Presentation of Publications 
Perspectives on Portuguese Animation

5 jun 2026 · 18.00 · Ilídio Pinho Auditorium
With Sahra Kunz, Inês Rebanda Coelho and Laura Castro.

Perspectives on Portuguese Animation is an initiative of CINANIMA – International Animated Film Festival of Espinho, originally conceived and developed in 2021 by the then Artistic Director of CINANIMA, professor, researcher, and multi-award-winning animation director Pedro Serrazina.

Since then, CINANIMA has continued to organise, on an annual basis, new editions of the symposium, with the additional objective of producing scholarly publications as outputs of the initiative.

Following the launch of the first two editions—the first dedicated to filmmakers David Doutel and Vasco Sá, curated by Pedro Serrazina, and the second focusing on the female duo Alexandra Ramires and Laura Gonçalves, curated by Cátia Peres—two further volumes have now been published, corresponding to the 2023 and 2024 symposia.

In 2023, the 3rd edition of the Perspectives on Portuguese Animation symposium was held within the framework of the 47th CINANIMA Festival, and in 2024, during the 48th Festival, the 4th edition took place. The primary aim has been to further develop a multidisciplinary analysis of works by Portuguese animation filmmakers, based on the recognition that this remains a relatively underexplored field within scientific and academic research.

The first volume (2023), edited by Cátia Peres, focuses on the analysis of the feature films Nayola, by José Miguel Ribeiro, and My Grandfathers' Demons by Nuno Beato. The contributing researchers include Cátia Peres, Cynthia Levitan, Sandra Ramos, João Apolinário, Inês Rebanda Coelho, and Risa Cohen.

The second volume (2024), edited by Sahra Kunz, features analytical contributions by Laura Castro, Patrícia Oliveira-Silva, and Pedro Serrazina on the work of Regina Pessoa.

Based on these two years of symposium activity (2023 and 2024), and with the support of the ICA – Portuguese Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual, two bilingual scholarly publications have been produced for various academic communities in Portugal and abroad, available both in a limited print edition and in a freely accessible digital format via the CINANIMA website.

The presentation of the publications will take place from May 2026 onwards at festivals, conferences, higher education institutions, and other cultural and educational organisations, targeting the general public and featuring the participation of curators and editors, as well as authors and researchers.

Participants

Cristina Novo Project Coordinator	With a pre-Bologna degree in Sociology from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto (1999) and ongoing training in areas such as digital marketing, cultural project design, digital and cultural communication, record production and marketing, statistics, institutional partnership culture, social development and territorial strategic planning, diversity and inclusion, as well as a Professional Certificate of Pedagogical Aptitude for Trainers, Cristina has been designing and developing social and cultural projects for various organisations in Portugal for over 20 years. She was also producer of the live-action documentary Imago, from the director Rui Pedro Lamy, with cinematography by António Morais, and has worked as a producer on interactive digital art projects (Mecha Studio). In 2018 she joined CINANIMA – International Animated Film Festival of Espinho, initially taking on the coordination of the Communications and Partnerships department. She currently fosters the establishment of partnerships between the festival and numerous cultural and educational institutions, coordinates educational projects, supervises internships, and acts as executive producer of critical-thinking initiatives such as masterclasses, meetings, debates, symposiums, pitching sessions and workshops. Her main role is that of project manager in CINANIMA’s education department.
Inês Rebanda Coelho	Inês Rebanda Coelho has a Bachelor in Sound and Image, a master’s degree in Cinema and Audiovisual (both from EA- UCP), and a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences within Film and Television Studies (UMinho). Inês is a jury at ICA and has worked in cinema, television and audiovisual production for more than 15 years, being specialized in Production Consultancy and Executive Production. She’s a professor, researcher at CECC-UCP, the co-director of the indexed journal “Cinema & Territory” and, the coordinator and co-founder of the research work group Economics and Management in the Moving Image of AIM. Author of fantasy and Sci-Fi’s published literature.
Laura Castro	Professor at the School of Arts of the Portuguese Catholic University, where she was director between 2013 and 2017, and researcher at the Centre for Research in Science and Technology of the Arts. Laura Castro has a PhD in Art and Design from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto. Between the early 1990s and 2006, Laura worked in the cultural sector. She was regional director of Culture for the North and vice-president of Cultural Heritage, IP. She writes regularly on modern and contemporary art, museology, art and landscape and public art.  Laura is a member of the Portuguese Association of Art Historians and the International Association of Art Critics. Laura chaired the board of Círculo de Cultura Teatral/Teatro Experimental do Porto (2015-2021), was a member of the board of Árvore/ Artistic Activities Cooperative (2010-2015), and of the board of Lugar do Desenho/Júlio Resende Foundation (2009-14 and 2019-20).
Sahra Kunz