The home of Brazilian cinema in Gramado. That is the Cine Embaixador, which is now called the Palace of Festivals, for hosting for 45 years one of the biggest cinema events in Brazil and Latin America. It is four decades of tradition preserving the seventh art and putting Gramado in the cultural map of Brazil and Latin America.

With details in wood, including the Kikito, the façade of the Festivals Palace is in masonry and colonial style. The Cine Ambassador has the capacity to receive 1,100 people and has a weekly film program. It serves as a box office for shows such as Natal Luz and Korvatunturi, and attractions such as Snowland. Because of its excellent location and comfortable structure, it also usually hosts private events (usually lectures).

In August all attention turns to the Palácio dos Festivais for the Film Festival. A red carpet is rolled out all the way down the Covered Street to the entrance of the Festivals Palace. Short, medium and feature films are screened by the technical jury and also by the general public, which usually fills the movie theater to check out the films in competition, but also to see the celebrities up close – a Gramado Film Festival tradition. The winners are given the Kikito, a trophy that represents the “God of Good Humor” and was created by artisan Elizabeth Rosenfeld.

For those who appreciate history, culture, and cinema, you must not miss the newest attraction next to the Palácio dos Festivais. The Film Festival Museum is on the upper floor of the building, and presents a modern structure that tells the story of this great event. A cafeteria overlooking Borges de Medeiros Avenue is another attraction worth visiting.

Besides working as the central box office of Natal Luz, the Festivals Palace hosts one of the most awaited attractions of the event: the lighting show, when thousands of lights are lit in the city center. The spectacle takes place at 9 PM and is always eagerly awaited by the public, who take over Borges de Medeiros Avenue to follow the theatrical staging that takes place in the Festivals Palace.

In front of the Palácio dos Festivais the Path of Stars was created, alluding to the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. On the Way of the Stars are engraved the hands of some Brazilian artists (and some personalities who are not artists!). In a short walk along the sidewalk in front of the movie theater it is possible to see these records.