New Professional Network for Lusophone Filmmakers Launches
Cinema and audiovisual professionals across Portuguese-speaking Africa and Timor-Leste are set to get their own dedicated professional network. A new digital platform, described as a “LinkedIn for the audiovisual sector,” will be unveiled today in Maputo, Mozambique, to bridge the gap between regional talent and global opportunities.
The initiative is designed to act as a comprehensive professional directory where filmmakers, journalists, and content creators can showcase their portfolios, filmographies, and showreels. The goal is to create a centralized hub that facilitates international co-productions and simplifies the hiring process for local and foreign entities.
Connecting Talent Across Borders
“It will be a place where professionals have a profile, allowing colleagues to consult one another and enabling companies to identify talent for contracts and productions,” said Diana Manhiça, filmmaker and coordinator of the Association of Friends of the Cinema Museum in Mozambique (AAMCM). The AAMCM is a primary driver of the project, which operates under the PALOP (Portuguese-speaking African Countries) + Timor-Leste Cinema and Audiovisual Network.
The platform covers a wide geographical and creative range, including Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, Equatorial Guinea, and Timor-Leste. It is open to a diverse array of professionals, from traditional filmmakers and television producers to modern content creators, bloggers, and freelance camera operators.
Boosting International Reach
Manhiça highlighted the practical benefits of the tool, noting that it could help a foreign journalist in Mozambique find a local camera operator by viewing their past work and contact details directly on the site. While the primary markets for these countries have traditionally been Portugal and Brazil, the network aims to expand these horizons.
“Our primary relationships are with Portugal and Brazil, but for a country like Timor-Leste, the main markets are Indonesia and Australia,” Manhiça explained. “We want to reach further and have a greater impact.”
In Mozambique alone, a mapping project is already underway, with over 400 professionals and companies registered. That number is expected to climb to 700 in the coming months.
More Than Just a Directory
Beyond networking, the platform will house a Short Film Agency dedicated to selecting local works, negotiating copyrights, and securing international distribution at festivals and television stations. The project also aims to modernize the industry’s infrastructure by exploring the creation of Film Commissions across the member nations.
“We are conducting a study on the possibility of creating film commissions—whether national, regional, or provincial,” Manhiça said, adding that the findings will be presented to the respective ministries of culture.
Development and Support
Currently in the development phase, the platform will be showcased at FilmLab MZ, held in conjunction with the 16th KUGOMA film festival in Maputo. A full launch is expected by late 2026 or early 2027.
The project receives institutional support from Mozambique’s National Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries and is funded by the Camões Institute through the ProCultura program. Additional sponsorship comes from CULTIV’ARTE, a European Union-funded initiative implemented by Expertise France in partnership with the Mozambican Ministry of Education and Culture.
Image: Pexels – El Kharchi
