Paris-based sales agents Premium Films and MPM Premium have acquired international sales rights to "The Riverbank" ("A Margem do Rio"), the feature debut of Brazilian directors Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho. The atmospheric erotic thriller will world premiere in the international competition at the Locarno Film Festival, marking a notable follow-up for Recife's film scene after Kleber Mendonça Filho's Oscar-nominated "The Secret Agent" brought international attention to the city.

Set in Recife, the film follows a young cleaner, Izaquiel, whose search for intimacy draws him to a fisherman, Jeremias, before a spiral of violence pushes them into the mangroves where power structures and myth collide. It features several cast members from "The Secret Agent," including Robério Diógenes, Rubens Santos and Carlos Francisco, and comes five years after Farias and Carvalho's short "Inabitável" screened at Sundance. Locarno runs from 5-15 August 2026, and Premium Films executive Jean-Charles Mille praised the film's blend of desire, danger and class politics, calling it a bold work of auteur cinema likely to appeal beyond genre or queer cinema audiences.