João Paulo Cuenca

João Paulo Cuenca is a Brazilian writer and filmmaker. His works have been translated into eight languages and published in twelve countries. He won the Machado de Assis Prize from the National Library in 2017 and was twice a finalist for the Jabuti Prize. He was selected as one of the 39 most prominent young authors in Latin America by the Hay Festival (Bogotá, 2007) and as one of the 20 best young Brazilian writers by Granta Magazine (London, 2012)—the only Brazilian to be part of both selections.

He holds a degree in Economics from UFRJ (2002) and a Master's in Literary Theory and Comparative Literature from FFLCH/USP (2022). With six published books, including fiction and chronicles, he has been a columnist for outlets such as O Globo, Folha de São Paulo, and The Intercept. He worked as a culture commentator on GloboNews TV Network between 2008 and 2014. His career includes curating Book Biennials in Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, and giving lectures at universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Sorbonne, as well as at literary and film festivals worldwide.

His first feature film, "The Death of J.P. Cuenca," participated in the first workshop of the Biennale College - Cinema Project, organized by the Venice Film Festival. The film premiered worldwide in the main competition at CPH:DOX in Denmark and was selected for more than 15 festivals worldwide, including BAFICI (Argentina), New Horizons (Poland), and Nouveau Cinéma (Canada). He is currently editing his second film, a Portuguese production by "O Som e a Fúria" about evangelical Brazil.

As a screenwriter, he has written for channels such as TV Globo, Arte 1, and HBO, and is the author of the feature film "Subterrânea," selected for the Tiradentes Film Festival in 2021. In September 2024, he participated in the 3rd Film Accelerator with Werner Herzog and Peter Zeitlinger, having been selected among directors from 47 countries.