International Comics Festival

Presentation Today Aims

Contents Core programme areas Theme Featured author Award-winners Anniversaries/tributes Portuguese-speaking world Programme National Comic Book Awards Comic Book and Cartoon Competitions Book-signing sessions Conferences and discussions Book presentations and launches Junior Amadora BD Caricature Party Cosplay Comic workshops Animated Cinema Other entertainment

Venues Fórum Luís de Camões National Comics and Image Centre (CNBDI) Recreios da Amadora Galeria Artur Bual Casa Roque Gameiro

Vistors Profile Numbers

Contacts

Index

Despite coming into life as an ad-hoc event, there are certain circumstances in the history of Amadora which have helped in the fruition and continuity of the festival. At the beginning of the 20th century, Amadora was a summer resort and meeting place for republicans who, such as Bordalo Pinheiro and Roque Gameiro, used caricature to criticise the monarchy, a form of art to which many trace the roots of comics. Though purely circumstantial, this fact makes Amadora the setting for the birth of comics in Portugal. Another – more economic - factor brought Amadora into close contact with the publishing market: its important and robust printing industry, home to some of the largest companies in the Lisbon region. One such company, Gráfica Bertrand, set up here and for a time led the Portuguese comics market with the magazine “Tintin” and various album collections. This situation naturally brought about great exposure to the comics world, stimulated creativity and gave rise to associated actions and activities.

Presentation

Besides the fact that many of the comic book artists I classic authors lived in Amadora, it was also the birth place of countless landmark publications. An examples of this is Mosquito - a comic magazine founded in 1936 to which Portuguese and foreign authors contributed and which had an innovative section aimed at girls called “Formiga” – founded by António Cardoso Lopes (Tiotónio), a native of Amadora where he created all of its 3 series.

These are a few of the reasons why Amadora is no stranger to the world of comics. Amadora BD – International Comic Festival was founded in 1990 on the initiative of Amadora Municipal Council at a time of major municipal involvement in the arts and culture. In 1990, a group of young people suggested the creation of a comic fanzine to coincide with the commemorations to mark the birth of Portuguese aviation (which had its origins in Amadora). An award was established for the event which later became a trophy of honour – the “Tiotónio”. At the same time, what was then the most important comics event in Portugal – the Salão do Porto – was cancelled, at which point some of the activities planned by publishers were transferred to Amadora instead, enabling Morris, the author of Lucky Luke, to make a guest appearance. The event’s success, which was also aided by the impact of Morris’s presence, helped the members of Amadora Municipal Council realise the importance and opportunity that it could represent as a means to establish the city’s cultural credentials. The necessary encouragement was therefore forthcoming to organise a major exhibition and the real beginnings of the FIBDA in 1992.

Today

Today, it is the most important comic event in the country and one that has achieved recognition beyond its borders. The size of the exhibition area and the number of awards presented have grown, as has the number of participating authors and the development of international projects. The prestige achieved presented the possibility to invite well-known authors and by doing so to further enhance the festival’s reputation with every new year. Today, it is world renowned and recognised as one of the biggest, best and most diverse international comic events, established on the international calendar alongside such counterparts as the Salon Internationale de la Bande Dessiné de Angoulême (France), Lucca Comics (Italy), the Festival Internacional del Cómic de Barcelona (Spain) and the San Diego Comic Convention (EUA).

The history of Amadora BD has been one of constant evolution and growth and today, in terms of organisation and recognition, it is a mature and consolidated event. Positioning itself as an event for the general public that attempts to reach out and communicate with different audiences, the festival is aimed at the whole family, with activities designed for all ages while offering something for the more specialist audience. In terms of programming, the festival also seeks to show different styles, approaches and geographies. In addition to its essentially artistic and cultural side, the festival has a commercial element which aims to stimulate the publishing market and products associated with comics and thereby help to make the industry more sustainable. Having publishers and booksellers at the event has been mutually beneficial and of great value in particular to the public. At Portugal’s most popular comic festival, visitors can interact with industry professionals and authors of various nationalities, visit the exhibitions and attend discussions, enjoy entertainment and film screenings, buy albums and have them signed, and participate in a whole range of comic-related activities.

