To strengthen Brazil’s presence in Cannes this year, São Paulo’s public audiovisual company Spusin is building strategic partnerships to promote the city as a competitive film and television center on the international stage, as well as supporting six national films in different sections and programs of the festival.
Spasin’s participation in Cannes is part of the internationalization strategy of São Paulo’s audiovisual industry. These efforts, led by Mr. Supcin, include institutional support, facilitating the international distribution of works, and strengthening São Paulo’s production chains. By 2026, the company plans to invest approximately 60 million reais ($11.8 million) in the audiovisual sector, including development, production and distribution.
On Monday, Mr. Spucin participated in a panel discussion at the Marché du Film aimed at continuing the Hubert Valls Foundation + Brazil (HBF+Brazil) development support initiative, together with Brazilian partners Projeto Paradiso, Riofilm and Embratour.
A lively week continues at Species on the Croisette, including special presentations, events, screenings, panel discussions, soirées and more. Highlights included a panel discussion focused on local audiovisual production in partnership with the São Paulo state government.
“Spacine came to Cannes with a clear mission: to promote São Paulo’s audiovisual industry on the international stage and to create concrete opportunities for São Paulo’s companies and talent,” said Spacine’s President Anna Paula Montini. “Our efforts aim to strengthen the city as a global and competitive hub for the co-production, development and distribution of audiovisual works.”
This year, Spcine will directly support the participation of 12 São Paulo-based companies in the Cannes market, as well as enable the participation of 10 professionals selected by the ICAB Next Frame program, an initiative aimed at expanding the international reach of audiovisual talent. Participants are holding a strategy meeting at the Marché du Film.
Spascene is also a sponsor of Cinema do Brasil. Cinema do Brasil has an intensive schedule of organizational and market meetings with representatives of producers, distributors, sales agents and international foundations. Planned activities include meetings with representatives from India, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Uruguay and Colombia.
Supasin likewise partners with international organizations such as the South African National Film and Video Foundation to support joint development and the continuation of ongoing efforts. These programs arrived in Cannes with selected and supported projects, and the current goal is to expand their scope.
The organization is currently supporting six Brazilian films and projects selected for various sections and programs at Cannes. They include Avinash Bikram Shah’s debut feature film “Elephants in the Mist,” co-produced by São Paulo-based production company Enquadramento Produções, and will be screened in “Un Certain Regard.”
Nina Kopko’s project The Last Dog on Earth is a dystopian feature set in São Paulo and produced by Boulevard Films, and is part of this year’s Fabrique Cinema support program. The production company received investment from Spcine in 2023 through a Creative Hubs grant.
Goes to Cannes’ work-in-progress showcase features Fabio Mendonça’s The Character, produced by AMAIA Produções, and Jefelson de’s Carolina Maria de Jesus, a Brazilian-French co-production with the participation of the renowned São Paulo-based production company Dezenove Som e Imagens (Good Manners).
Lucas Archer’s short film “Laser-Gato”, shot in São Paulo by a São Paulo-based production company, is part of La Sinéf’s showcase, while Rosa Caldeira and Nye Mendl’s short project “Ladinha” (“The Sea Remains”) is included in Focus Scripts’ mentoring program.
Monday will focus on the continuation of HBF+Brazil’s efforts following the success of its pilot. HBF+Brazil, founded last year by four of Brazil’s major industry support organizations and the Rotterdam Film Festival’s Hubert Valls Foundation, has awarded grants of 10,000 euros ($11,627) each to 10 Brazilian feature film projects, reflecting the diversity of contemporary Brazilian audiovisual production.
The event on Monday afternoon will discuss the results of the first HBF+ Brazil program and the launch of the second edition, in which 11 new projects were selected. These include four São Paulo-related projects supported by Spcine, four Rio de Janeiro-related projects supported by RioFilme, one project from another region of the country supported by Projeto Paradiso, and two projects outside Rio and São Paulo supported by Embratur.
The first HBF+Brazil panel features Montini. Leonardo Edde, president of Riofilm. Cristiano Braga, Head of Audiovisual at Embratour, and Josephine Bourgois, Executive Director of Projeto Paradiso. Follow-up discussions will also include Tamara Tatishvili, Director of the Hubert Valls Foundation. Frank Hoeve of Amsterdam-based Baldr Film; Ivan Melo from CUP Filmes in São Paulo and Tatiana Leite from Bubbles Project in Rio de Janeiro.
Matinee Brasil, organized by RioFilme, SPCine, Embratur, Festival do Rio, Globo and the Audiovisual Secretariat of the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, is scheduled for early Monday. The event will consist of a series of talks and presentations about the Brazilian audiovisual industry and supporting organizations.
In addition, ABRASIA and Cinema do Brasil will host a presentation entitled “Brazil-Japan: Building new bridges through international co-production” to commemorate the 130th anniversary of Japan-Brazil co-production and cultural cooperation. This panel will bring together producers and educational institutions to showcase ongoing collaborations and explore new avenues for co-audiovisual development, co-production and storytelling across both regions.
