When I’m Still Here was announced as one of the 10 Best Picture Oscar nominees, its co-producer Maria Carlota Bruno described the experience as “surreal.” Not only was it her first Academy Award nomination, which she shares with producer Rodrigo Teixeira, but it was also the first time a fully Brazilian-made film had been selected for the academy’s top honor.

“While we knew the film had strong international reception, seeing it recognized among the Best Picture nominees was beyond anything we had imagined,” Bruno told Yahoo Entertainment. “It took a few days for the news to truly sink in, and even now, it still feels extraordinary.”

The film, which is playing in theaters nationwide, also garnered nominations for Best International Feature and Best Actress for its star, Fernanda Torres.

I’m Still Here tells the true story of Eunice Paiva (played by Torres), a mother of five whose husband disappears under mysterious circumstances during Brazil’s military dictatorship in the early 1970s. The film is based on the memoir of Eunice’s son, Marcelo Rubens Paiva, titled Ainda Estou Aqui (I’m Still Here).

“At its core, this film is about family,” Bruno said, “one of the most universal and timeless symbols we all relate to.”

She credits the “hard work and dedication” of her entire team, but she also singles out its Brazilian director, Walter Salles.

“I have been working with Walter for 35 years, and through all the films and experiences we’ve shared over these three decades, one defining trait has remained constant,” she said. “He is a meticulous creator.”

The director, who also helmed the Oscar-nominated film Central Station (1998), has had the unique opportunity to direct the only two Brazilian Best Actress Oscar nominees — Torres, who won the Golden Globe in January for her performance, and Fernanda Montenegro, who starred in Central Station and is Torres’s mother. Montenegro also plays Eunice as an older woman in I’m Still Here.

“Beyond [Salles’s] deep knowledge of cinematography,” Bruno said, “he is profoundly sensitive, working with actors on a deeply personal level — always gentle, always close.”

Salles told the Hollywood Reporter that he is “always drawn to stories where the journey of the character and the journey of the country somehow mingle.”

To evoke a standout performance from Torres, Bruno said, “Walter conducted Fernanda’s interpretation to a deep restraint, marking the character Eunice Paiva with complexity, endurance and hope.”

“[Eunice] starts the movie like a housewife, serving coffee and taking care of children,” Salles told the Hollywood Reporter. “And suddenly, as the film develops, she becomes Achilles, she becomes Odysseus, she becomes the one in charge of the Trojan War.”

Calling the nomination a “historic milestone for Brazil,” Bruno said, “I am honored to be part of it. I am grateful for the opportunity to share our story with audiences around the world. This nomination is not just a recognition of our film — it is a celebration of Brazilian cinema and culture.”