Aims A unique event on the national comic scene and one of the most important European festivals dedicated to the 9th art, Amadora BD has the following main goals: -To promote comics and similar art forms: illustration, animated film, other forms;

-To encourage reading, particularly of comics;

-To promote Portuguese comics and comic authors abroad;

- To be a platform for reflection, discussion and development of comic-related activities.

Core programme areas

Theme Every year, the festival chooses a comic-related theme. This theme sets the tone and defines the entire graphic style, main exhibition area, the main and parallel programmes, approaches and even partners.

Contents

Featured author Fulfilling its goal to promote Portuguese comic authors, every year the festival dedicates a retrospective exhibition to the work of a selected home-grown author. Besides being under the spotlight, the selected author is invited to draw an illustration on that year’s theme which is used as the basis for the festival’s graphic style.

Award-winners Another core thematic area of the main programme relates to the disseminating of award-winning work and authors. The National Comic Awards are presented to authors and publishers who have launched books in Portugal and Portuguese-language publications abroad between August of the previous year and July of the year of the awards. The award-winners from the previous year are placed on display in one of the exhibition areas in the following festival.

Anniversaries / tributes The festival functions as a stage for the celebration of events linked to the world of comics. It singles out and promotes these dates and places important moments that deserve to be highlighted for industry professionals, fans and interested parties under the spotlight.

Portuguese-speaking World

Over the last 24 years, Amadora BD has presented various exhibitions on authors from different Portuguese-speaking countries and territories, such as Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Goa (India), Macau (China), Mozambique and East Timor. This may be due to the specific theme of a particular year (in which the artistic merit of one or more specific Portuguese-speaking authors justifies the inclusion of that country), or the festival’s desire to present comics from countries that are relatively unknown in Europe. However, in recent years, the festival has made an effort to bring together and share the experiences of authors and researchers working in the Portuguese language with the purpose of creating a genuine Portuguese-language comics community. Since 2010, therefore, this has been one of the festival’s core programme areas and a permanent working platform on this theme has been launched.

National Comic Awards Every year, Amadora BD honours authors and publishers who have made a contribution to the comics scene. The National Comic Awards are presented to authors and publishers who have published in Portugal and in the Portuguese language abroad between August of the previous year and July of the year of the awards in the following categories:

Programme

Best Album Awarded to the best album by a Portuguese author or authors published in Portugal Best Script Awarded for the best script by a Portuguese writer published in a comic book in Portugal Best Drawing Awarded to the best Portuguese artist published in a comic book in Portugal Best Portuguese Album in a Foreign Language Awarded to the best original comic album by a Portuguese author published in a foreign language Best Foreign Album Awarded for the best comic album by a foreign author published in a comic book in Portugal Best Funny Comic Strip Album Awarded for the best funny comic strip album published in Portugal Best Portuguese Illustration of a Children’s Book Awarded to the best Portuguese illustrator of a children’s book published in Portugal Best Foreign Illustration of a Children’s Book Awarded to the best foreign illustrator of a children's book published in Portugal.

Classics of the 9th Art Award Seeing as many authors and old series have been published and classified as “classics of the 9th art” and that these should not have to compete against the newest publications, this award is given to the publisher which has launched the best classic (understood as a comic originally published more than 10 years ago), either as a translation or an album collection and to the highest standard, as a new publication. This trophy is only awarded if the jury deems that the publication in question is truly worthy.

Fanzine Awards Awarded to the best Portuguese fanzines published in Portugal.

Youth Prize Awarded to the best comic album published in Portugal by a young author. The winning album from amongst the entries is decided by a group of art students from a school in Amadora aged between 16 and 18.

