The AHRC international research network Soft Power, Cinema and the BRICS will hold a seminar and workshop in São Paulo 27-28 October 2016. The event will bring together academics, film festival curators, industry officials, filmmakers and journalists from Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa, with a view to understanding and comparing how the so-called BRICS emerging powers adopt, adapt or culturally reinvent and locate soft power to conduct their strategic ambitions, with a focus on the film industry.
The seminar “Cinema, Soft Power e os BRICS“ will take place at the Caixa Belas Artes on Thursday 27th October. The opening panel will include representatives of SPCine, the Brazilian National Cinema Agency (ANCINE), Apex-Brazil and the Sao Paulo International Film Festival, as well as seminar co-organisers Stephanie Dennison, Professor of Brazilian Studies at the University of Leeds (UK) and Director of the network Soft Power, Cinema and the BRICS and Alessandra Meleiro (CEO of Cultural Initiative Institute, Sao Paulo)
Panels focusing on Chinese and Russian film, and Indian and South African film, will continue throughout the day.
These panels will include the following participants:
Vitcheslav Telnov (Film Division, Russian Ministry of Culture) (TBC)
Adwoa Ankoma (National Film and Video Foundation, South Africa)
Sidharth Bhatia, Mumbai-based journalist and film critic
Representative of China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC) (TBC)
Anamaria Boschi (Director of Brazil-China Film Festival)
Alessandra Brites (Russian film programmer)
As well as film producers based in Brazil, staff of SPCine and academics from the University of Leeds and SOAS, London (UK)
The event is open to the public and Portuguese-English interpretation will be provided.
On the morning of Friday 28 October seminar participants will have the opportunity to meet and network with Brazil-based filmmakers, funders and curators. This will be followed by a round-table discussion to be held in the Boardroom of the British Council Sao Paulo 2-5pm. The focus of the Round-table discussion (in English) is “Imagining the BRICS”: Case Study Brazil”.
Confirmed round-table participants:
Stephanie Dennison, Professor of Brazilian Studies athe University of Leeds (UK) and Director of the network Soft Power, Cinema and the BRICS
Alessandra Meleiro (CEO of Cultural Initiative Institute, Sao Paulo)
Rachel Dwyer, Professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema and Co-Director of the network
Paul Cooke, Chair of World Cinemas (Leeds) and expert in soft power and South African cinema
Vlad Strukov, Associate Professor of Film and Digital Culture and expert in Russian geo-politics
Sidharth Bhatia, Mumbai-based journalist and film critic
Debora Ivanov (Director of ANCINE, the Brazilian Cinema Agency)
Ciro Dias e Sergio Siscaro (Imagem Corporativa, Sao Paulo: PR Agency responsible for I See BRICS report)
Eric Klug (Deputy-Director of British Council, São Paulo)
Daniel Buarque (jornalist and blogger: Blog do Brasilianismo)
Mauricio Savarese (jornalist and blogger: “A Brazilian Operating in this Area”)
Florência Costa (jornalist and author of Os Indianos)
Friday’s events are by invitation only
The series of events are organised by the University of Leeds in partnership with the Cultural Initiative Institute, SPCine, the British Council (Brazil) and the Sao Paulo International Film Festival (São Paulo, Brazil). The festival will run a BRICS-themed strand as part of this year’s activities.
