Escrever Cinema
Escrever Cinema was a Portuguese-language Brazilian film magazine known for its auteurist perspective and contributions from film scholars.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Overview
Escrever Cinema, whose name translates into English as “Writing Cinema,” was a Portuguese-language film magazine published in Brazil. Its editorial identity centered on an auteurist approach to cinema, treating films and filmmakers through the lens of directorial authorship, recurring artistic themes, style, and broader film culture rather than focusing only on entertainment news or commercial releases. The publication also featured substantial writing on cinema literature and filmmaking, giving it an academic and critical orientation within the Brazilian film-press landscape. The magazine’s contributors included many Brazilian film scholars. Their participation positioned Escrever Cinema as a forum for criticism, interpretation, and research-oriented discussion of film. The publication appears to have addressed cinema both as an artistic form and as a field of study, connecting critical analysis with questions of film language, authorship, production, and the history of filmmaking. This distinguished it from general-interest movie magazines whose primary emphasis is usually celebrity coverage, reviews for mass audiences, or release promotion. José Carlos Avellar served as the magazine’s chief film critic. Avellar was a prominent Brazilian film critic and writer, and his association with Escrever Cinema is a central part of the magazine’s documented profile. His role reinforced the publication’s emphasis on serious criticism and auteur-centered reading of films. The available reference material does not establish the magazine’s founding date, publisher, circulation, ownership structure, editorial staff beyond its chief critic, or date of cessation. It also does not provide reliable financial, audience, or distribution figures. An official website is listed at escrevercinema.com, but the available material does not confirm whether the site remains actively maintained or whether the magazine continues to publish. Accordingly, Escrever Cinema is best described as a Brazilian film-magazine brand with an uncertain present status, rather than being definitively classified as active or defunct.
History
Escrever Cinema was a Portuguese-language film magazine published in Brazil. Its title can be rendered in English as “Writing Cinema,” a name that reflects the publication’s emphasis on written criticism and interpretation rather than on cinema as a purely commercial entertainment product. The available historical record identifies the magazine primarily through its editorial orientation, contributor base, and connection with Brazilian film criticism. The publication presented an auteurist viewpoint on film. In this tradition of criticism, the director is treated as a principal creative author whose personal style, recurring concerns, visual choices, and body of work can be studied across individual films. Escrever Cinema therefore approached cinema through questions of artistic authorship and interpretation. Its profile suggests a publication concerned with how films are made, how they communicate meaning, and how individual filmmakers contribute to the development of cinematic language. A significant part of the magazine’s character came from its publication of articles by Brazilian film scholars. These contributions addressed cinema literature and filmmaking extensively, giving the magazine a specialized and intellectually oriented position. Rather than being limited to short consumer reviews, Escrever Cinema served as a venue for extended critical and scholarly discussion. Its subject matter connected film appreciation with cinema studies, criticism, and the analysis of production practices. José Carlos Avellar was identified as the magazine’s chief film critic. His participation is important in understanding the publication’s critical standing: Avellar was a recognized Brazilian film critic and writer, and his role associated the magazine with the country’s serious film-criticism tradition. The magazine’s editorial emphasis and contributors indicate an intended readership interested in film history, directors, criticism, theory, and filmmaking rather than only current-release information. The supplied reference sources do not document a precise launch year, the magazine’s publishing frequency, its publisher or corporate owner, print circulation, geographic distribution within Brazil, or a formal closing date. They also do not establish whether the listed website represents an active continuation of the publication or an archival presence. For that reason, the chronology of Escrever Cinema remains incomplete and its current status is recorded as unknown. The magazine is nonetheless clearly documented as a Brazilian Portuguese-language film publication with an auteurist and scholarly identity.
- Publication as a Brazilian film magazine
Escrever Cinema was published in Brazil as a Portuguese-language magazine devoted to film criticism, cinema literature, and filmmaking.
- Development of an auteurist editorial identity
The magazine became associated with an auteurist perspective that emphasized directors, artistic authorship, and the interpretation of films as works of individual creative expression.
- Association with José Carlos Avellar
José Carlos Avellar served as the publication’s chief film critic, linking Escrever Cinema with Brazil’s established film-criticism community.
Products and positioning
A specialist Brazilian film publication positioned around auteurist criticism, scholarly writing, and serious engagement with cinema as an art form and field of study.
Escrever Cinema magazineFilm magazine
The core publication was a Portuguese-language Brazilian film magazine. It presented an auteurist view of cinema and published critical and scholarly material concerning films, directors, cinema literature, and filmmaking. Its editorial profile was oriented toward readers seeking sustained analysis and film studies rather than general entertainment coverage.
Film criticism and scholarly articlesEditorial content
Escrever Cinema featured articles written by Brazilian film scholars and addressed cinema literature and filmmaking extensively. This content formed the publication’s principal intellectual offering, combining film criticism with research-oriented discussion of cinematic authorship, form, history, and production.
Flagship businesses
- Auteurist film criticism
- Brazilian film scholarship and cinema studies
- Articles on film literature and filmmaking
Leadership
| Name | Title | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| José Carlos Avellar | Chief film criticformer | — |
Sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/escrever-cinema · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled