The 2009 Festival do Rio was not just a film festival in the strict sense of the word. In addition to the crowded screenings, the competitive and the non-competitive, the frenzy around a particular film, and interviews with directors, producers, actors and sales agents who came from around the world, the festival reached its 11th edition by leaving another somewhat atypical trademark, but one of great importance: the celebration of life.

So it was, for example, every night at the door of the majestic Odeon cinema at the legendary Cinelândia district - which as its name implies, was once a stronghold of cinemas in years gone by. People of all colours and backgrounds gathered at the door of the cinema in advance for two weeks and turned that space into a truly democratic stage for the disputed views of Brazilian films which were the main competitors of the Premiere Brazil.

Of course for me, a typical carioca, it’s possible that all of this celebration could not have had the same impact experienced by my dear fellow Nisimazians, who came from distant countries of Europe and other neighbouring countries in Latin America. But in fact I, like them, saw everything with curiosity, joy and surprise. This is the spirit and legacy of the Festival do Rio 2009, the joy of being a moviegoer in a city that, even with all its problems, is an oasis for the celebration of life, beauty and film. So what will the Festival do Rio 2010 bring?

Sabrina Fidalgo