It's All True – International Documentary Film Festival

In 1995, the Brazilian film critic Amir Labaki had the idea of creating a film festival in Brazil dedicated exclusively to nonfiction narratives, until then a type of event that did not exist in the country.

To immediately establish itself as part of the Brazilian cultural scene, the event organization decided to hold the festival simultaneously in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the most important cities in the country. The festival name was inspired in the unfinished Orson Welles feature film "It's All True".{{cite book |date=2007 |title=It's All True: Orson Welles's Pan-American Odyssey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t7EwDwAAQBAJ&dq=It%27s+All+True+%E2%80%93+International+Documentary+Film+Festival+Rio+de+Janeiro+Sao+Paulo&pg=PA2 |publisher=University of California Press |pages= 1, 2 |isbn=978-0520242487}}

In the following year, in April 1996, the first edition was organized with 29 short and feature length documentaries screened over 10 days. In Rio, it started on April 12{{cite web|url=http://memoria.bn.br/pdf/030015/per030015_1996_00004.pdf|title=Documentários no CCBB|website=Jornal do Brasil|date=12 April 1996|access-date=26 May 2020 |pages=45, 52 |language=pt |trans-title=Documentaries at CCBB}} and in São Paulo began at April 16.

This first edition was non-competitive, including 12 Brazilian and 10 international productions launched between 1994 and 1996, as well as a retrospective with 7 films directed by the cuban filmmaker Santiago Álvarez. Some of the international entries for the festival were "Jaime de Nevares, último viaje", by Marcelo Céspedes and Carmen Guarini, and opening screening in Rio; "Carl Th. Dreyer: My Metier", by Torben Skjødt Jensen, and opening screening in São Paulo; "The Typewriter, the Rifle & the Movie Camera", by Adam Simon; "The House on Arbat Street", by Marina Goldovskaya; "Lumière et compagnie", by Sarah Moon; "Po zwycięstwie ", by Marcel Łoziński; and "The Murmuring", by Byun Young-joo. Among the Brazilian documentary films shown during the festival were "Carmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business", by Helena Solberg; "Two Billion Hearts", by Murillo Salles; and "Yndio do Brasil", by Sylvio Back.{{cite web|url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/1996/2/24/ilustrada/19.html|title=Festival internacional abre inscrições |website=Folha de S.Paulo|date=24 February 1996|access-date=26 May 2020 |language=pt |trans-title=International film festival opens submissions}}

From the second edition in April 1997, It's All True became a competitive film festival.{{cite web|url=http://etudoverdade.com.br/en/edicao/1997|title=It's All True - Edition 1997|website=É Tudo Verdade / It's All True |access-date= 26 May 2020 |language=pt}}{{cite web|url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/1997/2/26/ilustrada/13.html|title=Cineasta Marcel Ophuls vem ao Brasil|website=Folha de S.Paulo|date=26 February 1997|access-date=26 May 2020 |language=pt |trans-title=Filmmaker Marcel Ophuls comes to Brazil}}{{cite web|url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/1997/4/06/brasil/6.html|title='A Dor e a Compaixão' abre ciclo de Ophuls|website=Folha de S.Paulo|date=8 April 1997|access-date=26 May 2020 |language=pt |trans-title='The Sorrow and the Pity' opens Marcel Ophuls cycle}} In the early years several well-known international guests such as Marcel Ophuls, Kevin Macdonald,{{cite web|url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/acontece/ac01049808.htm|title=Debate discute o cinema documental |website=Folha de S.Paulo|date=1 April 1998|access-date=26 May 2020 |language=pt |trans-title=Debate discusses documentary film}} Johan van der Keuken,{{cite web|url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/ilustrad/fq27039903.htm|title=Documentarista mostra que nem tudo é verdade|website=Folha de S.Paulo|date=27 March 1999|access-date=26 May 2020 |language=pt |trans-title=Documentary filmmaker shows that not everything is true}} and Trinh T. Minh-ha{{cite web|url=http://etudoverdade.com.br/en/edicao/2003|title=It's All True - Edition 2003 |website=É Tudo Verdade / It's All True |access-date= 26 May 2020 |language=pt}} attended the event.

Since 2015, the winners of both Brazilian and International Short Film Competitions are automatically qualified to be considered by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in Hollywood to compete for the Oscar for Best Documentary (Short Subject), the first and sole Latin American festival to be granted this status.

In the 25th edition in 2020, it was presented for the first time an online festival of non-fictional productions, with about 50 hours of Brazilian and International programming, in 30 different titles of feature films, shorts and series, streaming in partnership with the Itaú Cultural website, Spcine Play and Canal Brasil Play.{{cite web|url=http://etudoverdade.com.br/_pdf/_releases/58_en.pdf|title=It's All True - Edition 2020 (Press Release) |website=É Tudo Verdade / It's All True |date=2020|access-date= 26 May 2020 |language=pt}}{{cite web|url=http://etudoverdade.com.br/_pdf/_releases/56_en.pdf|title=It's All True - Edition 2020 (English Press Release) |website=É Tudo Verdade / It's All True |date=2020|access-date= 26 May 2020}}

The festival became competitive from the 2nd edition in 1997, with the International Competition and the Brazilian Competition for medium/feature-length documentaries.{{cite web|url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/ilustrad/fq080408.htm|title=Filme sobre a vida de Prestes abre "É Tudo Verdade" no Rio|website=Folha de S.Paulo|date=6 April 1997|access-date=26 May 2020 |language=pt |trans-title=A film about Luiz Carlos Prestes' life opens 'It's All True' in Rio}}

Currently, the awards given by the jury at the International Competition are: Best Feature or Medium-Length Documentary, Special Jury Award for a Feature or Medium-Length Film, Honorable Mention for a Feature or Medium-Length Documentary, Best Documentary Short-Film, and Honorable Mention for a Short-Film.{{cite web|url=http://etudoverdade.com.br/en/edicao/2019|title=It's All True - Edition 2019 |website=É Tudo Verdade / It's All True |access-date= 26 May 2020 |language=pt}}{{cite web|url=http://etudoverdade.com.br/_pdf/_releases/55_en.pdf|title=It's All Trueannounces the 2019 Festival winners (English Press Release) |website=É Tudo Verdade / It's All True |date=2019|access-date= 26 May 2020}}

There are also a Latin-American Competition (Best Documentary Feature Film and Honorable Mention), and plus exclusive awards for Brazilian films (Best Feature or Medium-Length Documentary, Honorable Mention for a Feature or Medium-Length Documentary and Best Documentary Short-Film).

• * Denotes first win
• ** Two winners at the same festival

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Category:Documentary film festivals

Category:Film festivals established in 1996

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