176 Festivals, 45 Countries, 30 Awards – one year of “Cordas” documentary film

A documentary film about the Cordas Festival, which takes place annually on the island of Pico, premiered a year ago.

After passing through ART&TUR, the International Film and Tourism Festival, and receiving the Silver Award, the documentary “Cordas” was subtitled in English and began touring festivals in the four corners of the world.

It has already been screened in 176 festivals in 45 countries. It has received 30 awards, including an Honorable Mention in Singapore, Jury Prize in several shows, and Best Short Documentary in festivals in South Korea, Scotland, India, and Italy, among others. Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and several South American countries have already had the opportunity to see Diogo Rola’s work, produced by Terry Costa of MiratecArts.

“It has been gratifying to see that our work has reached diverse markets,” admits Terry Costa. “The Azores, the island of Pico, and the Cordas Festival couldn’t be better promoted. Unfortunately, all this work and dissemination does not generate financial support to continue creating and producing. The Regional Government of the Azores cuts to MiratecArts have already affected more than 80 families in the region. There is still no prediction of when we will have the limited funding for 2023. As a cultural association, we have asked for a review of the applications made to the Regional Directorate for Tourism and the Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs, so we are waiting for better news.”

As for the next edition of the Cordas Festival, announced to take place between October 1 and 8, in Madalena do Pico, Terry Costa advances that there is voluntary support, logistical support from the Madalena City Council, and at least three programs will take place, because they have the international support of Finland. However, he points out he has already had to cancel several programs because they needed more regional support. “We will have a festival worthy of its name that our audiences will appreciate. But many work hours have been in vain because we had to cancel artists because of regional cuts.”

This news story is from Mirateca Arts in Tribuna das Ilhas, a newspaper from Horta, Faial, Açores.

It was translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Medial Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno.

FILAMENTOS would like to give a big shout-out to Terry Costa, who is a one-person cultural explosion, a creative and giving spirit that is as large as the mountain in beautiful Pico island and who, alone, many times without proper assistance from the authorities, has done more than many institutions combined. This is the Azorean Spirit. Not many have such a spirit, work ethic, and creativity. Against many odds, Tery has built a cultural legacy in Pico, throughout the Azores, and in various parts of the globe, including the Azorean Diaspora.