The Screenwriter Apprentice Blog (http://aprendizderoteirista.wordpress.com) is on-line since the beginning of 2008 and opened for the participation of everyone interested by this theme.

The proposition of the space idealized and conducted by moviemaker Elza Cataldo is to foment reflections about the creation process of a movie screenplay. Director and screenwriter Newton Cannito writes on the blog and can significantly enrich the exchange of ideas with the participants.

It is usually found that the cinematographic production in Brazil demands better refinement in the elaboration of screenplays to stimulate a quality leap in the sector. From that comes the importance to offer new opportunities to the professionals that wish to participate of this project.

Persona Films has been acting in this direction, with the accomplishment of the Cineport Laboratory of Screenplays and now with the launch of the Screenwriter Apprentice.

The screenwriter Newton Cannito will work with director Elza Cataldo in the final touches of the screenplay of the film “The Queen’s Orphans”, the new motion picture project of Persona Films. Cannito is the author of, among other successful projects, the screenplay for “City of Men”, an O2 Films production with Globo Network.

“The Queen’s Orphans”, in phase of obtainment of resources, is mainly a film about intolerance. It approaches the historical moment that marks the visit of the Holy Office to Brazil. The plot is presented from the path of tree New-Christians sisters that live under the inquisitor arms of Portugal at the end of the XVI century.

The process of preparation of the motion picture passes through the accomplishments of documentaries and of a wide historical investigation which includes iconography, customs, and linguistics. On this context, it has been produced the documentary “The Saint Visitation” that portraits the first visitation of the Holy Office on the Brazilian lands. The preparation cycle will unfold itself on the beginning of the next year with the shooting of the documentary “White Gold” which will track the beginning of sugar mills in Brazil.

The short film “The Actress’s Crime” came out victorious from the 2007 International Cinema Exhibit of Sao Paulo. The movie directed by Elza Cataldo, received the Jury Award for Best Brazilian Short film, Peoples’ Award and Teleimage Award that offers services of final touches for the next work to be accomplished by the moviemaker.

The jury pointed out the technical excellence that was able to tell with greatness the instigation story in reduced format. Also, they pointed out the “impacting aesthetics” of the adaptation of the short story of a Russian for the late XIX century in Brazil. Shot in the Theatre of Sabara, a city in Minas Gerais, the well humorous story of the monkey business of an actress to show her talent amazed and enchanted the audience.

In the award ceremony, Elza Cataldo remembered that the production was able to be shot because of the program “Film in Minas”, of the State Department of Culture with Cemig. Emotional, Elza Cataldo mentioned her own transition of exhibitioner to moviemaker, a path that many considered unusual. The motion picture “Rose Wine” and the short “The Actress’s Crime” proved the success of her path.