Brazil's National Cinema Agency (Ancine) granted on August 7 the Foreign Work Registration (ROE) for "Dark Horse," a fiction feature about former president Jair Bolsonaro starring American actor Jim Caviezel. The registration is a preliminary step toward a commercial release in Brazil, and it was obtained while the film's production company, Go Up Entertainment, remains the target of investigations.

According to Folha de S.Paulo, the film is expected to be released in Brazil under the title "O Azarão" ("The Underdog"), runs 1 hour and 40 minutes and has no set release date. To reach theaters, the work still needs a Title Registration Certificate (CRT), which proves the commercial exploitation rights in the country. Ancine says distributor Europa Filmes has not yet filed that request. After the certificate, the film will still need an age rating from the Ministry of Justice.

The registration request was filed in June. In the same period, the agency opened an administrative proceeding against Go Up Entertainment after a complaint that the production, spoken in English and directed and starred by Americans, was shot on Brazilian soil without prior notice to Ancine, as regulations require for foreign productions. If the irregularity is confirmed, the company can be fined R$ 2,000 to R$ 100,000. Last week, the Federal Police asked the agency for information about the case. According to Ancine, the producer had not submitted the documentation required for the shoots.

Financing under scrutiny

Also in June, Go Up was at the center of a Civil Police operation tied to an inquiry into whether a municipal contract was subject to irregularities and diversions and whether the funds ended up with the film's crew, Folha reported. In July, the Supreme Federal Court (STF) authorized an inquiry into transfers made to the production by businessman Daniel Vorcaro, former controller of Banco Master, according to G1. The investigation seeks to verify whether the money was actually used to finance the film.

The financing probe stems from messages and audio recordings published by The Intercept Brasil indicating that Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president's son and the Liberal Party (PL) presidential pre-candidate, asked Vorcaro for money to fund the production. The amount initially mentioned in the negotiations reached US$ 24 million (about R$ 134 million), but how much was actually transferred remains under investigation.

According to Ancine, registration procedures take up to 30 days to complete when there are no pending requirements. The film can only be released commercially after all stages are fulfilled.