Cinema has a long tradition in Brazil , reaching back to the birth of the medium in the late 19th century , and gained a new level of international acclaim in recent years . The documentary film '' Bus 174 '' ( 2002 ) , by José Padilha , about a bus hijacking , is the highest rated foreign film at Rotten Tomatoes . '' O Pagador de Promessas '' ( 1962 ) , directed by Anselmo Duarte , won the Palme d'Or at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival , the only Brazilian film to date to win the award . Fernando Meirelles ' '' City of God '' ( 2002 ) , is the highest rated Brazilian film on the IMDb Top 250 list and was selected by Time magazine as one of the 100 best films of all-time in 2005 . The highest-grossing film in Brazilian cinema , taking 12 million viewers to cinemas , is '' Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands '' ( 1976 ) , directed by Bruno Barreto and basead on the novel of the same name by Jorge Amado . Acclaimed Brazilian filmmakers include Glauber Rocha , Fernando Meirelles , José Padilha , Anselmo Duarte , Walter Salles , Eduardo Coutinho and Alberto Cavalcanti
1962 Cannes Film Festival
1962 Cannes Film Festival
Culture of Brazil