Telling stories that open minds and touch hearts is a political act. On the next Heard Word writer-director-producer Luiza Botelho offers advice for other storytellers looking to change the world.

That’s Monday the 17th of November, 2025 from 5-7pm GMT on Zoom.

To get feedback on your work sign up to be one of our presenting writers. There are both 20-minute (1500 words) and 5-minute (700 word “lighting round”) slots available. You can sign up here: https://docs.google.com/…/1TfI5…/edit…

Even if you aren’t presenting, please join us to offer feedback. Here is the link. https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/85437743352…

A bit more about our Featured Guest:

Luiza Botelho is a director, screenwriter, and producer with an award-winning career dedicated to creating globally impactful content that promotes African diaspora stories. Her films have screened and received accolades at  renowned festivals including the Festival de Cannes (France), IFFR – International Film Festival Rotterdam  (Netherlands), Cinélatino Toulouse (France), Festival do Rio (Brazil), É Tudo Verdade / It’s All True (Brazil), BFI  London Film Festival (UK), FESPACO (Burkina Faso), and PAFF – Pan African Film Festival (Los Angeles, USA),  where she maintains strong relationships with programmers and curators.          

As a director, her debut fiction short BELA LX-404, starring legendary actress Léa Garcia, premiered at Festival do Rio and has won five awards, including Best Narrative Short at Pan African Film Festival PAFF 2025—an Oscars-qualifying festival. The film continues its international and domestic circulation and is currently in negotiation for national broadcast licensing. Her first fiction feature, Saudade (in development), was selected for Cinéma en Développement and won the Producer’s Network Award at the 37th Cinélatino – Rencontres de Toulouse. The project was subsequently showcased at the Cannes Marché du Film as part of the Producer’s Network.          

In branded content, Luiza has directed projects for the BBC and TED in the U.S., including USA Through Film—a Brand USA-sponsored series that won a 2025 Digiday Award. She has also directed visually striking music videos such as Tiro no Escuro (MV Bill), Kel Dia (Zubikilla Spencer, featuring Lázaro Ramos, shot in Cape Verde), and Block My Number (Akira Sky, New York). As a producer, she worked on the documentary My Friend Fela, directed by her father Joel Zito Araújo—a celebrated Afro-Brazilian filmmaker internationally recognized for being a powerful black voice in Brazilian cinema. The documentary premiered at IFFR and won awards at É Tudo Verdade, PAFF, FESPACO, and Écrans Noirs. She also produced the feature film O Pai da Rita in co-production with Globo Filmes, and the TV series Encontros com o Cinema Africano, aired by TV Brasil.