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Penedo is the second City from Brazil in the Cinema category and one of the 5 cities in the whole world to win the UNESCO’s seal, in 2023, in this creative area.

The city of Penedo was announced on Tuesday (31) by the United Nations for Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO), a UN body, as a member of the Creative Cities Network.

The inclusion is on the list designated by the UNESCO’s general director, Audrey Azolay, together with 55 new members. Apart from Penedo, only Rio de Janeiro was selected among the Brazilian cities, this one in the Literature category. 

The contemplated cities with the seal will cooperate with the members of the Mundial Network to strengthen the culture and creativity as instruments of economic development.

To the Mayor Ronaldo Lopes, the news brings visibility without precedents to Penedo: “We’re presenting our city to the world with what we have better: History, Culture and Art. This is the recognition of the creativity of Penedo’s people and that we are transforming our Economic Development by its roots.” 

Ronaldo Lopes affirmed that the UNESCO’s seal will be converted in opportunities to cultural projects, tourism, investments and, above all, in cinema, granting jobs and income to the population.

“The exchange of good practices with the mundial leader cities at creative economy puts Penedo in an extremely select group that will promote the audiovisual in the city. After the revitalization of the ancient Cine São Francisco, we will be reopening the traditional and currently renovated Cine Penedo, on the next november 13th”.

As for the secretary of tourism, Jair Galvão, said that the achievement is the result of the integrated work from Penedo City Hall with countless partners: “The city administration has been working with the key-institutions, who supported this candidacy for over a year. SEBRAE Alagoas and the Federal University of Alagoas are among the highlighted ones, and so is the Consortium Penedo Criativa together with all of the sectoral groups from Penedo who build the winning dossier”.

To Jair Galvão, Penedo opens its doors more intensively to the audiovisual world. “The cinema is an economic sector extremely powerful, we’ll have a work centered at the capacitation of producers, demonstrating that Penedo is the perfect location to productions. The Penedo Circuit of Cinema should be internationalized and surely will strengthen the art schools projects and creative technologies in Penedo”.

The UNESCO’s Creative Cities Mundial Network

The UNESCO’s Creative Cities Mundial Network was launched in 2004 for promoting the cooperation between the cities that acknowledged creativity as an important factor to its urban development at the economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects.

The project aims at improving the mutual international cooperation with and between the member cities committed to investing in creativity as a sustainable urban development motor, social inclusion and vibrant culture. 

In the 2023 UNESCO candidacy notice, only Penedo (cinema) and Rio de Janeiro (literature) entered the global network through Brazil, which now has 14 cities in the international cooperation network.

Original Post by Fernando Vinícius on 10/31/2023
Translated by Denner Sabino

Penedo City Hall, through the Municipal Secretariat of Tourism and Creative Economy (SETUREC), attended the event, recently held in João Pessoa – PB. It was promoted by Paraíba’s Capital, in partnership with SEBRAE.

The forum reunited plenty of actors in the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Mundial Network, among tem, Daniel Farfán, director of Crafts at the Secretariat of Culture of Puebla, Mexico; Indrasen Vencatachellum, president of the International Network for the Development of Crafts (RIDA/Paris); Álvaro Narvaez, Secretary of Culture of Medellín, Colombia; and Dominique Roland, director of the Arts Center – Enghien-les-Bains, France.

The International Forum of Creative Cities promotes the exchange and sharing of enriching experiences related to the Creative Economy and the role of cities in the context.

“It was a highly important moment of exchanging experiences with some cities which are part of the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, demonstrating well-suced practices aimed at the development of each Country or City. The meeting with renowned representatives shows Penedo’s link and strengthens the cooperation and improvement bond in the economic sector to the future”, pointed out Karlinne Cordeiro, Creative Economy’s director at SETUREC.

Original Post by Thaciana Lima on 10/12/2023
Translated by Denner Sabino

This weekend starts with excellent news for Alagoas, especially for the fundamental municipality in the state’s history. Penedo was chosen to represent Brazil, at the Cinema category, at the final selection for UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network.

The advance was announced by the Ministry o f Tourism (MTur), project by the Ronaldo Lopes/João Lucas management carried out in partnership with the institutions UFAL, SEBRAE, IPHAN, IFAL, Government of Alagoas, Banco do Nordeste, Fundação Casa do Penedo and Santos’ City Hall.

All works by Penedo City Hall were analyzed at the committee formed by technicians from MTur, Ministry of Culture and National Commission for UNESCO in Brazil, featuring direct participation from Itamaraty (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The Mayor, Ronaldo Lopes, says he’s confident in one more victory to the people of Penedo  and Alagoas, pointing to the process’ relevancy. “It’s fundamental to highlight that only two cities are chosen for a country and only once in two years. Now, Penedo is entering the last stage of this process, which embodies UNESCO’s validation in Paris, France”.

Besides Penedo, the other municipality selected to the final stage was Rio de Janeiro,at the literature category.

“This achievement will represent a huge acknowledgment to Penedo’s History and culture, bringing uncountable opportunities and projects in partnership with the international community, specially at the Creative Economy area.”, adds Ronaldo Lopes.

To the Secretary of Tourism and Creative Economy, Jair Galvão, Penedo’s selection is a great Historic Mark. “Penedo is one step closer to one of the main projects from the United Nations that encourages culture and creative economy”, stressing the access to what is most innovative in Cinema and Creativity other areas.

