The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) has chosen The Blue Trail (O Ăltimo Azul) by acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Gabriel Mascaro as the opening film of its 46th edition, taking place from November 12 to 21, 2025. Screened out of competition, the film will launch a festival that once again reaffirms its commitment to human stories, artistic freedom, and bold authorial voices.
In The Blue Trail, Mascaro tells the story of Tereza, a 77-year-old woman living in a small industrial town in the Amazon. Her quiet life is upended when she receives an official order to move into a government-run senior housing colonyâa secluded space where the elderly are sent to spend their remaining years while the younger generation dedicates itself to productivity and growth. Refusing to surrender to this imposed fate, Tereza sets out on a journey along the Amazon River to fulfill one last wish before her freedom is taken away. Her act of defiance becomes a poignant exploration of choice, dignity, and the meaning of independence.
Featuring Denise Weinberg, Rodrigo Santoro, Miriam SocorrĂĄs, and Adanilo, the film is a co-production between Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and the Netherlands. Shot in Portuguese, it runs 86 minutes and immerses viewers in the lush yet unsettling beauty of the Amazonâan environment that mirrors the tension between confinement and liberation.
Premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival, The Blue Trail won three major honors: the Silver Bear â Grand Jury Prize, the Ecumenical Jury Prize, and the Berliner Morgenpost Readersâ Jury Award. The filmâs warm reception in Berlin underscores Mascaroâs ability to weave deeply human stories through sharp social observation and visual lyricism.
Born in Recife in 1983, Gabriel Mascaro has become one of Brazilâs most distinctive cinematic voices. His 2015 film Neon Bull was named one of The New York Timesâ ten best films of the year, while Divine Love was featured in the Panorama section of the Berlinale. Known for his poetic realism and his exploration of Brazilâs social and spiritual contradictions, Mascaro continues to blur the lines between intimacy and politics, emotion and resistance.
By choosing The Blue Trail as its opening film, the Cairo International Film Festival celebrates a filmmaker whose work embodies both artistic sensitivity and a fearless engagement with contemporary realities.
Founded in 1976, the Cairo International Film Festival is the first international film festival in the Arab world and Africa, and remains the only one in the region accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). Classified as a Category âAâ festival, it is held annually under the patronage of Egyptâs Ministry of Culture.
NeĂŻla Driss
