Catarina Boieiro and Stefanie Baumann are appointed co-directors of Doc’s Kingdom, in the year that marks the 25th anniversary since the creation of the International Seminar on Documentary Film. The pair take over from Marcia Mansur, who successfully implemented the arrival of Doc’s Kingdom in Odemira over the last two years, opening the seminar to new participants and filmographies.
Catarina Boieiro has collaborated with Doc’s Kingdom since 2021, where she has coordinated projects and partnerships since 2023, particularly contributing to the Seminar’s editorial and pedagogical dimensions. Her professional trajectory has been focused on thought and creation around the documentary image, through exhibitions and editorial projects, as well as the production and distribution of non-fiction films. Stefanie Baumann has been collaborating with Doc’s Kingdom since 2019, as a moderator, editor or Dear Doc program tutor. A researcher, lecturer and author, she established the research group “Thinking Documentary Film” (at IFILNOVA/New University of Lisbon), which she coordinates until today.
Thanks to her strategic vision and human qualities, Marcia Mansur‘s contribution will leave a definitive mark on future editions of the Seminar. Excited about new professional prospects, she leaves Doc’s Kingdom with pride on the work that has been done: “Bringing the seminar to Odemira ahead of its 25th anniversary, while carrying forward its legacy and shaping its future, has been an honor. Thanks to Apordoc, the team, and all the artists who made it happen. Here’s to 25 years of Doc’s Kingdom—and what’s next!”
Regarding the new co-direction, the board of Apordoc — Association for Documentary shows total confidence in the Seminar’s future: “Apordoc thanks Marcia Mansur for her commitment and vision for Doc’s Kingdom, and welcomes the new board. We are sure that Catarina Boieiro and Stefanie Baumann will continue the rich legacy of this seminar, bringing new ways of imagining its horizons. They both bring very valuable experiences so that Doc’s Kingdom continues to be an open community for thinking and discussing cinema.”
Catarina Boieiro and Stefanie Baumann, embrace the challenge to lead the Seminar collaboratively: “Bringing together an array of people, films and ways of thinking from diverse backgrounds, Doc’s Kingdom has been a precious place of encounter to us. We are deeply grateful to the past directors, collaborators and participants, whose commitment and sensitivity shaped the seminar over the years. As co-directors, in a constant horizontal dialogue, we aim to honor this legacy by preserving both its intimate atmosphere and its critical spirit. Looking back at the last 25 years, we see continuity and experimentation as intertwined. We look forward to uphold the Seminar’s rituals—between screenings, debates, and encounters—while exploring new dares, through marginalised works, bold formats, and timely discussions on cinema’s role in a crisis-laden world.”
The next edition of the Seminar will take place in Odemira, in November 2025. The annual international open call for programmers will be launched soon in March.
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Biographies
Catarina Boieiro has a master’s degree in art theory and visual culture from EHESS – École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, in Paris, and a bachelor’s degree from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Université Paris VIII. She works as an independent producer, curator and researcher. In collaboration with Raquel Schefer, she curated the exhibition Generalized Visual Resistance: Photobooks and Liberation Movements, whose catalog will soon be published. Through Stenar Projects, she has accompanied the production and distribution of films by artists such as Ana Vaz, Filipa César, Deborah Stratman. She has presented her projects at LE BAL, Festival Punto de Vista, Círculo de Bellas Artes, Les Rencontres d’Arles, Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art, Galerias Municipais de Lisboa, Batalha Centro de Cinema, Encuentro Cine Cauce.
Stefanie Baumann completed a PhD in philosophy in 2013, with a thesis on Walid Raad’s artistic project, The Atlas Group, and has taught philosophy, aesthetics and contemporary art theory, at the University of Paris VIII, Ashkal Alwan and ALBA – Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts/University of Balamand (Beirut), Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV (Cuba) and Maumaus Independent Study Program (Lisbon). She also collaborates periodically with filmmakers and artists such as Marie Voignier and Mounira al Solh.