The festival, unveiled today at the Praça da Criatividade in Óbidos, will bring nearly 800 authors and artists to the Leiria district village over 11 days. They will engage in 464 events centered around the theme “Fronteiras.”
Described by the Mayor of Óbidos as “an affirmation of an identity built around the written word and sharing,” this year’s Fólio will feature two Nobel Prize for Literature winners: Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich on October 11 and South African author J. M. Coetzee on October 17.
The Literary Tent will also host 29 more writers as part of the Folio Autores program, including American Anne Applebaum, Israeli Avi Shlaim, Spaniard Fernando Aramburu, Irishman Paul Murray, American Lionel Shriver, and Frenchman Pierre Singaravélou.
Under the Folio Mais section, curated for the second year by Candela Varas, the schedule will feature “unexpected dialogues and readings in surprising places,” presenting “the entire Folio as a laboratory for crossing boundaries,” stated Joana Pinho from Ler devagar, co-organizer.
In collaboration with the Casa do Comum, the Instituto Cervantes in Lisbon, and the Ler Devagar bookstore, Folio Mais extends its program “to the capital, not only during the festival but throughout the year,” explained Filipe Daniel.
Musically, the Folio continues with the curatorship of the INATEL Foundation, which will bring acts like Expresso Transatlântico, the Leiria Jazz Orchestra, A Cantadeira, Hélder Moutinho, O Gajo, Xuxu Kalhus, and the Banda Filarmónica Obidense to the stage at Praça da Criatividade.
In the Fólio Educa section, where literature meets education, Óbidos schools will host 31 authors during the festival. Part of Educa is Folio Tec, which will feature four discussions on Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, the publishing market, and transmedia narratives.
The lineup also includes 21 exhibitions and a segment dedicated to Comics, highlighted by an international anthology on the concept of borders and the political antifascist struggle. It will also include animated films, roundtables, and guided tours with some of the artists.
Folio BD will share space at the Abílio de Mattos e Silva Museum with one of this edition’s novelties, Folio Cinema, which includes the world premiere of “Nora Helmer,” a work by João Lourenço and Nuno Neves inspired by Henrik Ibsen’s play “A Doll’s House,” alongside the screening of films adapted from literary works.
In partnership with Audiogest, the promoter of the PLAY — Portuguese Music Awards, this edition of Folio will feature ‘play talks,’ a dialogue space between music and literature featuring Miguel Carretas, Pedro Abrunhosa, Rui Miguel Abreu, Bárbara Tinoco, and Tiago Bettencourt.
In addition to the sustainability space and MyMachine, which offer workshops for various ages, the festival introduces the Folio Baby Space this year and marks its 10th anniversary with a commemorative book edition.
During the festival, the Fernando Leite Couto Literary Prize will be awarded to the book “Costurar a Linguagem” by Zacarias Nguenha.
Organized by the Óbidos municipality in partnership with the municipal company Óbidos Criativa, Ler Devagar, and the INATEL Foundation, Folio maintains this year’s budget “of 450 thousand euros.” According to the mayor, the festival “reduces initiatives, which last year exceeded 600,” choosing “fewer actions with greater impact.”
The municipality’s strategy also aims to “strengthen literary residency programs with foreign and national writers and the partnerships that have been implemented with China, Japan, and Spain,” among other countries.
Folio has been held in Óbidos since 2015, with a pause in 2020 due to the pandemic.
