Matilde Fieschi
It’s not every day that we come across someone who is perfectly aware of their capabilities. Who believes that, when he started his career in Portugal, born in Guinea in the 80s, he didn’t get where he wanted, not because of his lack of talent, because whoever was in charge wasn’t open to receiving what he brought to the world. The actor, screenwriter, author, “art professional”, Welket Bunguê, who is from Brazil, London, Lisbon, Africa, the world and whatever else, is that person. Self-assured. From your work. Of your identity. And he returned to Lisbon with a mission: “This capital cannot be pasteurized, eugenic, it has to show its multiculturalism”, he confesses in another episode of the podcast by film and television critic José Paiva Capucho, “No Último Episode”.
José Fonseca Fernandes
During the new episode, the changes at Tribeca Lisboa were addressed, by inviting different faces from outside the Impresa group, as well as calling for a greater diversity of panels. Welket Bunguê will be this Friday alongside Ana Sofia Martins and Dee Rees to debate the intersection between identity and history, at 5:30 pm, at Lisboa Stage. In other words, the criticisms were, in fact, heard and, at least, on paper, there is a desire to hold a more open festival. But in the industry the conversation is different. Especially at national level. “I continue to see little diversity in national series, both cultural and ethnic.” Welket Bunguê also contradicts the idea that the public is to blame. “I tend to think that the Portuguese are not prejudiced, there is a mistaken belief among those in charge that people only want to see one type of body.”
Matilde Fieschi
The actor is one of the rare cases in which he is better known abroad than at home. From the film “Berlin Alexanderplatz” (2020), premiered and nominated for awards at the Berlin Festival (where he has a home), he started to make waves. He arrived in a production by David Cronenberg, “Crimes do Futuro” (2022), alongside Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart and already has his face in Netflix productions in Brazil: “Pssica”, directed by Quico and Fernando Meirelles (“Cidade de Deus”). Or on Globoplay with “Reencarne”. You really can’t complain about work.
And a priest character from the other lady’s time and many other projects are yet to come. He is about to release a book associated with his father and still has short films to show. Despite having “felt revolt” in Portugal at first, he is calmed and motivated to continue moving around the country — and the world — looking for the next challenge, inside and outside the diaspora. “I’m an international artist, in several markets, who speaks several languages (even Latin), who had to migrate and that influenced the type of projects I got involved in. I had to accept my differences. That’s my unique potential. That’s my gold”, he concludes.
How many times have I wanted to know more about “that” last episode? Finding answers that create more questions and only leave you wondering when the next chapter will premiere?
In “In the Last Episode”, José Paiva Capucho offers no guarantee of reassuring series fans. Come to join the party.
Features behind-the-scenes stories, audience reviews vs. critics’ reviews, and scene analysis.
All this in a podcast that will be dedicated to the best national and international television of the year.
‘No Último Episode’ airs every Friday on Expresso and all podcast platforms. Listen to the trailer for the second season here.