About Nanci Cruz
https://alicecao.co.uk/
https://bridiesmith.carbonmade.com/
Born in Lisbon, Portugal, and moved to Spain with my family at a very young age, where I grew up and graduated in high school with a focus on arts and humanities. In 2003, I began my first degree in Linguistics and English at university, followed by a year dedicated to a diploma program in production and direction for film and television. From 2011 to 2015, I developed my skills in acting and directing in London.
In 2019, I earned a BA in Film Studies from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, where I completed my major project, "Contemporary Ibero-American Productions and Their Distribution in the Film Industry Compared with Hollywood." During my studies, I not only produced my projects but also assisted emerging filmmakers and directors.
I have served since 2016 as the creative director and workshop facilitator at Next Move Arts, a graduate hub platform designed to provide film industry professionals at their start with valuable opportunities to acquire practical skills. In this role, I develop and lead workshops that empower participants to enhance their expertise and succeed in their careers within the film industry.
I have previously worked as a content producer for the Student Union at Anglia Ruskin University and have volunteered at various film festivals across the UK and Europe, including the Cambridge Film Festival, Watersprite, BFI, Berlinale, IFFR, FEST- New Directors, and Sundance London.
Between 2018 and 2020, I collaborated with Balik Arts as a facilitator for Skill Reels film documentary workshops for young students from Turkey, while also managing a location for a Turkish film crew. I have served as a jury curator for Taste of Anatolia (Balik Arts) and The Galactic Imaginarium Sci-Fi Film Festival in Romania.
From 2020 to 2021, I was a Content Editor/Producer for Little Dot Studios and a Community Manager for Jellysmack, continuing to freelance as a content producer and moderator on social media platforms. I graduated in 2021 with a Merit award from the M.A. in Film Distribution and Marketing at Birmingham City University (BCU).
Since then, I have worked in film distribution for various UK companies as a PR and marketing professional, as well as in pre- and post-production for films and the international distribution of trailers for clients such as Universal, Disney, and Netflix.
Currently, I reside in Lisbon, Portugal, where I am pursuing a PhD in Art Media and Communication at Lusófona University.
My professional goal is to create a fairer and more decentralized system for media and film that provides access to culture and art for everyone, regardless of their location. I believe that art, culture, and media resources can and should be available to all, making them accessible both physically and financially.
I am fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, and I have a basic proficiency in French and Italian.