The National Comic Awards are split into three stages: submission of entries, nomination and voting. At the first stage, publishers and authors send a list of the books they wish to enter; in the second stage, the jury draws up a short list of 5 finalists for each category; and in the final stage, the votes are cast by professionals working within the comic industry and who are registered in the Amadora BD database. Besides these, the organisers of Amadora BD also award the Trophy of Honour to a person or organisation which, through its work and dedication, has made a notable contribution to comics.

Comic and Cartoon Competitions Every year, the central theme of Amadora BD sets the tone for the competitions sponsored by Amadora Municipal Council.

Municipal Comic Competition (for primary school children in public and private education in the Amadora municipality)

Aims: -To raise awareness of the importance of comics from an educational point of view and as a vehicle for developing reading habits; -To stimulate creativity and imagination in areas such as script writing, drawing, painting and the visual arts as integral parts of comics.

GROUP A – Primary school children (1st – 4th years) GROUP B – Primary school children (5th and 6th years)

National Comic Competition (entrants must be aged 12 or over)

Aims: In an attempt to develop new values by incentivising the production of new comics and affording the opportunity to present them to the public, Amadora Municipal Council holds a competition as part of the Amadora BD. Entrants are split into three age groups ordered as follows: GROUP A – aged 17-30 GROUP A+ - aged 31 and over (who have never had a comic published in an album and have never been an Amadora BD award-winner) ESCALÃO B – aged 12-16 ESCALÃO C+ - entrants aged over 31 (in the cartoon genre) As in previous years, the three best entrants in each group and genre will be awarded a cash prize and the opportunity to exhibit their work at the festival, alongside having it publicly presented and naturally highlighted.

Book signing sessions Making the most of the presence of the authors represented in exhibition, the presence of publishers and the need to promote albums launched during the year, signing sessions are held so that visitors can interact with their favourite authors and ask them to sign their albums with drawings.

Conferences and discussions Incorporated into the core programme areas and/or those proposed by partners, the programme of conferences and discussions seeks to provide a platform where the different themes related to the world of comics can be addressed and ideas presented to the specialist audience, aficionados and also the merely curious.

Book presentations and launches In partnership with publishers and other festival partners, the event is used as an opportunity to develop the comic market and publicise new work by launching publications. Given the exposure it provides and the time it takes place, the festival is often chosen by publishers as a venue for launching or promoting new work.

Junior Amadora BD With the young in mind, Amadora BD has a programme of activities for different age groups based on each year’s festival theme. Storytelling, studios and encounters with authors and characters are some of the many activities proposed.

Caricature Party Organised by Osvaldo de Sousa, this event includes the involvement of various Portuguese and international caricaturists. Visitors are invited to draw their own caricature and take it home with them.

Cosplay Also intended to be festive in character and to encourage visitor participation, each year Amadora BD organises a mask competition and awards a prize to those which are deemed to portray their chosen anime or manga (a Japanese comic form) character most accurately.

Comic Workshops Aimed at students and professionals, the Comic Workshops make use of the presence of renowned comic authors to hold workshop sessions at which participants can have direct contact with Portuguese and international authors and their work.

Animated Cinema In a partnership with the Casa de Animação do Porto, Amadora BD screens a programme of animated films and brings this genre of the 9th art to a mass audience.

Other entertainment Over the 17 consecutive days of the festival, the Forum is filled with a large and dynamic programme of events including concerts, performances, entertainment, etc.

Fórum Luís de Camões Centre of the main and parallel programme The Forum Luís de Camões is a multi-purpose municipal facility designed for sports, recreational and cultural events. The activities associated with the main programme of the festival take place on the 0 and -1 floors, which have been converted into roughly 4,000 m2 of exhibitions and activities dedicated to comics.

Venues

National Comic and Image Centre (Centro Nacional de Banda Desenhada e Imagem)

Exhibition Opened in 2000, the National Comics and Image Centre (CNBDI) is primarily designed to promote comics and similar art forms: illustration, animated film, etc.. Besides a specialised library, an editing and research centre and an archive of original work, the CNBDI also has a gallery where exhibitions are held that reveal the various trends in comics and image. Playing a central role in disseminating comics, the CNBDI joins forces with the festival to present an exhibition as part of the Amadora BD parallel programme.

