for the Golden Globes’ “Best Actress” award. Now, her daughter- Fernanda Torres, is following her mother’s path and taking it a step further. 

“Ainda Estou Aqui” (I’m Still Here) is a thriller/drama based on a memoir by the Brazilian novelist and playwright Marcelo Paiva. Paiva began writing his memoir ten years after his mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. The memoir tells the story of his family and the troubles they overcame in 1971 during Brazil’s military dictatorship. His father, the engineer and political figure Ruebens Paiva (played by Selton Mello), was taken by the military, never to be seen again. This emotional movie follows the family and the way they overcome their hardships, primarily focusing on Fernanda Torres’ role as an activist and resistant mother.

“I think she’s an excellent actress with lots of experience, since she comes from a family of renowned actors. This movie is also very important because it brings some recognition to the horrible years of the military dictatorship in Brazil, which I hope does a good job of representing how difficult it was for their family and for the rest of Brazil,” Sandro Albert, a Brazilian who experienced the final years of the dictatorship, said.

The history Torres made has become an extremely emotional moment for Brazilians worldwide. With the roar of support she received from her fellow cast mates, she has also received an overwhelming amount of love from fans. 

“There was noise in the street, people flashing the windows, screaming in their apartments, like the World Cup. The mayor called me talking about a firetruck to receive me at the airport,” Torres commented on IndieWire.com after her win.

However, these celebrations were not new; Torres has had her country’s support ever since her nomination was first announced.

“As a Brazilian, we defend ‘our own’ a lot, so seeing her be nominated and win was magnificent. This victory also brings more acknowledgement of international actors, who are generally ignored during award ceremonies, ” Thayana Costa, one of Torres’ many Brazilian supporters, said. 

Aside from all the support in the world, one significant response stood out–her mother’s. The same woman who had represented their country 26 years prior had been anticipating this ever since her daughter began acting. 

“A ‘Nanda é uma mulher de imenso talento, e digo mais ela será um talento no que ela quiser fazer da vida.”/ “‘Nanda is a woman of immense talent, and she would be a talent in whatever she wants to do with her life,” Montenegro shared with G1 Globo, beaming with pride following her daughter’s win.

Torres continues to bring pride to her country as it has been recently announced that she is now nominated for the Oscar’s “Best Actress” award, along with “Ainda Estou Aqui” being nominated for “Best Picture” and “Best International Feature Film.”

“I know we [Brazil] have great and extremely qualified actors, so I’d love to see them more in the media,” Costa said.