25 years after Fernanda Montenegro was nominated for an Oscar for Central Station, her daughter, Fernanda Torres, emerges as one of the favorites for the Best Actress award for I Am Still Here. Both shining under the direction of Walter Salles Jr., the DNA of talent remains, but the comparisons should stop there.

What is heard most at the moment is that “Fernanda will be able to ‘avenge’ Fernandona” because in 1999, even though she was among the favorites, the winner was Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love, whose victory – even at the time – was surrounded by controversy. The pressure from Harvey Weinstein, then a powerful producer at Miramax, still hangs over this award ceremony today. Did you feel a chill down your spine and your stomach turn when you heard his name? I bet you did.

Gwyneth was also emerging from the shadow of being called “Brad Pitt’s fiancée” or “Ben Affleck’s girlfriend,” establishing herself as the most popular actress in Hollywood. I won’t get into the sexism of this whole line of reasoning, because although Gwyneth has faced accusations of Weinstein’s influence on her victory since then, they divert the focus from the greatest merit: Fernanda Montenegro’s pioneering role in that Oscar.

I covered the entire awards ceremony and I have vivid memories of all the moments. In fact, although deserved, I never saw Fernandona’s real chance of winning the Oscar. At the time, xenophobia was almost open and only three foreign actresses had won in the category before her. So being among the five was already the prize. Furthermore, in my opinion, the favorite and deserving one in 1999 was the still-unknown Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth.

And do you know what was most offensive about that dreadful Oscar? That Roberto Begnini won Best Actor in the year that the recognition should have gone to Sir Ian McKellen or Edward Norton. Even more so, Life Is Beautiful – which made fun of the Holocaust – took the Oscar away from Central Station for Best Foreign Language Film. And having gotten that off my chest, I am still convinced that Fernanda Torres does not need to ‘avenge’ her mother because she is a giant in her own right. If she wins the Oscar, it will be another milestone in an excellent career, which reaffirms Brazilian talent in world cinema. I Am Still Here is a beautiful film and the actress is spectacular.

There is a little over a month left until the list of nominations for 2025 begins to be finalized and Fernanda is very well placed to be among the five finalists. In fact, it is unlikely that she will be left out because, unlike what her mother faced 25 years ago, Hollywood is now trying to have an image of being inclusive, attentive, liberal, and up-to-date. Everything is in Fernanda Torres’ favor, even more so than her direct “competition” because the other favorites already have Oscars at home – Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, and Tilda Swinton – so here Fernanda has the advantage of being new.

If it were up to her fellow countrymen, Fernanda Torres would already be home with the statuette. A post of a photo of her at the Academy reached two million likes in just 24 hours. Yes, this DOES help the campaign. Fernanda Torres can make history AGAIN. She is the only Brazilian actress to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival, when she was only 20 years old and was elected Best Actress at the festival in 1986, for Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar.

Fernanda Torres does not need to ‘avenge’ her mother, because she is a giant in her own right. If he wins the Oscar, it will be another milestone in an excellent career, which reaffirms Brazilian talent in world cinema.

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