The program invites two participants per residency to immerse themselves for two weeks in the universe of writer Camilo Castelo Branco and transform this immersion into original creations. Applications are open from September 28 to October 11, 2026, via residencias.bienalcamilo@gmail.com.
The first edition of the Bienal Camilo, which will culminate in March 2027, is dedicated to migrations between Portugal and Brazil, a central concept in Camilo's work. The residencies invite participants to explore this territory of departure, return, and reinvention.
The curatorship is by writer and artist Patrícia Portela (literature) and singer-songwriter Castello Branco (Music, Visual Arts, and Multimedia). The Literature Residency takes place between October 18 and November 1, at the Teatro Cinema de Fafe, and will result in original texts for a collective publication.
The Music, Visual Arts, and Multimedia Residency will run from November 23 to December 5, at the Solar da Porta dos Figos, in Lamego. This residency will use the literary texts as a basis to construct, in dialogue with them, a performative and audiovisual moment.
Young creators up to 35 years old, working in writing and literature, or visual arts, performance, cinema, music, and digital creation, are eligible to apply. The organization provides accommodation, meals, and travel cost contributions where applicable, along with curatorial and artistic guidance.
The initiative, funded by Norte 2030, celebrates the bicentenary of Camilo Castelo Branco's birth and aims to consolidate a networked cultural program that values his legacy and enhances the tourist appeal of Fafe, Lamego, and the Norte Region as a cultural and literary destination.
The Literary Encounters, the highlight of the Biennial, will take place between March 19 and 21, 2027, featuring meetings with writers, workshops, literary walks, gastronomic experiences, and the inauguration of an exhibition.
