Classic film bloggers Letícia Magalhães of Crítica Retro and I are reuniting to co-host the 2026 Luso World Cinema Blogathon! Together we founded the only blogathon devoted to exploring the cinematic contributions and portrayals of Lusophones and their descendants to world cinema. We are committed to keeping it an annual event, and we hope that you’ll help us. We are seeking participants and readers. Both groups are vital to making the blogathon a success. Keep reading to learn more about the 2026 Luso World Cinema Blogathon!
When is the 2026 Luso World Cinema Blogathon?
The 2026 Luso World Cinema Blogathon runs Friday, June 19 through Sunday, June 21. Last year we moved it to June 19 in honor of the Brazilian movie AINDA ESTOU AQUI / I’M STILL HERE (2024). June 19 is Dia do Cinema Brasileiro / Brazilian Cinema Day, a celebration marking the first day anyone committed images of Brazil to film. We kept the same start day for this year because it worked well last time and remains symbolic.
Who can participate?
We welcome anyone who is passionate about movies and creates pieces about them. While we use the word blogathon, your submission doesn’t have to be a traditional blog post. Podcasters and vloggers have participated previously. It would be cool to expand the blogathon to Tiktok or Ghost. Creators publish via their own site or account. If you need Letícia or myself to host a guest post on our blogs, let us know. We only ask that written posts are proofed and edited and that you make sure any supplied visual elements fall under Fair Use.
What types of posts do you accept?
We accept a wide range of posts! Really you’re only limited by your imagination and interests. We receive mostly movie reviews and profiles of creatives. I’ve submitted a pictorial post and an interview before. Listicles can be fun and educational. Personal pieces are rarer because of the topic. The majority of participants usually don’t have Lusophone / Lusitanic heritage.
Who or what can I write about?
As long as your subject relates to Lusophones or Lusitanics or their descendants in some way, then your subject fits the 2026 Luso World Cinema Blogathon’s theme. To put it most simply, Lusophones are people who speak Portuguese. Lusitanic means someone or something from the Portuguese speaking cultures of the world.
You could focus on a creative working in front of or behind the camera, a narrative film featuring at least one Lusitanic character, a movie set in Lusophone country, a documentary featuring a relevant topic, and more. You do not have to stick to the classic film era.
Luso erasure & how you can help
If you are profiling an American Lusophone or an American Lusophone descendant, you might not find any mention of their heritage outside of specialty publications. For example, did you know that Jasmine Guy is “half” Portuguese? Probably not, unless you have the same heritage or live in the South Coast of Massachusetts. Lusophones are such a niche topic outside of areas of historical settlement, reporters are unlikely to have any awareness of their heritage or not think it worth covering. The first is accidental Luso erasure, and the second is intentional.
Luso erasure occurs even with subjects originally from outside the United States. For Black History Month this year, I programmed INTRUDER IN THE DUST (1949) for my film club. I introduce my selections to members, so I read up on them beforehand. Multiple sources talked about Juano Hernández’s Puerto Rican and Afro-Latino heritage. Fewer sources mentioned that his mother was Brazilian. Gwenda Young‘s excellent biography, CLARENCE BROWN*, was one of the exceptions. Hernández was Hispanic AND Lusitanic, but to the average writer only his Hispanic heritage was of interest.
When you participate in the 2026 Luso World Cinema Blogathon, you’re helping to end the erasure. When you mention the Lusophone connection of your subject in your piece, you’re likely making your audience aware of that connection for the first time. You are literally increasing the available material others can access, learn from, and enjoy. So thank you for wanting to highlight Lusitanics, their films, their achivements, and their portrayals!
How to sign up?
It’s super easy to sign up! Comment below with your name, your blog’s name, its link, and your topic. Would you like us to tag you on social media when we make our promotional pushes? Drop your handle in your comment as well. If you know your desired publication date, you can share that. If you work closer to deadlines, you’re welcome to let us know your publication date later. Letícia and I will update our announcement posts to show participants and taken subjects.
2026 Luso World Cinema Blogathon Banners
Please use our blogathon banners on your posts and link them back to this announcement post. You’ll find a fun assortment to choose from here.
*FTC Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link, this blogger will receive a commission.
