Synopsis
An emotional journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.
Central Station (1998) is a 1h 51min drama feature film by Walter Salles. An emotional journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mot... Selected for Los Angeles Film Awards (2025).
Key facts
Cast
Fernanda Montenegro, Vinícius de Oliveira, Marília Pêra, Othon Bastos, Otávio Augusto, Matheus Nachtergaele, Caio Junqueira, Stela Freitas
Original language
Portuguese
First release
April 3, 1998 (Brazil)
Awards
Golden Bear, Golden Globe Award for Best Non-English Language Film, National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film, National Board of Review Award for Best Actress, Silver Bear for Best Actress, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Setting
Rio de Janeiro
Filming locations
Rio de Janeiro
Crew
Screenplay
João Emanuel Carneiro, Marcos Bernstein, Walter Salles
Producer
Arthur Cohn, Jack Gajos, Martine De Clermont-Tonnerre, Paulo Carlos De Brito, Walter Salles
Cinematography
Walter Carvalho
Editing
Felipe Lacerda, Isabelle Rathery
Music
Antonio Pinto, Jaques Morelenbaum
Trailer
Stills
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to write one.
Festival History
- Sydney Film Festival 2026 generic - The Tropical Trail
- Los Angeles Film Awards 2025
- Tokyo International Film Festival 2025 generic - World Focus
- Academy Awards 1999 academy_award
- Berlin International Film Festival 1998 generic
- Locarno International Film Festival 1998 generic
- Sundance Film Festival 1998 generic
Titles
| Original title | Central do Brasil | Portuguese |
| Translated title | Central Station | English, Québec |
| Québec French title | Gare centrale |
Soundtracks
| CD | Central Do Brasil (Trilha Sonora Do Filme) - Antonio Pinto, Jaques Morelenbaum (1998) | 4 releases, 1998-1999: Indie Records, Milan |
Releases & classifications
| Theatrical | Brazil | April 3, 1998 |
| Theatrical | United States | November 20, 1998 |
| Theatrical | France | December 2, 1998 |
| Theatrical | South Korea | February 27, 1999 |
| Theatrical | Netherlands | March 11, 1999 |
| Theatrical | Taiwan | March 13, 1999 |
| Theatrical | Czech Republic | May 13, 1999 |
| Theatrical | Portugal | May 14, 1999 |
| Television | Netherlands | March 1, 2003 |
| Theatrical | France | July 11, 2018 |
| Streaming | France | March 1, 2020 |
| Theatrical | Taiwan | September 11, 2020 |
| Streaming | France | May 15, 2021 |
| Streaming | Brazil | June 19, 2024 |
| Theatrical | Ireland | August 15, 2025 |
| Classification | Germany | 6 |
Versions & editions
| Original version (Portuguese) | ||
| Home video | France | November 5, 1999 |
| Home video | Netherlands | January 21, 2002 |
| Home video | Brazil | September 9, 2005 |
| Home video | France | April 12, 2019 |
Full credits
| Director | Walter Salles |
| Cast | Fernanda Montenegro (Isadora 'Dora' Teixeira), Vinícius de Oliveira (Josué Fontenele de Paiva), Marília Pêra (Irene), Othon Bastos (César), Otávio Augusto (Pedrão), Matheus Nachtergaele (Isaías Paiva), Caio Junqueira (Moisés Paiva), Stela Freitas (Yolanda), Maria Menezes (Waitress), Sergio Kato (Dora's Client), Soia Lira (Ana Fontenele), Rita Assemany (Jessé's Wife), Harildo Déda (Bené), Gildásio Leite (Man on the bus), Nanego Lira (Nordeste preacher), José Pereira da Silva (Dora's Client), Everaldo Pontes (Dora's Client), Inaldo Santana (Dora's Client), Gideon Rosa (Jessé), Antonieta Noronha (Violeta), Socorro Nobre (Dora's Client), Iami Rebouças (Woman in the photograph) |
| Screenplay | João Emanuel Carneiro, Marcos Bernstein, Walter Salles |
| Producer | Arthur Cohn, Jack Gajos, Martine De Clermont-Tonnerre, Paulo Carlos De Brito, Walter Salles |
| Executive producer | Donald Ranvaud, Elisa Tolomelli, Lillian Birnbaum, Thomas Garvin |
| Cinematography | Walter Carvalho |
| Editing | Felipe Lacerda, Isabelle Rathery |
| Music | Antonio Pinto, Jaques Morelenbaum |
| Production design | Carla Caffé, Cassio Amarante |
| Sound | François Groult, Jean-Claude Brisson, Mark A. Van Der Willigen |
| Costumes | Cristina Camargo |
Additional data: TMDB.
Source: Cinémathèque québécoise, linked catalogue data (CC BY 4.0)