Recreios da Amadora Awards ceremony and exhibition The Recreios da Amadora is the municipal theatre and one of the oldest and most charismatic venues in the city. Besides an exhibition organised in the foyer, the auditorium of the Recreios hosts the awards ceremony for the National Comic Awards and National and Municipal Comic and Cartoon Competitions.

Galeria Artur Bual Reception of VIP guests and exhibition Founded in 1980, the Galeria Artur Bual was a pioneering venue in terms of introducing art at the local authority level. In 1991, it was deemed the best municipal gallery of visual arts by the Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores and, in 1995, received the award for Best National Exhibition from the art critics of the Academia das Artes. The gallery hosts the festival’s opening festivities every year at which it welcomes the VIP guests with an exhibition included in the parallel programme.

Casa Roque Gameiro Exhibition of the National Illustration Award Built between 1898 and 1901 as home to the watercolour artist Roque Gameiro and his family, the original design was penned by the artist himself and later adapted by the architect Raul Lino. In the living room, there is a tile design painted by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro which adds a further point of interest to the Casa. Within the framework of its programme of temporary exhibitions, Casa Roque Gameiro in association with Amadora BD holds an exhibition of drawing and another exhibition for the National Illustration Awards presented by the Directorate General for Books and Libraries (DGLB).

Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema In an association dating back to 2008, the ESTe holds one of the festival exhibitions whose opening usually features a performance by the college students. The college has become an indispensable partner and plays a crucial role in attracting a new audience and in the cultural development of young people.

Out of a need to know more about the visitors to Amadora BD, and also in the aim of providing a more satisfactory experience to its visitors and partners, the festival decided to conduct a survey to enhance and validate a level of knowledge which until then was based more on intuition. In 2005, a visitor profile survey was conducted under the coordination of Helena Santos (a sociologist and lecturer at the Faculty of Economics in Porto) and published in co-authorship with Nelson Dona (the festival director) and Ana Cardoso (a researcher) under the title Práticas na Banda Desenhada: Os Visitantes do 16° Festiva/Internacional de Banda Desenhada da Amadora (published by Afrontamento). Since then, a questionnaire has been prepared for each festival to help to understand how visitor profiles and numbers are changing and developing.

Visitors

Profile The results of the survey revealed the following: 60% of visitors are male, a characteristic that is very specific to the world of comics. However, a significant number of visitors are female (40%), a percentage which is far higher than the vast majority of other European or American festivals. 23% are 31-40 years of age, followed by visitors in the 20-25 age group (20%) and those aged under 20 (19%). 31% of visitors are students and they come to the festival on an individual basis (i.e., not as part of an official school visit). The next largest group are middle-ranking and senior-level professionals at 12% and 15% respectively. 69% of visitors have average or higher educational attainment levels. 24% live in inner Lisbon, followed by residents of Amadora (21%) and the rest of Greater Lisbon (17%). 70% while not comic fans have already visited the festival in previous years. 56.6% state they enjoy the festival but are not connoisseurs of the art form, which suggests a high potential to attract new visitors with different cultural habits.

Numbers In terms of visitor numbers, the festival has grown every year. Numbers have grown gradually and consistently, though they have remained almost consistently below 30,000. The exception was the 20th edition of the festival which saw the number of visitors reach 31,800. As part of the celebrations for the city’s 30th anniversary, Amadora BD benefitted from greater investment from the municipal council which was reflected in more publicity and, consequently, higher visitor numbers.

Amadora BD – International Comics Festival Curatorship: Recreios da Amadora, Av. Santos Matos, nº 2, 2700-748 Amadora, Portugal E-mail: amadorabd@cm-amadora.com Web: www.amadorabd.com tel: 00 351 21 436 90 55 Ext: 5527 Fax: 00 351 21 492 71 80

Photographic credits © Hugo Lima

Contacts