18/10/2025
It’s not over until its over, and Festival do Rio l Rio de Janeiro Int'l Film Festival has joined forces with Rio's Secretariy of Culture, RioFilme, and Rio State Representative Dani Balbi to bring Spike Lee back to Rio to present his latest feature film, “Highest 2 Lowest,” which premiered out of competition at this year’s Festival de Cannes and stars Denzel Washington.
The film will have special free screenings on Sunday, October 19 in Botafogo at 16.00 at Cinesystem Belas Artes and at 19.00 at Estação NET Rio. Admission is free and tickets are available on the Sympla online platform from noon on Saturday (18). An Apple Original film, this is a rare chance to see “Highest 2 Lowest” on the big screen.
Lee’s visit to Rio will also be marked by a tribute proposed by Deputada Estadual Dani Balbi, where Lee will receive the title of honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro. ”Welcoming him here, in Rio de Janeiro, is to recognise that the struggles fought in Brooklyn are deeply connected to the struggles faced in the favelas of Rio. Lee has always seen Brazil — and especially Rio — as a territory of black resistance,” writes Balbi on her official website. “He visited our communities, filmed with us, and valued the leading role played by black Brazilian artists and creators who, like him, break down barriers and rebuild imaginaries. When I proposed the Title of Citizen of Rio de Janeiro, I wanted to recognise not only the artist, but also the man who makes his work a mirror of our pains and a horizon of our possibilities. Spike Lee teaches us that telling our stories with truth, dignity and beauty is also a way of doing justice.”
