Video Documentary Training with Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster

15 Jun - 20 Jun 2025

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Mozambican artist Elísio Bajone has been selected to participate in Lisbon in an intensive video documentary training session led by filmmakers Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster, from RadaStudio New York. The directors of award-winning documentaries, such as Going to Mars - The Nikki Giovanni Project, travel to Portugal as part of “Democracy in Action”, a project developed by a European consortium whose Portuguese partner is CESA - Centre for African and Development Studies at ISEG - University of Lisbon. The course revolves around the theme “Civic Participation, Citizenship and Democracy" and includes 32 hours of classes on film scripting, editing and a film lab with creative exercises.

KEF Portugal supports this initiative by hosting Elísio Bajone at Casa Mísia from 15 to 20 June. KEF's support is part of the Ateliê programme for national and international collaboration, which aims to provide conditions for creation, research, training and exchange for artists on professional visits to Lisbon at the initiative of partner institutions.

"Bajone's practice sits at the intersection of documentary film, cultural memory and community involvement, resulting in an artistic work distinguished by a deep commitment to the valuation of intangible heritage and the amplification of the voices of marginalised communities. In addition to using the documentary as a means of aesthetic expression, he also uses this vehicle as a powerful tool for ethnographic research and social transformation, in processes where active listening and community involvement are central," stated the organisers.

As a trainer, director of photography and communications consultant, Bajone has collaborated with various national and international organisations on projects of social and cultural impact. In his film career, the films Gente da Boa Terra and Marcas do Terrorismo stand out, both internationally recognised with distinctions such as Honourable Mention and Best Documentary at the Student World Impact Film Festival in San Francisco, reflecting the narrative power and visual rigour of his work.

 

Elísio Pedro Silva Bajone is a PhD candidate in Media Arts at the University of Beira Interior (UBI), Portugal. He has a degree in Graphic and Audiovisual Design and a Master's in Design and Multimedia from the Pedagogical University of Maputo. Currently, he is a University Assistant at the Higher Institute of Arts and Culture (ISArC), where he teaches Film Directing I and Film Analysis. His doctoral research focuses on the intersection of identity, memory and visual representation, focusing on the islands of Mozambique, Ibo and the city of Inhambane. Within the scope of this research, he collaborates with experts in documentary film, ethnographic cinema and memory studies, including Manuela Penafria and Paulo Cunha from UBI's iA* Research Unit in Arts. In addition to his academic work, Bajone is co-founder of Janus Limitada, a company operating in the areas of consultancy, socio-economic studies and cultural projects. He is involved in initiatives such as PAC - Peace, Art and Citizenship and Rural Arts and Tourism, promoting the empowerment of artists and artisans in Mozambique.