Spcine, the public audiovisual development agency affiliated with the Municipal Secretary of Culture of the City of São Paulo, is set to participate in the upcoming edition of the Cannes Film Festival with a series of initiatives aimed at highlighting the São Paulo film scene and fostering cultural and commercial exchange.
A delegation consisting of five audiovisual professionals from São Paulo, including directors, producers, and screenwriters, is participating in the activities of the Marché. They are Issis Valenzuela, filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter; Mariana Luiza, filmmaker; Rodrigo Santos Sousa, filmmaker; Raul Perez, audiovisual producer; and Wellington Amorim, audiovisual producer. Moreover, Spcine has partnered with Cinema do Brasil for this participation in Cannes, which is bringing 60 Brazilian companies to this important international event. This initiative represents a significant step towards the promotion and internationalization of Brazilian cinema, providing unique opportunities for networking, business, and visibility for our talents and film productions.
Spcine will also be present at AfroCannes 2024, a prominent event taking place during the Cannes Film Festival on May 16th and 17th. Organized by the Yanibes institution, AfroCannes celebrates diversity and inclusion in African and Afro-diasporic cinema. On May 17th, the theme will be "Act Local and Think Global", discussing financing, collaboration, and the development of authentic stories while focusing on film projects from South-South collaboration. On this date, Spcine will participate in the panel "Brazil: African Natives And African Diaspora Outreach", featuring Lyara Oliveira, the company's president, Luiz Toledo, director of Investments and Strategic Partnerships, with moderation by David Nzinga, actor and currently a producer at Warner Bros.
During the "Spotlight on Asia"' (May 18th and 19th), an event dedicated to promoting and integrating Asian cinema, Spcine will present the Film Attraction Program to the City and State of São Paulo - Cash Rebate - during the funding session for participating producers. Additionally, four São Paulo-based production companies, Sato Company, Barry Company, and Glaz Entretenimento, will also be present at the event. This initiative underscores Spcine's commitment to promoting and developing national and international cinema, while the 'Spotlight on Asia' provides a platform to explore the trends, techniques, and narratives that define film production in the region, highlighting its growing global impact and rich cultural and creative diversity.
As part of its commitment to promoting Brazilian cinema internationally, Spcine is supporting the participation of two films in the festival: "Baby," directed by Marcelo Caetano in the Critics' Week, and "Motel Destino," directed by Karim Aïnouz and co-produced by Gullane Entreteniment, competing in the Official Selection. “Baby" was also granted funding through the 2019 Low-budget Feature Film Production Call, with additional support from the São Paulo Film Commission for filming in São Paulo. Considering the involvement of the São Paulo-based production company, Gullane Entretenimento, Spcine will support the internationalization of the film "Motel Destino" for the Cannes Film Festival.
Lyara Oliveira, president of Spcine considered the selection of the film a milestone in the organization's strategy: “The selection of 'Baby' for the Critics' Week in Cannes and the support provided to Gullane Entreteniment demonstrate the importance of Spcine's public policies for audiovisual promotion and incentive in achieving positive results and representing Brazilian cinema internationally," commented.
The Spcine team will conduct strategic meetings with producers from European, Latin American, Asian, and African countries, aiming to explore co-production and collaboration opportunities. In addition to meetings with international players, Spcine is also included in the Cinema do Brasil program, an export program of SIAESP supported by Spcine. During the Cannes event, Cinema do Brasil will hold co-production meetings with various countries, including South Africa, Colombia, Spain, and Portugal, as well as meetings with financing funds and representatives from festivals such as the Hubert Bals Fund, SXSW, and Aide Aux Cinema du Monde. To complement the market meetings, company representatives will participate in a meeting with Ibermedia, a program promoting co-production of fiction and documentary films among Ibero-American countries, which includes 23 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Finally, on May 20th, Spcine, in partnership with the National Film and Video Foundation (NVFV) of South Africa, announces a call for projects focused on Afro-diasporic themes during the Producers Network event, a program for selected international producers at the Marché du Film. The event will feature the presentation of the call for projects and will include co-production dialogues between Brazil and Africa, led by Elias Ribeiro and Kurt Oderson. This partnership between Spcine and NFVF began at the Berlinale in 2023, following an exchange of experiences. From that moment, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two institutions at the Durban Film Mart in 2023, resulting in the upcoming call for projects The call will select four projects, two from São Paulo and two from South Africa, to receive a grant of US$20,000 each. The investment in these projects, reflecting on the journeys of the African diaspora, aims to provide opportunities for filmmakers from São Paulo and South Africa.
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