Jair Galvão is also very optimistic about the city’s inclusion in the Creative Cities Network. “The quality of the project developed by Penedo City Hall, supported by all partner institutions at this task is excellent and I am sure we are passing UNESCO’s sieving, in France.”, says SETUREC’s gestor.

The Tourism ministry, Daniela Carneiro, also highlights the relevancy of Brazilian representation on the Mondial Network. “Brazil is the third country with more cities in the network, with 12 municipalities already graced with the title, being only behind China and Italy. We are proud of how many candidates arrived at our technicians and we congratulate all, specially the two selected cities, for their effort showing the creative potential of our country.” Points up the ministry at Mtur’s release.

Original post by Fernando Vinícius, in 06/24/2023.
Translated by: Denner Sabino

On next April 28th, Penedo city will host the Cinema Connection, promoted by Penedo’s Cinema Circuit and Curta Santos.

The free access event will start at 07:30 p.m. and has the support of the city councils of Penedo and Santos, being held simultaneously in Penedo, at Theatro Sete de Setembro and in Santos, At Teatro Rosinha Mastrângelo.

Short films produced in Penedo will be presented in Santos, and short films produced in Santos will be presented in Penedo simultaneously. 

In Penedo, the short films Lee, by Fabiana Conway; The Ghost Cat of the Paquetá Cemetery, by Dino Menezes; (Almost) at the Center of the Earth, by Igor Avelar and Jonathan Aguiar; Fim, by José Roberto Torero; Paranoias of a Needy Online, by Letícia Paulino and Raízes do Mercado, by Daniel Calado Souza, Francina Ferreira de Lisboa, Jaime Santos and Samara Faustino, will be shown.

While in Santos, A Última Carta, by Eduarda Marques and Sérgio Onofre; Jacaré, by Bruno Ravagnolli; The Poet of Bairro Vermelho, by Matheus Nobre; Vaudeville, by Élcio Verçosa and NAZO Dia e Noite Maria, by Andrea Paiva, will be shown.

“This will be the first of many events we will be making with other cities’ festivals. It’s a way of demonstrating our art and showing how cinematographic we are.” said the Tourism director and also producer of Penedo Cinema Circuit, Karlinne Cordeiro.

“The Cinema connection is one more window that opens itself to Alagoas audiovisual in its relation to the nacional production, plus being a very interesting exchange that will make the disclosure and a bigger circulation of the works possible. This initiative will reinforce bonds between Penedo and Santos, and all the Alagoas audiovisual will be gaining with this partnership.” Said Sérgio Onofre, Professor at the Federal University of Alagoas, and coordinator of the Penedo Cinema Festival.

Original post on April 18th, 2023, by Thaciana Lima.
Translated by Denner Sabino.

The work to include Penedo in the Program Creative Cities Network, an initiative held by UNESCO, is in its full power. The city is included in the Cinema category and acts united to win the seal.

To achieve its goal, City Hall representatives, on its third sector, from higher education institutions, historians, from civil society, and remaining areas from creative economy, joined a new meeting with SEBRAE consultant, Eduardo Barroso. 

The meeting was held in the Retirement House on Tuesday, 10th, and its main objective was creating the dossier, the main material to completing the Penedo application process.

“We gathered all the information we have until now, verified if they are complete, if they need any supplementation or decrement, and at the same time, we supplemented it with some items that need answers based on concrete actions.” Said the consultant that guides the working group.

Besides the workshop of the dossier, there was also a videoconference to celebrate the partnership with the other five participant North Eastern cities within the Creative Cities Network.

“We worked on our dossier and joined a conference with the representatives of the cities of João Pessoa, Salvador, Fortaleza, Recife e Campina Grande. It was a very useful moment for the construction of a unified project that strengthens our candidacy and creates a knowledge exchange that favors the creative economy in our city.” explains Jair Galvão, Secretary of Tourism in Penedo.

The project UNESCO’s Creative Cities contemplates 49 cities in the world, 12 being brazilian. Select group that may include Penedo from this year onwards.

Post original made on 01/12/2023, by Thaciana Lima.

This initiative is the result of a cooperation agreement established on April 22nd between Penedo City Hall and the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL).

The regular operation of the cinema, which reopened in November 2023, reinforces Penedo’s status as a UNESCO Creative City in the Cinema category—a distinction it shares only with Santos-SP within the global network of mutual cooperation.

“We will provide staff to ensure Cine Penedo can operate regularly, offering a valuable leisure option to the community and special sessions for students during school hours,” stated Mayor Ronaldo Lopes. The agreement is also endorsed by UFAL Dean Josealdo Tonholo.

Sérgio Onofre, a professor involved in the Penedo Cinema Circuit and UFAL, explained that the new phase of Cine Penedo will feature a hybrid system. There will be free film club sessions on Wednesdays, alongside screenings aimed at public school students.

“On other days, we will show commercial films at a popular price. This approach is crucial for the regular operation of the cinema, encouraging the public to engage with this important cultural asset for Penedo,” said Onofre, who coordinates the audiovisual production laboratory that includes classrooms and its own building adjacent to the cinema.

By: Fernando Vinícius – SECOM Penedo