This year’s Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes took place from 12 to 20 May at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, in Cannes. The Portugal Film Commission once again participated in what is widely regarded as the world’s leading market for the film industry, in an edition that brought together around 16.000 participants from more than 140 countries.
The stand shared by the Portugal Film Commission and the Portuguese Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual (ICA) served as a meeting and working point for Portuguese professionals, while also providing a space where the team promoted Portugal and informed international industry representatives interested in learning more about the Portuguese film and audiovisual sector.
As part of the Marché du Film programme, two co-production networking events were organised on the morning of 17 May: one with Italy, in partnership with the Italian Film Commissions and Cinecittà, and another with Brazil, in collaboration with Cinema do Brasil. These initiatives aimed to create opportunities for the exchange of experiences and contacts, with a view to fostering future co-productions between Portugal and these countries.
The Portugal Film Commission also took part once again in the Producers Network Brunch organised by the European Film Commission Network (EUFCN), held on 13 May at the Producers Club. The event provided an excellent opportunity to promote both the Portugal Film Commission and the country, allowing the team to engage with and further develop relationships with eight international producers.
Five Portuguese productions were featured at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The highlight was Aquí, the feature film directed by Tiago Guedes, which premiered in the Cannes Première section on 18 May. Supported by the Cash Rebate Incentive, the film is based on Jesus Trilogy by J. M. Coetzee, who also attended the festival.
The short film A Few Things Happening by a River, directed by Daniel Soares, was selected for the Official Short Film Competition; Red Rocks, directed by Bruno Dumont, was screened in the Directors’ Fortnight; while Lúcido, directed by Vier, had its world premiere in the Immersive Competition. The short film Where Fireflies Sparkle, directed by Clara Vieira, was presented in La Cinef, the section dedicated to films from film schools.
