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The creation of Lumen – Rio de Janeiro Independent Film Festival came about through different paths: the first is the long journey of work in festivals by its creators. They spent years programming and curating important festivals on the Brazilian scene. In this work, Gabriel Papaléo, Pedro Tavares and Waleska Antunes, who also worked together in film production, note how independent films go through tricky paths to reach the Brazilian public. From screenings in programs outside the main focus of renowned international festivals to precarious distribution that often culminates in direct release on online platforms, these films go through a narrowing of options for new screenings around the world, including, of course, Brazil.

The second path that made Lumen a reality ironically starts from the opposite extreme; while working together, Gabriel, Pedro and Waleska, filmmakers with distinct curatorial and cinematographic proposals, faced resistance in building a panorama of independent/marginal/inventive/artisanal/experimental cinema. Lumen was created with the aim of expanding the reach of films and filmmakers, introducing the Rio audience to directors from all over the world who are on the fringes of major film events, but who show relevant, innovative and, of course, captivating work, but who still do not have a definitive window in the city. From young filmmakers who use technology as a starting point to build narratives made with friends or themselves to already established filmmakers who continue in the shadow of an exhibition circuit that increasingly prioritizes what happens outside the theaters and not the direct exchange between film and spectators. They are joined by producers of major events and global companies such as Indie Lisboa, TV Globo, Cine Brasília, among others, to contribute to the construction of a festival with a unique character.

With free admission, Lumen aims to democratize access to these films and approaches. Contemporary cinema is rich, prolific and, of course, qualitative. Making Rio de Janeiro a route for these filmmakers is a bet on the city as a great cultural exponent for this cinematic field through the certainty that a production made in Brazil, regardless of its budget and target audience, can reach the screens and have the structure to be seen and debated. From the central region of Rio to the northern zone of the city, Lumen will occupy four rooms and promote meetings, debates, lectures and, of course, many film sessions during the seven days of the event. Brasília will host a traveling version of the event and confirms the relevance of independent cinema worldwide in the first expansion of Lumen. We hope it will be the first of many!