Brazil’s contemporary highlight from today’s Amadora BD festival

Contemporary Brazil, by the eyes of comic book authors, is highlighted in the 29th edition of Amadora BD, which is inaugurated today, two days before the Brazilian presidential elections, whose result will “affect the whole world.”

‘Once upon a time … a wonderful country’ is the central exhibition of the 29th edition of the Amadora BD International Festival of Comic Book, which opens tonight at the Luís de Camões Forum and has Brazil as a country guest. “[Brazil] was chosen considering the moment we live in the world,” said the director of the festival, Nelson Dona, in statements, adding that “what happens in Brazil will certainly affect the whole world.”

The exhibition brings together works by “contemporary Brazilian authors, who speak of contemporary Brazilian themes, structuring themes and fracturing themes”.

Among the topics covered are the presidential elections in Brazil, whose second round is scheduled for Sunday, and comics’ demonstrations against one of the candidates, ultraconservative Jair Bolsonaro.

The other great highlight of this edition is the exhibition of works by Francisco Sousa Lobo, winner of the Best Portuguese Album Award from last year’s edition of AmadoraBD, with ‘Deserto / Nuvem’.

“We have discovered parts of his work that are unknown since he has lived in London [since 2005] and there are publications that only existed in England,” said Nelson Dona.

These two exhibitions are located on the first floor of the Forum Luís de Camões, in a space usually used to host sports competitions.

On the same floor, there is also an exhibition of works awarded this year at international festivals and a book fair, where it will be possible to find “novelties in Portugal and also foreign”, in which “most Portuguese authors are present and foreigners”.

There will also be autograph sessions with “authors from all over the world and [with] Portuguese.”

On the underground floor, which is usually used as a car park, it will be possible to visit, among others, the exhibition “honoring both the author of BD and the filmmaker” Artur Correia, who died in March of this year, and whose work “is owned by the Municipality of Amadora”.

Also on this floor are the exhibitions created around the works’ Bruma ‘, by Amanda Baeza,’ Watchers’ by Luís Louro, and ‘Lince Ibérico’, by Nádia and Tiago Albuquerque, as well as the exhibition ‘Ano Editorial Português 2017 -18 ‘, with the best that was done in Portugal in the areas of illustration and BD over the last year, and the exhibition of the works of the National Competition of Comics, promoted by the festival.

In addition, there will be “animation schemes, around the comics, for professionals, semi-professionals or families”.

Amadora BD is organized, from the 1st edition, by the Municipality of Amadora.

According to Agostinho Marques, the city’s cultural councillor, the festival has “a fundamental importance” for the city, “not only culturally but also socially and economically.”

“It is an iconic event for Amadora and the country, it is the second largest [BD] festival in Europe and one of the world’s leading.” I would say that we are the capital of BD, “the mayor told.

The Amadora BD can be visited until November 11.