Cabo Verde’s Minister of Culture and Creative Industries (MCIC) said today that the government wants to hear from filmmakers at the “Our Film, Our Voice” meeting, aiming to gather essential contributions and proposals to guide new strategies for the development of Cape Verdean cinema.
Augusto Veiga made this statement during the opening session of the event, which is taking place in Praia, and stressed that, more than “honoring” these young people who are making films around the world and also here in Cape Verde, the government wants to hear their proposals.
Augusto Veiga emphasized that the initiative was created to promote a “direct dialogue” between creators, the public, and authorities.
“We wanted to organize this open conversation precisely to discuss the situation of Cape Verdean cinema. We are here not only to open the meeting, but to attend the conversation, listen, take notes, and work together for the development of cinema in the country and in the diaspora,” he stated.
Asked about the next steps, the official highlighted that the Ministry of Culture’s action plan already includes increasing funding for cinema and strengthening international partnerships with Brazil, Portugal, Morocco, and Luxembourg, and is also seeking new partners, including Angola, within the framework of South-South cooperation.
“The training process is very important for us. We want to work with these thinking minds to define the future of the sector for the next five years,” he added.
Moderator of the conversation and also a filmmaker, Paulo Soulé reinforced, in an interview, that the event stems from the need to “bring to light” the work that many Cape Verdean creators have developed abroad and to bring this content closer to the local public.
According to Soulé, despite advances such as the creation of the National Cinema Center and the first Cinema Law, the country still has a long way to go.
“Better conditions already exist, but we still have a long way to go,” he said.
The filmmaker recalled that Cape Verde lost movie theaters such as the Eden Park in São Vicente and the Cinema da Praia.
“We lost the infrastructure and we also lost the culture of cinema. We are a people who have always had cinema in our DNA,” he said, highlighting that the event, with free admission, was designed to bring people together, raise challenges and reinforce the idea that it is possible to make a living from cinema, both in the country and abroad.
Soulé also argued that the sector has enormous potential for cultural, artistic and economic return.
“We want public and private institutions to see that investing in cinema brings returns. Cinema is one of the greatest tools to promote a country and shape the image it projects to the world,” he explained.
For the director, the construction of a true Cape Verdean film industry depends on training, encouraging creation and continuous funding policies.
The event brings together filmmakers from the country and the diaspora, including Samira Vera-Cruz, Nuno Boaventura Miranda, Denise Fernandes, Yuri Ceuninck, Cléo Diará, and Pedro Pinho, who are invited as speakers.
The program also includes the screening of three award-winning films: “Nha Mila” and the national premieres of “A Última Colheita” and “O Riso e a Faca,” the latter for audiences over 18 years of age.
“Nôs Filme, Nôs Voz” runs until Tuesday, the 2nd, and aims to establish itself as a space for “reflection and sharing” about contemporary Cape Verdean cinema, strengthening connections between creators and promoting new strategies for the sector.
Source: Inforpress
