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- L-R: Alyssa Botelho, Ethan de Aguiar, Nick Francis, Ryan Nunes, and Sean Campbell have been invited to participate in the Spotlight New Bedford program in the Montanha Pico Film Festival on Pico Island, Azores, Portugal in January, 2027. Submitted photos.
From Press Release Materials
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 will dedicate its annual international spotlight to the city of New Bedford, 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.
After visiting the city and the New Bedford Film Festival in 2025, the artistic director of MiratecArts announced plans to feature New Bedford as the focus of the 2027 edition of the festival in the Azores.
“I loved the audiovisual community and the way they organized their film festival in that beautiful whaling town on the other side of the Atlantic,” explains Terry Costa. “I decided to organize a special screening to highlight this to our audience, right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and to encourage the formation of ties between the communities.”
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.
Alyssa Botelho is a screenwriter, director, producer, and actress whose work intertwines historical depth with elements of suspense, horror, and a quirky, biting sense of humor typical of New England.
Ethan de Aguiar, a self-proclaimed “ARTrepreneur,” is a native of New Bedford. An experienced filmmaker with a keen focus on the art of storytelling, he is the founder of the New Bedford Film Festival.
Nick Francis is Managing Partner and Vision Director at The Franchise Group, in addition to managing Mass Green Screen. He has over 15 years of experience producing and directing award-winning campaigns and videos.
Ryan Nunes is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and director whose work highlights mental health, identity, and social issues through intimate, character-driven stories.
Sean Campbell is best known as a cinematographer and editor with a decade of experience in video production.
The special screening is scheduled for the opening weekend of the Montanha Pico Festival and is part of the “600 Years of the Azores” program, promoted by the Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities.
Works by the five filmmakers will be featured in the screening to be held at the Madalena Auditorium, as well as in Horta, Faial — a sister city of New Bedford. The Montanha Pico Festival will take place from January 8 to 15, as well as on January 22 and 29, 2027, across three venues on the island of Pico: the Madalena Library Auditorium, the Lajes do Pico Municipal Auditorium, and the Whalers’ Museum Auditorium.
Visit www.picofestival.com www.miratecarts.com
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