From a sunlit New York hotel room, Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres P’26 reflects on her latest film, I'm Still Here, which is garnering global acclaim and was selected as Brazil's International Feature Oscar submission. Her eyes light up as she describes not just the film's success, but its deeper resonance with audiences worldwide. "Art creates empathy," she says, "which is something that the world is lacking nowadays."

This ethos cuts to the heart of both Fernanda’s work and the transformative power of creative arts in bringing people together across cultural boundaries, and a value that she, as the parent of a current student (Antonio ‘26), shares with LAS.

A Legacy of Storytelling
Fernanda comes from a family steeped in Brazil's rich artistic tradition. Her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, known as the "first lady of Brazilian cinema," has been a towering figure in Brazilian arts for decades. Torres herself began acting at 13, eventually winning Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival at just 20 years old. But rather than rest on these early accolades, she has continued to evolve as an artist—acting, writing novels, crafting scripts, and performing a successful monologue that has run for two decades.

"When you work with your family," Fernanda explains, "you get to know them not only as a mother or father but as colleagues. It changes the relationship." This intersection of family and artistry reaches its apex in I'm Still Here, where Torres stars alongside her mother in a powerful story of resilience and renewal.

More Than a Period Piece
I'm Still Here tells the story of Eunice Paiva, a mother of five whose life is shattered when her husband, a congressman, is arrested and killed by Brazil's military dictatorship in 1971. But as Fernanda emphasizes, this isn't just a historical drama— it's a mirror reflecting contemporary challenges to democracy worldwide.

"It's a film about now," Fernanda insists. "The young people of today were born during a long democratic period in the world. So perhaps they think that democracy is the problem." The film explores how political repression affects not just its direct victims, but entire families and communities, forcing them to rebuild and reinvent themselves.

What makes the story particularly compelling is its departure from expected narratives. "This woman never cries in front of the children," Fernanda notes. "She lacks cliché." Instead, the film shows how each family member must process their loss in their own time and way—a nuanced portrayal of grief and resilience that resonates across cultural boundaries.

Bridging Generations Through Art
Just as the film bridges the past and present, Fernanda sees the creative arts as crucial in connecting generations and cultures. She observes this through her own son's experience at LAS, where exposure to diverse perspectives has enriched his understanding of the world. "Before his experience at LAS, I don’t know if Antonio would have known art, were it not for our family working in the industry,” she reflects.

This observation highlights a crucial challenge in our digital age: how to nurture cultural awareness and empathy when algorithms tend to reinforce existing viewpoints rather than challenge them. It's a challenge that artists like Fernanda and educational institutions like LAS are uniquely positioned to address.

The Power of Projection
Fernanda believes in art's unique ability to foster understanding through what she calls projection—the capacity to imagine oneself in another person's situation. "You can teach a child about a period of history," she explains, "but it's never as complete as when they imagine a projection of themself and think, 'If I was this person...'"

This power of projection is what makes creative arts such a vital force in bringing people together. Whether through film, theater, music, or visual arts, creative expression allows us to step outside ourselves and experience the world through different eyes. It's a principle that resonates deeply with the LAS mission of fostering global citizenship and cross-cultural understanding through education and the arts.

As I'm Still Here continues to gather acclaim on the international stage, it stands as a testament to art's ability to transcend borders and connect hearts. In an increasingly fractured world, stories like these remind us that through creative expression, we can find common ground and mutual understanding—one story, one performance, one shared experience at a time.

Follow Fernanda on Instagram: @oficialfernandatorres
Watch the trailer for I’m Still Here on Youtube

 

 

Read the full Panorama here