Brazil rejoices over first Oscar win. 'I'm Still Here' house to be transformed into a film museum

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — When Spanish actress Penélope Cruz announced “I'm Still Here” as the winner of the international feature at the Academy Awards, millions of Brazilians roared at home and on the streets, where Carnival festivities have been ongoing since Saturday.

On Monday, as parties continued nationwide, many revelers took time to take a quick look at newspapers, peek on their social media and watch TV to rejoice even more for the country's first-ever Oscar victory. The film shows a family torn apart by the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil for more than two decades.

“I promised I would watch ‘ I’m Still Here ' again tonight if it won, right after I come back from a Carnival street party, wearing my Wonder Woman costume,” said Fernanda Rocha, 38, a pharmacist and tourist from Brasilia. “I live in a city where the military almost helped former President Jair Bolsonaro throw a coup just two years ago. This movie is a win against that too.”

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes announced an expensive way to celebrate. His administration will buy the house where the film was shot in the upscale region of Urca, currently priced at 20 million Brazilian reais ($3.35 million) so it can be transformed into a cinema museum.

“We will make it public and open it for visitation, the place that brought Brazil's first Oscar in almost 100 years of the awards,” Paes said in his social media channels.

Rio’s O Globo and O Estado de S. Paulo, two of Brazil's most popular newspapers, had almost identical headlines: “At last, Brazil has an Oscar win.” The South American country has had four other films nominated for Academy Awards: “Keeper of Promises” (1963), “O Quatrilho” (1996), “Four Days in September” (1998) and “Central Station” (1999).

Brazilian TV and social media repeatedly showed footage from the early hours of Monday, local time, with outbursts of joy across the nation and beyond, including at Rio's Sambadrome, a stadium where the glitzy Carnival parades take place every year, over the victory of the Walter Salles-directed film. And in Mexico, a TV broadcast team was seen dancing to celebrate the win.

The film's star, Fernanda Torres, was nominated for best actress. Her defeat to Anora's Mikey Madison disappointed many Brazilians. “I’m Still Here” was also a nominee for best picture, another first for a Brazilian film. Those losses did not dampen the celebration over the international film Academy Award.

“This was our first, we want to soon have two just like our friends and rivals from Argentina,” said Paulo Almeida, 30-year-old theater actor. “I am so very happy and hopeful that this will boost our movie industry for decades, just like it did for our neighbors.”

Argentina has won the international feature at the Oscars with “The Official Story” (1986) and “The Secret in Their Eyes” (2010).

Brazilian media reported that Torres was invited to the “Champions Parade” of Rio's Carnival, which will take place Saturday with the top six performers at the samba school league. She has yet to confirm but hope among fans is high.

“She is the movie. We need to celebrate her as much as we can,” said Vania Martins, a retired teacher. “Brazilian cinema deserved this win long ago. There's movies that were even better than ‘I’m Still Here' and didn't even get nominated. I hope that this win puts a spotlight on a country that does great, great things for art too.”

For more coverage of this year’s Academy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards

Revelers hold a banner that reads in Portuguese; "Life is worth it," in tribute to Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, who's competing for the best actress Oscar for her role in "I'm Still Here", at the "Cordao do Boitata" street pre-carnival party in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Walter Salles, winner of the award for "I'm Still Here" from Brazil, for best international feature film, poses in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Fernanda Torres, right, embraces Walter Salles after he wins the award for "I'm Still Here" from Brazil, for best international feature film during the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

People celebrate upon learning that Brazilian film "I'm Still Here" won the Oscar for best International Feature Film in Sao Paulo, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

NÜRBURG, Germany (AP) — Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen's chances of victory in his 24-hour racing debut at the famed Nürburgring track have been ended by an apparent mechanical issue with his car.

Verstappen had been leading Sunday morning by over half a minute, sharing a Mercedes AMG GT3 car with experienced sportscar racers Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella.

Juncadella had just taken over from Verstappen when he had to slow down with an issue affecting the rear-right of the car and lost the lead before pulling into the pit lane. The car had not returned from the garage after an hour.

Coming a week before F1 returns at the Canadian Grand Prix, the Nürburgring race was a “bucket list” project for Verstappen. He's a keen racing fan and has questioned his future in F1 this year because he's unhappy with the 2026 cars' reliance on electrical power.

Verstappen made an immediate impact in his first stint Saturday evening with a fast, aggressive style typical of his driving in F1, going from 10th to the lead with a series of overtakes. At one point, he lost grip over a bump and ran wide onto the grass, narrowly missing the barrier and he was later in a close battle for the lead overnight.

Verstappen was familiar with the Nürburgring after taking part in a series of shorter races in recent months to add to his years of virtual experience from realistic online simulator races.

It was still a challenge unlike anything in F1.

With 161 cars spread out along a 15.8-mile circuit, Verstappen had to weave past much slower cars and deal with constantly changing weather conditions on a hilly track where it can be raining hard at one point and dry at another.

It was also his first real test of night-time endurance racing without the huge floodlights that F1 uses to light up the track.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Max Verstappen stands in his pit before the start of a pit stop and observes the work during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

The pit crew works on Max Verstappen's Mercedes AMG GT3 car during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

Daniel Juncadella, right, helps his teammate Max Verstappen to get into the car during a pit stop the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

Max Verstappen, driving the Red Bull Mercedes AMG GT3, flashes his his headlights as he demands a clear path from a slower vehicle during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Saturday May 16, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)

The pit crew works on the leading Max Verstappen's Mercedes AMG GT3 car, right, as it completes a pit stop at the same time as the second-placed Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL with Germany's Maro Engel, Germany's Luca Stolz, Germany's Fabian Schiller and Germany's Maxime Martin, during the Nurburgring 24-hour auto race in Nurburg, Germany, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP)