From November 26 to 29, Manaus will host the seventh edition of Matapi, a market event dedicated to Amazonian audiovisual content. The Palacete Provincial, located at Praça Heliodoro Balbi in downtown Manaus, will be the venue for panels, masterclasses, business rounds, and networking opportunities. Registration for the event will be announced later this month via its official social media channels (@matapimercadoaudiovisual).

Known for gathering northern Brazilian minds responsible for amplifying the voice of the Amazonian people, this year Matapi will offer training in social impact production and distribution, as well as an exciting update to its business rounds, with four international players already confirmed from Colombia, France, and Mexico. Additionally, the event will launch an unprecedented national call for projects as part of its programming.

Clemilson Farias, one of the event coordinators, emphasizes that Matapi is a platform for networking and a market event that drives the creative economy of the Amazonian audiovisual sector.

“We want to hold an edition that connects with the audience, bringing relevant topics for the current audiovisual landscape. We hope people engage and use this moment to meet, connect, find partners, and generate business,” said Karla Martins, another coordinator, regarding the central goal of Matapi.

The ongoing dialogue between the event’s mentoring team and professionals from the Midwest, North, and Northeast regions of Brazil—forming the CONNE network—has contributed to the capacity-building of entrepreneurs, the realities of the audiovisual market, fostering closer connections within production chains, and promoting the circulation of regional products in both national and international markets, generating social and economic impact.

“We seek to unite and strengthen the collective to think about ways forward for Brazilian audiovisual, developing first-person stories, strengthening identities, and amplifying narratives,” added Martins.

Attuned to global challenges, Matapi’s seventh edition will focus on market trends based on the realities of the region, striving to align with the industry while promoting sustainable and environmentally responsible production methods that are sensitive to the territory.

Karla Martins also highlights that the Amazon is home to indigenous and traditional peoples, with urban realities shaped by the intense presence—or, in some cases, absence—of the forest. The forest, she argues, is not only vital for balancing the planet’s climate but also plays a role in refreshing ideas and alerting us to the need for differentiated and questioning production practices. “Ethics is now driving our choices and perspectives, not just aesthetics,” she said.

“We need to tell stories that allow us to read the Amazons and understand its realities, which are so important to the world. We are facing an urgency, not just a ‘new market.’ We could go further and say that from this place arises the creative condition to think from risk, telling absolutely organic stories from a territory where the contemporary is constantly provoked by the presence of ancestry,” observed Martins.

“We believe deeply in Matapi’s potential for our region. It’s a way to open doors and new perspectives for our production, to think about its development in the national scene and its international insertion. We are in a phase of maturity, both in terms of narratives and in thinking about our business models and the sustainability of the sector,” said Carlos Barbosa, also a coordinator.

Guests

Participants in Matapi will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge through talks and workshops with prominent figures from the audiovisual market, including Joelma Oliveira Gonzaga, Secretary of Audiovisual for the Ministry of Culture; Paulo Alcoforado, Director of Ancine; and Maurício Xavier, member of the Management Committee of the Sectoral Fund.

During the business rounds, the event will feature representatives from Ramiro Azevedo of Box Brazil TV, Bruno Zanoni of Stenna Group, Paula Gomes of Olhar Filmes, Daniel Queiroz of Embaúba Filmes, Beatriz Craveiro of Maria Farinha Filmes, Luciana Damasceno of Cardume, among others. There will also be international companies partnering through the Brazilian Content and Cinema do Brasil internationalization programs.

Partnership

For the second consecutive year, the event will partner with Projeto Paradiso, which plays a key role in advancing professionals in the audiovisual sector, particularly in project development and securing funding opportunities. The partnership aims to increase the Amazon region’s presence in the national and international audiovisual scene, understanding its particularities and promoting the development of new stories.

Matapi is a project funded by the Lei Paulo Gustavo (Paulo Gustavo Law) – Public Call for Audiovisual Actions, in collaboration with the State Department of Culture and Economy of Amazonas, the Amazonas State Government, the Ministry of Culture, and the Federal Government. The event is produced by Leão do Norte and Casa Ninja Amazônia, with support from Projeto Paradiso and Ibis Styles.

Photos: Divulgação/Juliana Pesqueira

With information from the event’s press office.