Lusophone Connection: Talent Press Rio Turns Three

The most recent addition to the Talents International family, Talent Press Rio supports Portuguese-speaking film critics, creates stronger ties between Lusophone countries and fosters broader cross-cultural exchange.

This year, six writers from Brazil, Mozambique and Portugal were selected to participate: Álvaro André Zeini Cruz (Brazil), Juliana Costa (Brazil), Leonel Matusse Jr. (Mozambique), Mariana Souza (Brazil), Ricardo Lisboa (Portugal), and Susy Freitas (Brazil). Explore their profiles here.

The six participants covered events at the Festival do Rio, one of the biggest film festivals in Latin America, where they took in the latest in cutting-edge cinema, met international filmmakers and honed their writing under the guidance of respected critics.

Run by Pedro Butcher (Valor Econômico) together with mentors José Miguel Oliveira (O Público) and Amanda Aouad (CinePipocaCult), the programme included editorial meetings, talks with filmmakers, screenings, a public panel on the history of the online magazine Contracampo, and a master class with Olivier Assayas. Participants wrote several short reports and longer essays, which were published on the Talent Press website along with the websites of our partners.

Talent Press Rio was organised in partnership with the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, the Goethe-Institut Brazil, FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Critics), and for the first time this year, the Brazilian Association of Film Critics (Abraccine).

Want to find out more? Learn about the mentors’ and participants’ backgrounds in this FIPRESCI article.