The Atlantic has long connected the Azores and New England through migration, memory, and shared maritime history. For generations, the whaling ships that once sailed between Pico Island and New Bedford carried not only people but stories, traditions, and identities that continue to bind both communities. In January 2027, those historic ties will find a new expression—not through the sea, but through cinema.

The 13th edition of the Montanha Pico Festival, scheduled for January 8–15, with additional screenings on January 22 and 29, will dedicate its annual international spotlight to the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, celebrating one of the largest and most vibrant Luso-American communities through the work of five filmmakers whose stories reflect both local creativity and the enduring Portuguese-American experience.

The initiative traces its origins to 2025, when Terry Costa, Artistic Director of MiratecArts, attended the New Bedford Film Festival and experienced firsthand the city’s thriving audiovisual community.

“I loved the filmmaking community and the way they produced their festival throughout that beautiful whaling city on the other side of the Atlantic,” Costa recalls. “I decided to create a special showcase for our audience here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and encourage the creation of lasting ties between our communities.”

His vision extends beyond programming another collection of films. It is an effort to strengthen cultural dialogue between two regions whose histories have remained intertwined for nearly two centuries.

New Bedford, situated along the Acushnet River on Massachusetts’ South Coast, occupies a singular place in Azorean history. For thousands of emigrants from Pico, Faial, São Jorge, and the other islands, it became a second home, where Portuguese language, traditions, and community life flourished while maintaining deep emotional connections with the archipelago they had left behind.

Now those connections return in artistic form.

Following an open call for submissions among New Bedford filmmakers, five directors have been invited to participate in the Spotlight New Bedford program. Significantly, four of the five filmmakers are of Portuguese descent, underscoring the continuing vitality of Luso-American storytelling within contemporary independent cinema.

Among them is Alyssa Botelho, whose work as a writer, director, producer, and actress blends historical themes with elements of suspense, horror, and the distinctive dark humor associated with New England. Her films explore the boundaries between history and imagination while drawing upon the atmosphere of the region she calls home.

Joining her is Ethan de Aguiar, a New Bedford native who proudly describes himself as an “ARTrepreneur.” An accomplished filmmaker dedicated to the craft of storytelling, he is also the founder of the New Bedford Film Festival, whose work has helped cultivate one of southeastern Massachusetts’ most dynamic independent film communities.

The program also features Nick Francis, Managing Partner and Vision Director of The Franchise Group, while also leading Mass Green Screen. With more than fifteen years of experience, Francis has built an impressive career producing and directing award-winning campaigns and films, combining commercial expertise with cinematic creativity.

Ryan Nunes brings a different artistic perspective. As a filmmaker, writer, and director, his work explores mental health, identity, and broader social issues through intimate, character-driven narratives that place human experience at the center of every story.

Completing the selection is Sean Campbell, best known for his work as a cinematographer and editor. Over the past decade, Campbell has established himself through visually compelling productions that demonstrate both technical mastery and a refined cinematic sensibility.

Films by all five directors will be presented during the opening weekend of the festival at the Madalena Auditorium on Pico Island. The program will also travel to Horta, on neighboring Faial Island—a fitting venue given Horta’s longstanding sister-city relationship with New Bedford and its own profound historical links to the Portuguese-American migration experience.

The Spotlight New Bedford program also forms part of the official celebrations marking the 600th Anniversary of the Discovery of the Azores, promoted by the Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities. Its inclusion within that broader commemorative framework reflects an important understanding: the history of the Azores cannot be told solely through the islands themselves. It must also include the diaspora communities that have carried Azorean culture across the Atlantic for generations.

Presented by MiratecArts, the Montanha Pico Festival has steadily evolved into one of the Azores’ leading celebrations of independent cinema, bringing together filmmakers, artists, and audiences from around the world. Screenings take place across three venues on Pico Island—the Madalena Library Auditorium, the Municipal Auditorium of Lajes do Pico, and the Whalers Museum Auditorium—transforming the island into a meeting place for international cinema and local cultural dialogue.

The decision to honor New Bedford is therefore more than a tribute to a city. It is a recognition that cinema, like migration itself, crosses borders with ease. Stories created in Massachusetts will now be viewed in the homeland of so many families whose journeys began generations ago, creating a cultural homecoming that is as symbolic as it is artistic.

In the end, the Atlantic has never truly separated Pico and New Bedford. It has connected them. Through the lens of five filmmakers, the 2027 Montanha Pico Festival promises to remind audiences that the most enduring bridges between communities are not built of steel or stone, but of stories shared across the ocean.

Based on a press release from MiratecArts. Photos are from MiratecArts.