João Pedro Rodrigues, Mentor of the Writing Residency at the Third Edition of VENTURA

The acclaimed Portuguese filmmaker João Pedro Rodrigues will be the guest mentor for the intensive writing residency, guiding the selected projects as part of the comprehensive program offered by VENTURA, which in this edition will focus exclusively on Galician authorship and production.

Rodrigues’s body of work —including O Fantasma (2000), Odete (2005), Morrer Como um Homem (2009), O Ornitólogo (2016), and more recently Fogo-Fátuo (2022)— has received more than a hundred awards and nominations at festivals worldwide, among them Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno. His extensive filmography reflects a profound knowledge of the history of cinema across all genres and periods—from classical to experimental, including documentary—distinguished by a constant exploration of the human condition and of desire in all its manifestations.

With this invitation, the Cultural Association Enfoques—organizers of the Play-Doc film festival and of VENTURA—continues its commitment to unconventional mentorship, seeking to foster and strengthen new, genuine, and singular voices.

The residency will take place in a rural house, an ideal environment for creative work in full harmony with nature, and will be complemented by a series of online professional training sessions with international experts in financing, distribution, audience design, markets and festivals, co-production, sustainability, marketing, and digitalization, among other areas. The program will conclude with an international co-production forum including professional meetings, pitching sessions, and one-on-one encounters. All participating projects will be eligible for a cash prize as well as a series of service awards.

VENTURA aims not only to promote creative talent in Galician audiovisual production but also to equip participants with the tools and skills necessary to carry out their projects competitively, to communicate and defend them effectively, to secure the necessary financing, to broaden their potential audiences, and to navigate the international landscape of markets, forums, and festivals while creating, strengthening, and expanding key professional networks. In doing so, VENTURA seeks to build and nurture an international community of audiovisual professionals based in Galicia.

Projects of Galician authorship may apply to participate in the program, regardless of the stage they are in—development, production, or post-production—without restrictions on length, format, or cinematic genre. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2024.

Full information, participation guidelines, and the application form are available at www.ventura.gal.

VENTURA is made possible with the support of the Axencia Galega das Industrias Culturais (AGADIC) and the Concello de Tui.

JPR by Diego Sanchez