DILI, 30 July 2025 (TATOLI) – The second edition of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) Film Festival was held yesterday at the Jorge Sampaio Cultural Center, within the Portuguese Embassy in Dili. The event fostered cultural dialogue among Lusophone nations.
The Portuguese Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Manuela Bairos, highlighted that the festival aims to bring cultures closer together and offer a platform for emerging filmmakers from CPLP member states – including future creators from Timor-Leste. The initiative forms part of the celebrations for CPLP Day, observed annually on July 17.
A featured screening at this year’s festival was the documentary “Edifício Master” by Brazilian filmmaker Eduardo Coutinho, which portrays life inside a residential building in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro. The film brings forward themes of emotional solitude and the complexity of human relationships in urban spaces.
Ambassador Bairos underscored cinema’s power to reflect the cultural diversity of CPLP, describing the festival as a meaningful cultural contribution among Lusophone nations.
“We wish to make our cultural contribution and show that high-quality cinema exists in Portuguese,” Bairos told TATOLI.
She also encouraged Timorese youth to produce documentaries using simple tools and local stories. The selected film aims to inspire young Timorese filmmakers by showing that compelling stories can be created simply – by picking up a camera, visiting neighborhoods, and speaking with locals. Timor-Leste holds significant potential for creative approaches like this.
The Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice, Virgílio Guterres, praised the documentary for its strong social relevance and connection to Timorese realities.
“I imagined what it would be like to have a building like that in Dili, serving as a symbolic and physical space of emotional support for those living in solitude or experiencing discrimination, since we currently lack such spaces,” he said.
Guterres emphasized that Timor-Leste faces numerous cases of vulnerable minors becoming pregnant. Stories like these must be documented to amplify the voices of those affected. In the documentary, a 14-year-old girl already has a child – this mirrors the reality here in Timor.
The festival will continue throughout the week with short films from Angola and is expected to become an annual event, according to the Portuguese Embassy.
Jornalista: Arminda Fonseca
Editora: Maria Auxiliadora
Translation: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
