Dolores

In the verge of turning 65, Dolores has a premonition: her life is about to change. She will own a successful casino. But her past gambling addiction might play against her. Deborah, her only daughter, is waiting for her boyfriend to be released from prison so they can start a new life, while Duda, Dolores’s granddaughter, hangs on to an opportunity to work in the United States. The three women go after their dreams of a better life, betting in all or nothing.

Maria Clara Escobar is a director, screenwriter and poet. She directed and wrote Desterro (2020), which premiered in the Tiger Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. It was named one of the six must-see films by The New York Times upon its Netflix release. She also directed and wrote the documentary The Days with Him (2014), which won Best Film at DocLisboa among others and the hybrid Gil, Let’s Explode São Paulo (2025), which won Best Direction and Best Performance at Olhar de Cinema in Brazil. She has also made short films, including Onde Habito, produced by Sesc ConVida, Passeio de Família, Porta Curtas Award, and Domingo, selected for the San Sebastian Festival’s school cycle. She co-wrote films like Serra das Almas, directed by Lírio Ferreira (2024), Yesterday There Were Strange Things in the Sky (2020) and Found Memories (2005), by Julia Murat, among others.

Marcelo Gomes’s feature debut, Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (2005), premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, where it won the French Ministry of Education Award. Since then, his work has screened at major festivals such as Venice, Toronto, San Sebastián and Berlin. Known for his intimate storytelling and distinct visual style, Gomes explores Brazil’s social and cultural landscapes with depth and originality. His latest film, Portrait of a Certain Orient (2024), premiered globally in the Big Screen Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.