Tribeca Festival Lisboa concluded its second edition on Saturday with a troupe of American talent including Meg Ryan, Kim Cattrall, Edie Falco, Giancarlo Esposito, Ed Westwick, Daniela Rua, Piper Perabo and her husband, director Stephen Kay.
Co-organizers Tribeca Enterprises and Portuguese media group Impreza said they were pleased that the spirit of the New York festival was bringing fresh energy to the Portuguese film and television sector.
“Back in 2002, we thought we’d only do one festival, but we’re 25 years old now!” said Tribeca co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal.
“Continuous learning is what turns any festival into a living organism, and we look forward to further offering our expertise here, especially through our mentorship program.”
“Like New York, Lisbon is a very cosmopolitan city, and I feel very at home here. I myself have ties to Portugal from my childhood in Providence, Rhode Island, where one of the most famous senators was Claiborne Pell, whose father served as the U.S. ambassador to Portugal. Of course, I was lucky to grow up around great Portuguese bakeries!”
Impreza Chief Executive Officer Francisco Pedro Balseman explained that following the success of Tribeca Lisboa, and following Tribeca’s two participations in New York, he would like to organize a year-long program of Tribeca-related initiatives and incorporate related mentoring expertise into Impreza Group’s broader production strategy. The Tribeca neighborhood itself is also an important part of New York’s festivals. ”
The various outcomes of the connection between Tribeca and Lisbon were highlighted at the second festival. Among them is Chaz Parmentilli, who participated in last year’s documentary A Bronx Tale: The Original One Man Show and is now back in Lisbon for his first live performance of his show outside the United States.
“This year’s event has been upgraded,” explains Tony Gonsalves, a former AT&T executive who is one of the fest’s executive producers. “We changed from a one-size-fits-all festival pass to individual ticketing, and most of our films were sold out.”
“There are a lot of resonances between New York City and Tribeca,” said Carla Cusumano, Tribeca’s festival director and senior vice president of programming. “Our flagship event has met the needs of both the city and local industry, and we see the potential for Tribeca Festival Lisboa to do the same.”
Held from October 30th to November in Lisbon’s Beato Innovation District. Tribeca Lisboa screened five films from the main Tribeca festival in one day, along with other American independent films and Portuguese films.
“The timing of this festival is perfect to raise awareness leading up to awards season,” Cusumano says. “The premiere of Anora in Portugal last year definitely got us noticed.”
Julian Schnabel’s “In the Hand of Dante” opened this year’s festival, which included a memorial to Impreza Group founder Francisco Pinto Balseman, who passed away on October 21st.
Other titles not previously screened at Tribeca in New York include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia and Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut Eleanor the Great. Mexican director Michel Franco attended the Portuguese premiere of “Dreams”.
Two films in Tribeca’s New York lineup have direct ties to Portugal: Lillian T. Merrell’s dark comedy “Honeyjune,” which was shot in the Azores, and Alberto Arebero’s Spain-to-Portugal road movie “All We Cannot See.”
Winner of Tribeca’s $1 million AT&T 2024 Untold Stories Award, “Honeyjoon” was produced by Portuguese producer Andreia Nunez and had its world premiere at Tribeca in June. “I feel like I’ve come very full circle,” Merrell explained. “It’s so rewarding to see a film based on my first trip to the Azores and inspired by real life, real grief and real love celebrated in New York and now here.”
Foreign talents who attended the event praised Portugal. Meg Ryan said she wanted to travel to Nazareth after watching Chris Smith’s documentary series “100 Foot Waves” featuring Garrett McNamara. “Are those waves real?” she asked.
The event also served to showcase the growing international interest in Portuguese film and television, and one of the highlights was a discussion about Netflix’s “Turn of the Tide,” starring director Augusto Fraga and a leading cast including José Condesa and veteran actor Joaquín d’Almeida. Almeida recently returned to Portugal after a 40-year career in Hollywood. The actor, who speaks five languages fluently, confessed that he gets more nervous when acting in his native language.
Other Portuguese films screened during the festival included Antonio Ferreira’s colonial war drama The Smell of Memories, Duarte Neves’ feature debut The Match, and Fernando Vendrell’s aviation pioneer drama Alem do Horizonte – A Travesia, based on Fernando Vendrell’s Star Sailors series.
Casting directors Cindy Tran, Lucy Bevan and Patricia Vasconcelos delivered masterclasses and held a series of casting sessions with Portuguese actors in preparation for the Casting Festival Passaporte Lisbon in November.
Vasconcelos, who organized this year’s lecture, said he was pleased to be able to organize a wide range of topics, including how to take advantage of Portugal’s tax incentives. The podcast was curated by Joanna Beleza, who invited a variety of well-known podcasters to the festival, allowing it to reach beyond the fest’s direct audience.
Latvian producer Mattis Kaza spoke about making Flow, which won the 2025 Academy Award for Animated Feature, and how small countries like Latvia and Portugal can put together international co-productions.
Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon, concluded by saying that he is happy to host this year’s event. “I want to create dynamism and dreams in our city, and Tribeca is an integral part of that dream.”
