Following a history-making first Oscar win for the country with Walter Salles’s “I’m Still Here,” Brazil continues to pick up momentum as this year’s Country of Honor at the Marché du Film, which runs alongside the 78th Festival de Cannes from May 13-21. The market has just announced a series of events to celebrate the country in Cannes, including a panel on the country’s audiovisual ecosystem featuring Minister of Culture Margareth Menezes and a focused Co-Production Day connecting ten Brazilian producers to French counterparts through a series of curated meetings.
The honor also marks a fast growth in attendance for Brazilian industry players at the Marché, with a whopping 50% increase from previous years. This boost signals how Brazilian organizations are keen to bank on the country’s momentum, with subsidies made available to attendees via the country’s Ministry of Culture, as well as companies such as Projeto Paradiso, the only philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting Brazil’s audiovisual industry.
Speaking with Variety, the Executive Director of Marché du Film Guillaume Esmiol highlights how Brazil is “now the leading Latin American territory” at the event, “with the fastest regional growth in recent years.”
“Brazilian professionals are actively participating in screenings, networking events, conferences, and key market programs, reflecting a strong, long-term commitment to the international scene,” he adds. “The country’s presence in major international festivals and markets has also been steadily rising, further confirming Brazil’s position as a growing force on the global stage – and this year, their presence in Cannes will be more visible than ever.”
Organized by the Ministry of Culture of Brazil, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (through the Guimarães Rosa Institute and the Brazilian Embassy in Paris) and ApexBrasil, Brazil’s participation in Cannes, will play a key part in the Brazil-France Season, a cultural initiative celebrating 200 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Margareth Menezes, the country’s Minister of Culture, will be at Cannes to take part in industry events, with her presence also confirmed at the Marché’s opening night, hosted by the country of honor and “inviting attendees to experience an unforgettable evening infused with Brazilian culture and festivities.”
“One of our foundations since President Lula reinstated the Ministry of Culture is a strategic vision of culture as an economic pillar that can generate jobs, income, and market competitiveness,” Menezes tells Variety, emphasizing the strategic goals of having Brazil featured prominently at one of the most important film events in the world. “We will introduce new international co-production initiatives and have supported 33 industry professionals to attend the Marché.”
Courtesy of Marché du Film
Throughout the event, Brazilian filmmakers, producers, and industry talents will feature prominently across several of the Marché du Film’s key programs, including Producers Network, bringing five promising Brazilian producers to exclusive breakfast meetings for networking and Cannes Docs, with the presentation of four Brazilian docs-in-progress.
Goes to Cannes, organzed in partnership with Festival do Rio and the Marché du Film will showcase fiction works-in-progress to potential sales agents, distributors and programmers,including a new feature from Berlinale Teddy winner Daniel Almeida and another movie backed by soccer star Vinincius Jr.
At Cannes Makers, two rising Brazilian professionals will take part in an intensive mentoring & training program, designed for the future leaders in international sales.
The country will also host three conference panels looking into its booming audiovisual sector. Speakers include Secretary of Audiovisual Joelma Gonzaga, the Brazilian Ambassador in France Ricardo Neiva Tavares, Director of Productive Development, Innovation and Foreign Trade at Brazil’s National Development Bank José Luiz Gordon, Spcine President Lyara Oliveira, RioFilme President Leonardo Edde, and the secretary of Culture of the State of Ceará, Luisa Cela.
Brazilian representatives will be available at the Palais des Festivals for anyone eager to explore new collaborations. Dedicated booths include Cinema do Brasil, São Paulo Cinema & Audiovisual Company (Spcine), and Rio de Janeiro Film Commission (RioFilme). These spaces will offer insights into co-production incentives, funding opportunities and partnership prospects within Brazil’s dynamic audiovisual sector.
The full schedule of activities celebrating Brazil as Country of Honor at Marché du Film can be found here. Past countries of honor include Switzerland in 2024, Spain in 2023 and India in 2022.
