The filmmaker and artist from Minas Gerais gives a statement on occasion of his participation in the 2013 Southern Panoramas competitive show, during the Festival’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Lobato has taken part in the event, on and off, since its 13th edition. He describes the Festival’s impact on his generation of video artists, to whom the event has become a kind of region, a place of exchange and a venue at which to “feel one’s work in the world.” He reminisces on collaborations with Eder Santos and Cao Guimarães, and other encounters at the Festival. Regarding his first participation, in 2001, he tells of the challenges faced on making the video Cerrar a Porta, in which he recorded his grandfather dying. According to him, this experience afforded him a better grasp of the artwork-author relationship. He also touches on the importance of the documentary format throughout his career, and reflects on the political, economic and cultural dynamics of the art scene, likening them to those of cinema and video. He also speaks out on Teia, a group born out of the need to make his and his colleagues’ productions viable.