Recife, a bustling capital in the Northeast of Brazil, has recently been catapulted to global attention thanks to Kleber Mendonça Filho’s four-time Oscar-nominated “The Secret Agent.” The genrebending period drama makes Recife not only its setting but a main character in itself, with lauded actor Wagner Moura traversing the city’s sprawling streets and alleyways while trying to evade dangerous mafiosos. Now, a little over a month since Mendonça Filho’s Oscar foray, Recife is set to host yet another key film event: Projeto Paradiso’s Talent Network national meeting.
The biannual gathering celebrates the work of the renowned philanthropic initiative, led by the Olga Rabinovich Institute with the goal of supporting the Brazilian film sector through talent development, bursary programs, seminars and mentorship. This year’s meeting will take place in Recife between April 16-18, and feature key speakers including the city’s very own Mendonça Filho alongside his producing partner Emilie Lesclaux to talk about “The Secret Agent” and BAFTA-winning British-Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr., who will give an in-depth conversation moderated by Paradiso talent Jaqueline Souza as well as present “My Father’s Shadow” at the city’s historic São Luiz cinema. Over 70% of the institution’s talent network is set to attend — a number that jumped to 184 from 140 at the last event, and almost doubled since the first official national meeting in 2022.
Courtesy of Millena Palladino
Milena Palladino
Speaking with Variety ahead of travelling to Recife, Projeto Paradiso program director Rachel do Valle recalls first welcoming around 30 talents in their small office in São Paulo back in 2020 for an informal meet up. The idea behind that afternoon expanded into the biannual networking-spanning event once the team noted how beneficial it was for their talents to have quality time together. “We realized very quickly that our strength as an organization came from our brilliant network,” she says. “We wanted these meetings to be a place for networking, yes, but vitally, for it to be a place for people to get to know each other and our team.”
Following the first edition in São Paulo, Projeto Paradiso heard feedback from their talents about the lack of accessibility to industry events outside the famous Rio-São Paulo bridge. Decentralization became an immediate focus, especially considering over a quarter of their network is based in the Northeast. The second edition was held in Salvador, the capital of Bahia. “We wanted to reflect the plural nature of our talents, who come from all corners of the country.”
When time came to decide on a location for this year’s event, Recife stood out thanks not only to “The Secret Agent” but the city’s filmmaking legacy. Many other great Brazilian directors come from the capital, including “The Blue Trail” helmer Gabriel Mascaro, and veteran Marcelo Gomes (“Dolores,” “Portrait of a Certain Orient”). The city is also home to dozens of Projeto Paradiso talent, including key figures in the making of “The Secret Agent,” who will also gather at the event to talk about all aspects of bringing the hit Brazilian film to life.
Projeto Paradiso National Meeting in Salvador, courtesy of Projeto Paradiso
Milena Palladino
Despite bringing together leading industry figures and featuring a series of networking events, the team behind Projeto Paradiso’s national meeting is categorical in stating that they are not running either a market, festival or industry platform. “We insist on presenting the idea of the meeting as going against market events,” says do Valle. “We don’t want to have the moment tainted by a tangible sense of competition. We want everyone to feel good. What other markets would call a pitching session, we call a connection session. We have participants present their projects in a safe room, where they can practice speaking about their films without the pressure of a pitching platform. It’s a space for talking, but also for listening. We want it to be enjoyable and fun.”
“It’s a very unique event because it is suis generis,” echoes executive director Josephine Bourgois. “We have spoken to the other few talent networks operating in Brazil today, and have found a lot of inspiration in the idea of being in a safe room together, in this idea of collectiveness and community. This is essential to our work. It’s a hard thing to do in person because it involves high costs and a lot of work. We can’t deny that aspect of it and I feel it’s important to mention it. But it is a worthy investment to us.”
Bourgois reiterates that having access to a community of like-minded creatives makes a “tangible difference” for their talents. The organization can now boast about several projects that started with professionals meeting at one of their national events, including this year’s Generation Crystal Bear winner at the Berlinale, “Gugu’s World,” which came to fruition after producer Karen Castanho was introduced to Allan Deberton in Salvador. “It can be daunting to attend an event like it, but we try to make it as smooth as possible to meet others and connect. We hear from talents that have gone on to attend events like Cannes that it puts them at ease to know they’ll have other Paradiso talents there. This rare sense of security and togetherness in a hyper-competitive industry is so valuable to us.”
‘The Secret Agent,’ (‘O Agente Secreto’), Wagner Moura, 2025. © Neon /Courtesy Everett Collection
Courtesy Everett Collection
“We also, of course, have a very strategic view of these two days,” emphasizes Bourgois. “It’s not just the weekend, it’s the culmination of two years of work. We need to constantly nurture our network, so what takes place in the meeting can echo for years to come.”
With 214 bursaries, 94 awards and 66 workshops offered in the brief years since its inception, Projeto Paradiso has solidified itself as a major facilitator for the internationalization of Brazilian cinema, often supporting talent to attend the industry’s most prominent fetes and markets.
“Internationalization is a big aspect of the programme, of course,” says do Valle. “Many of our talents have been selected, one way or another, through their participation in an international program. We have a natural proximity to the international market. When the talents talk about their personal experience with these programs, it naturally turns the conversation in that direction.”
“In the last two meetings, we tried to bring a big international name, even if we believe it is not the most relevant aspect of the event,” adds Bourgois. “In our first year, Julien Rejl had just started as the Head Programmer at Directors’ Fortnight, and it was the first time he came to Brazil as a curator. Then we had Ladj Ly, a renowned director coming from the periphery and a leading Black artist who connected with many of our talents and the ethos of hosting the meeting in Salvador. His presence at the meeting led to great partnerships.”
Choosing Davies Jr. as the international guest of honor for this year’s edition felt natural once the team watched his Cannes-selected “My Father’s Shadow.” “It’s a film that could have been made by any of our talents,” says the executive director. “It’s a very Brazilian film that also had an incredible festival and awards journey, so our talents will be able to hear more about that practical experience, too.”
As they prepare themselves for the meeting, the Projeto Paradiso team reminisce on a talk their leader Olga Rabinovich gave at the 2024 edition. When asked about what she dreamed of for the future of the event, the philanthropist said: ‘I want to see this room grow busier and busier. I want to see it full.”
“I feel we are honoring her dream this year,” wraps do Valle.
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