Portugal was the Guest of Honour at the 2025 Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG), held from 6 to 14 June in the Mexican city. Between films in competition and an extended retrospective, the programme featured 38 Portuguese films, including fiction shorts and features, animation and documentary.
“Portugal is a country defined by a very diverse cinema, with a unique signature. A signature shaped by the remarkable freedom with which everyone creates” stated Luís Chaby Vaz, Film Commissioner and President of the Portuguese Film and Audiovisual Institute (ICA), at the festival’s opening ceremony, highlighting the significance of Portugal being the Guest of Honour at this 40th edition.
As part of the festival’s official programme, the Museo de Ciencias Ambientales hosted an exhibition dedicated to My Grandfather’s Demons, the first Portuguese stop motion feature film. The exhibition showcased the sets and characters that brought this animation to life, a project supported by Pic Portugal — Cash Rebate Incentive.
Also worth noting were the Portuguese-led activities held on 7 June: alongside the exhibition’s inauguration, the Cineteca FICG’s café-concert hosted a co-production meeting between Portuguese and Latin American producers, followed by a Portugal-themed cocktail reception. The evening continued with culinary creations by chefs Kiko and Óscar Garza, blending Portuguese and Mexican flavours, and a musical performance by Fado Bicha.
Portugal in Guadalajara
Throughout the nine-day event, hundreds of participants attended talks and masterclasses delivered by Nuno Beato, João Gonzalez, Regina Pessoa, Maria de Medeiros and Paulo Branco. On 14 June, the closing ceremony paid tribute to Maria de Medeiros in recognition of her distinguished career in cinema as both an actress and director.
The Portugal Film Commission and ICA were also present at the Guadalajara Film Market, where the Portugal stand served as a meeting point for Portuguese and international industry professionals. Manuel Carvalho, Portugal’s Ambassador to Mexico City, attended the market’s opening and actively participated in the festival, marking the occasion of the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Portugal and Mexico, being commemorated in 2024.
As part of the Portuguese presence at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, Portuguese professionals also sat on juries in several competitive sections, two Portuguese projects were presented at pitching sessions, and the Portugal is Art exhibition introduced audiences to the remarkable diversity of Portuguese landscapes.
