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EVENTS Portugal

Guiões: Plugging the gaps in the supply of scriptwriters

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- The second edition of the Guiões scriptwriting event is targeting scriptwriters from the Portuguese-speaking world

Guiões: Plugging the gaps in the supply of scriptwriters

Guiões, an international event focusing on scripts written in Portuguese (including the language’s European, Brazilian and African variations), is currently preparing its second edition, which will be held on 21 November in the city of São João da Madeira.

Organised by Squatter Factory, Guiões aims to plug the gap in the supply of scriptwriters in the Portuguese film industry, while keeping an eye on the broader Portuguese-speaking domain. “It is difficult for Portuguese-speaking scriptwriters to reach the rest of the industry,” Luís Campos explains to Cineuropa. He himself is an author, too: he co-wrote Telmo Martins’ directorial debut, Um Funeral à Chuva (2010). “On the other hand,” he continues, “Portuguese producers and distributors often complain about the lack of quality material. Guiões intends to fill that gap and become the link between these two sides of the industry.”

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About 80% of the projects selected for the first edition came from Brazil, a proportion that the organisers intend to balance out in this second iteration of the event. The deadline for project submissions is 30 June, and scripts for feature films written in Portuguese by authors who are over 18 years of age can be registered through the FilmFreeway platform. Submission rates vary from €15 to €45, depending on the proximity of the deadline.

The ten selected projects will be assessed by a jury that includes documentary director Jorge Pelicano (Suddenly My Thoughts Halt – read more), actor-director Pedro Varela (who also co-wrote the script for the remake of The Courtyard of the Ballads, due to be released imminently – read more), director João Leitão, Brazilian scriptwriter Lusa Silvestre, Angolan musician Kalaf Epalanga and Portuguese TV host Fernando Alvim. Afterwards, three winners will attend the event’s main ceremony on 21 November, a blend of master class and networking event that will gather together winners and film professionals.

In parallel with Guiões, Squatter Factory is also currently laying the foundations for a script-lab event named Plot, designed for international (non-Portuguese-speaking) participants.

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