The 14 films that received the highest votes from the public after the first week of the Mostra are then passed on to the jury to choose the winner of the festival's top prize, the Bandeira Paulista. Juror Bahman Gohbadi expressed concerns about this rather unorthodox system at a press conference on Saturday, claiming that audience votes are problematic, and I tend to agree with him -- films that please the largest amount of people tend to be bland. Another interesting criterion for the jury is that only new directors (having made up to two features) are considered, forcing celebrity directors like Pedro Almodóvar and Ken Loach to make way for new blood. In any case, the audiences have made some surprising selections for the 14 eligible films:

Äideistä Parhain (Mother of Mine), Finland, directed by Klaus Härö
Amu, U.S./India, directed by Shonali Bose
Anche Libero va Bene, Italy, directed by Kim Rossi Stuart
Aupa Etxebeste!, Spain, directed by Asier Altuna and Telmo Esnal
El Violin, Mexico, directed by Francisco Vargas
Hadvarim Shemehahorei Hashemesh (Things Behind the Sun), Israel, directed by Yuval Shafferman
Noel - Poeta da Vida, Brazil, directed by Ricardo van Steen
Nuit Noire, France, directed by Alain Tasma
O Ano Em Que Meus Pais Saíram De Férias, Brazil, directed by Cao Hamburger
O Cheiro do Ralo (Drained), Brazil, directed by Heitor Dhalia
Omaret Yacoubian (The Yacoubian Building), Egypt, directed by Marwan Hamed
Os 12 Trabalhos, Brazil, directed by Ricardo Elias
Que Tan Lejos, Ecuador, directed by Tania Hermida
Shortbus, U.S., directed by John Cameron Mitchell

A few films may change depending on voting in the second week, but this is more or less the roster. Critics are also free to choose (independently from audience selections) their own favorites of the festival. If the finalists for the jury were up to me, I'd switch Karim Aïnouz's O Céu de Suely with The Yacoubian Building in a heartbeat!

Speaking of festival favorites, my highlights of the first week have been (in no particular order): Nuovomondo, Offside, Hamaca Paraguaya, Pan's Labyrinth, Half Nelson, Be With Me, I Don't Want to Sleep Alone, and O Céu de Suely.