“CPLP Film Festival 2017”

Ambassador Azevêdo,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am very pleased to welcome you to the Second Edition of the Film Festival organized by the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). Let me express my sincere gratitude to Ambassador Azevêdo and the Permanent Mission of Brazil for hosting this Film Festival and for generously inviting us to a reception. Thank you also to the Permanent Missions of the other Portuguese-speaking countries for supporting the organization of this festival.

This year, during four days, we will be watching movies from Angola, Brazil, Portugal and Timor-Leste. The Festival contributes to celebrations of the Portuguese language and the Lusophone culture which traditionally takes place at the beginning of May.

We will be watching a film about Angola’s troubled past and how a 12 year old boy is coping with his personal losses while discovering the busy streets of Luanda. We will also be watching an action-packed television drama from Timor Leste that was made to inspire dialogue on issues of conflict, violence and internally displaced people. The first film, “Nise: the heart of madness”, brought to us from Brazil, is set in the early 40s of the last century. Based on a true story, it introduces us to Nise da Silveira, a well-known figure in Brazil. Fresh out of prison where she served a sentence for her Marxist beliefs, she begins leading a revolution in psychiatric care in Brazil.

I am very happy that we can once more bring the cultural richness of the Portuguese-speaking countries to the Palais des Nations with this very special cultural event. Portuguese is spoken by over 275 million people worldwide on four continents.

Last year, the CPLP celebrated its 20th anniversary. During the past two decades, it has forged its own identity linked to the language and culture of its Member States. New countries have joined the community with observer status committing themselves to promoting, disseminating, teaching and learning the Portuguese language.

The Portuguese language has its prominent representatives also within the UN, one of them being the UN Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres. At an event of the CPLP he underlined the role of the Community as an important pillar for peace and security in the world today. We are grateful to count the Lusophone countries among our strong supporters of peace, rights and well-being, here in Geneva and around the globe.

Thank you for joining us at today’s event and please enjoy the screening.