Golden Lens Awards 2019 in Brazil

I travelled to Brazil for the Golden Lens Awards 2019, an annual gathering of filmmakers and photographers from around the world created by the Inspiration Photographers Professional Association.

That year, Cinema of Poetry was nominated across all filmmaking categories. It was already a moment that felt significant, even before the ceremony began.

The Night

The event took place in Itajaí, surrounded by an international community of filmmakers, many of whom I had known only through their work.

Over the course of the evening, four awards were announced for Cinema of Poetry, including:

– Pre-Wedding Film of the Year
– Wedding Film of the Year
– Most Awarded Wedding Filmmaker of the Year
– International Filmmaker of the Year

These recognitions were not tied to a single film, but reflected the work as a whole across the year, including both jury evaluation and peer voting within the community.

Each announcement felt slightly unreal, not so much for the recognition itself, but for the shared experience around it. At some point, I had promised that if I kept going on stage, I would attempt a speech in Portuguese. That eventually happened, with some help from Google Translate.

What I remember more clearly than the awards is the atmosphere, the people, and the sense of being part of something that extended beyond individual work.

A Moment in the Journey

That year was part of a broader period where Cinema of Poetry was named Best International Wedding Filmmaker in the Golden Lens Awards by Inspiration Photographers for three consecutive years, from 2018 to 2020.

What made it meaningful was not only the titles themselves but the consistency behind them, a recognition that extended beyond individual films and reflected the work over time.

Looking back, this was a defining moment, but not in the way it might seem.

Awards were never the goal. They were, at most, a reflection of a certain period, a way of understanding that the work was resonating beyond its immediate context.

What stayed with me over time was something quieter: the relationships, the conversations, and a growing awareness of where I wanted to take the work next.

Further Recognition

A broader overview of awards and international recognition for Cinema of Poetry can be found here:

→ Wedding Videography Awards