Patrícia Vasconcelos showcases Portuguese actors to the global market

The Portuguese casting director Patrícia Vasconcelos starts, on June 28, in Lisbon, a new edition of the “Passaporte program”, because “the world has to discover” the hidden talents that exist in Portugal, she told Lusa agency.

“How is it that so much national talent is confined to our country?”.

People need to have more opportunities abroad, the world needs to discover these talents”, exclaimed Patrícia Vasconcelos, who in 2016 created this project which  promotes Portuguese actresses and actors in the global market.

This year, Passaporte has 16 participants, from different generations, some better known than others, who work in cinema, television and theater mainly in Portugal, and who will introduce themselves and their work to several casting directors.

Among those selected are actresses Ana Sofia Martins, Bárbara Branco, Joana Santos, Beatriz Godinho, Carlota Cres-po, Ema Sofia Fonseca, Joana Santos, Leonor Vasconcelos, Mariana Cardoso and Raquel Rocha Vieira.

They are joined by Virgílio Castelo, Rui Maria Pego, Nuno Nolasco, José Condessa, Filipe Cates, David Medeiros and Ângelo Rodrigues.

About twenty casting directors and international agents, mainly from France, the United Kingdom and the United States, join this edition of the Passport, not only to look for talent, but also to participate in some works and to talk about this market.

Highlighting the list  of casting directors is Nina Gold, whose curriculum includes the latest film in the “Indiana Jones” series, three of the “Star Wars” saga, the series “Game of Thrones”, “The Crown” and “Chernobyl”. 

Also of note are Kate Rhodes James, who did casting for the series “House of the Dragon” and is currently working on Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2”, Debbie McWilliams, who has cast 13 James Bond films, and Marcela Altberg, who was responsible for the casting department at Amazon Studios Brasil will also attend the program.

Regarding “successful cases” resulting from previous editions of “Passaporte”, the organization cites Nuno Lopes, who entered the “White Lines” series, and Alba Baptista, for the film “A dream in Paris”.