Among them were Oscar wi nners Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, who served as hosts for a special reception and screening of director Marianna Brennand’s stirring narrative feature Manas.

Held inside the Ross House in Mt. Olympus, around 80 AMPAS voters and others guilds members were welcomed personally by Roberts and Penn — also a Manas EP — with emotional preamble to the film.

Penn talked about meeting Brennand for the first time at a Cannes Kering event last spring. “She’d won an Emerging Talent Award and gave a speech. I knew nothing about the film or about her. I just knew that the eloquence and the authenticity of this person … could make a great film,” said Penn. “After I saw it, I asked, ‘How can I help?’ It was just so perfect.”

Inspired by 10 years of research she conducted in remote reaches of the Amazon, Brennand’s Manas (“sisters” in Portuguese) tells the story of 13-year-old Marcielle.  The girl lives within an unimaginable cycle of sexual abuse both within her family and surrounding culture, one in which women and girls have been traditionally silenced for generations.

After the screening, Brennand and the lauded Brazilian actress Dira Paes (whose police officer character tries to save Marcielle from tormenters) shared stunning stories about the making the film.

“My main concern was this 13-year-old girl, protecting her psychological well-being and make sure that while we were making this film, which is so violent, that she would not actually live through the violence,” said Brennand.

Paes spoke passionately about the urgent need for resources in the harshly remote settings seen in the film — settings that help to foment these cycles of abuse. “We must teach children about protection and privacy,” she said. “In these remote spaces, it’s very difficult to give this kind of education. But there needs to to be some sense of belonging [for these girls].”

Manas has racked up notable accolades and support among industry heavyweights in the last year.

The film won the Best Director Award in Venice Days in 2024 and is one of numerous vying to represent Brazil at the 2026 Oscars.

Hoping to boost its chances in a crowded field is fellow Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles — whose I’m Still Here won the Best International Film Oscar last year. He is also serving as an EP alongside the Belgian directing-duo Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne. (The latter’s 2025 Cannes title,Young Mothers, is Belgium’s 2026 Osvcar submission and thus potential competitor to Manas.)

Brennand closed Saturday’s event with the heartening news that Manas is now screening in the very communities where the abuse and violence depicted onscreen are taking place.