Latin America’s biggest film festival is about to begin! From October 2 to 12, the Rio Film Festival 2025 is taking over different venues in the city, with film screenings, debates, seminars and many attractions. But it also has a wide-ranging free program and screenings at popular prices, with the aim of democratizing access to the seventh art. Find out where to watch the free films at the Rio Film Festival 2025!
Cinema Circulation tours Rio’s neighborhoods with award-winning Brazilian films – for free!
One of the projects that is part of the Rio Festival’s free program is Cinema Circulação, which takes award-winning Brazilian productions to different venues in the city.
This year, the initiative features 14 films, bringing together recent titles, productions from previous editions and feature films awarded the Redeemer Trophy at Première Brasil.
Works such as O Auto da Compadecida 2; Vitória (2025); and Kasa Branca (2024) are on this year’s Cinema Circulation program.
In addition, the selection also includes titles aimed at young audiences and children, such as Chico Bento e a Goiabeira Maraviosa, and Tainá: Uma Aventura na Amazônia (2000), winner of the audience award 25 years ago at the Rio Film Festival.
The Cinema Circulation screenings will take place at CineCarioca Penha, CineCarioca Nova Brasília and Parque Realengo Susana Naspolini.
The program features direct meetings with audiences and filmmakers after the screenings
Another program that is also part of the Rio 2025 Festival is Première Brasil Debates. The project promotes direct meetings between the audience and the filmmakers after the screenings. In other words, it’s a really cool opportunity to get to know the production behind the scenes!
The screenings take place at Cine Odeon, in downtown Rio, always the day after the galas held at Estação NET Gávea. For these screenings, the festival offers a quota of 150 free tickets and other tickets at popular prices.
In addition, at Estação NET Rio, the titles presented in the Première Brasil: Novos Rumos and Première Brasil: O Estado das Coisas shows will be screened, including a special edition dedicated to films with relevant social themes linked to the COP30 – Possible Futures special initiative.
To book your free ticket for the screenings at the Cine Odeon and also keep up to date with the entire free program of the Rio 2025 Festival, just go to the event’s official website!