Curtas Pro was the program of the 32nd Curtas Vila do Conde IFF for industry professionals, which took place from July 15th to 17th, 2024. It was three intense days of activities, networking, cooperation and project creation. Curtas Pro was also an opportunity to establish contacts with other specialists in the sector, share knowledge and look for potential partners. The event provided an environment conducive to the presentation of projects, pitching sessions and informal contacts with a view to internationalization, with the aim of boosting co-production and establishing collaborations between Portuguese and international producers. Curtas Pro also offered an overview of the funding options accessible through the Creative Europe program.

Recognizing the remarkable success of Portuguese animated cinema and the emergence of internationally recognized talents in this field, Curtas Pro dedicated a space to the presentation of new projects. The aim was to encourage new professional interactions between European animation film producers and distributors, in order to create co-production possibilities for projects still in the early stages of development (shorts and feature films), through meetings and networking moments to present projects. Through dedicated pitching sessions, directors and producers presented their projects, followed by a question session and meetings with other professionals.

An overview of the new funding opportunities supported by the Creative Europe program, with a focus on productions, was given by Susana Costa Pereira (Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Portugal).

The following projects were selected for this activity:

· AMARELO BANANA, Alexandre Sousa (Portugal, Hungary)

· LIMBO, Patrícia Figueiredo (Portugal)

· PORTO2000, Matilde Camacho (Portugal)

· SPERANSA, Nuno Beato (Portugal)

· TALVEZ NÃO HAJA NADA AQUI (THERE MIGHT BE NOTHING HERE), Natália Azevedo Andrade (Portugal)

This program was promoted in collaboration with the Creative Europe Information Centre - MEDIA Desk Portugal.

Industry Screenings are private screenings of new Portuguese-produced short films seeking a world or international premiere. It is an event aimed at all festival programmers and artistic directors, as well as sales agents, distributors and other film professionals. The program was created in collaboration with the Portuguese Short Film Agency.

Selected films:

· PEDRA SECA (DRY STONE), Luisa Mello (Portugal)

· JUDITE, OU A PRIMEIRA REVOLTA (JUDITE, OR THE FIRST REBELLION), Pedro Carneiro (Portugal)

· VULTOSOS CUMES (UNDER THE MOUNTAINS' SHADOW), Diogo Salgado (Portugal, France, Belgium)

· BELI DANI (BRIGHT, SUMMER DAYS), Nevena Desivojević (Serbia, North Macedonia, Portugal)

· LA DURMIENTE, Maria Inês Gonçalves (Portugal, Spain)

· ANDAR COM FÉ, Duarte Coimbra (Portugal)

· CLARIDADE (LIGHT IN DARKNESS), Mariana Santana (Portugal)

· PRAIA DE PEDRA (STONE BEACH), Sofia Bost (Portugal)

This activity involved the presentation of Portuguese-produced short film projects, still in the early stages of development, in the fiction, animation, documentary and experimental categories, to international producers. The event, which focused on pitching and networking, aimed to promote partnerships between Portuguese and foreign producers around these projects. In addition to the pitching sessions, it was also a unique opportunity for producers and participants to hold informal meetings.

The “Blit - In Development Prize” for the best project presented was awarded to “Rezbotanik”, by director Pedro Gonçalves Ribeiro. The prize, worth 2,000 euros in post-production services, was sponsored by Blit.


REZBOTANIK
Pedro Gonçalves Ribeiro
Portugal, Espanha
DOC, EXP

After heavy nights of partying with drugs and sex, Rezmorah goes to the Botanical Garden of Lisbon to get sober again. The Garden is, above all, a place of study: it catalogs tropical, rare, endangered and worldwide species, no matter how different they may be. And it is among them, on a Sunday morning, that Rezm tells me about their relationship with the night, with that space and with gender, wondering what plants have to teach us about possibilities and ways of seeing and thinking queer life.

JURY
The official jury was integrated by:

Beli Martínez | Producer - Filmika Galaika

Brecht Van Elslande | Producer - Animal Tank

Vincent Förster | Programmer - Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Filmfest Dresden

The following projects were in presented in 2024:

· COMO MOVER UMA CASA (HOW TO MOVE A HOUSE), Francisco Borges (Portugal)

· OFÉLIA (OPHELIA), Carlos Lobo (Portugal)

· RUI CARLOS, Margarida Paias (Portugal)

· REZBOTANIK, Pedro Gonçalves Ribeiro (Portugal, Spain)

· ALGUMAS COISAS QUE ACONTECEM AO LADO DE UM RIO (A FEW THINGS HAPPENING BY A RIVER), Daniel Soares (Portugal, France)

· UM BIGO (LITTLE HOLE), Francisca Alarcão (Portugal, Spain)

· CABEÇA-DE-MARTELO (HAMERKOPH), André Guiomar (Portugal, Mozambique)

· RIO INFINITO (INFINITY RIVER), Gonçalo Pina (Portugal)

· À MESA (AT THE TABLE), Mariana Bártolo (Portugal)

· MAU OLHADO, Inês Nunes (Portugal, Spain)

· VARIAÇÕES SOBRE COMO CULTIVAR UMA CIDADE (VARIATIONS ON HOW TO FARM A CITY), Mónica Martins Nunes (Portugal)

First Impressions took place on July 17th and offered young short filmmakers a unique opportunity to present their new projects and receive direct feedback from industry professionals specialising in acquisitions, sales and distribution. The professionals analysed the first few minutes of the selected films, providing information on their distribution and sales potential.

The panel of experts and industry professionals at this activity included the participation of:

Jing Haase | Responsible for short films and documentaries at - Swedish Film Institute
João Vintém | Editorial Consultant - Filmin
Yaoting Zhang | Producer and Acquisitions Manager - Rediance

Projetos selecionados:

· CONSOLAÇÃO (CONSOLATION), Marianne Harlé (Portugal)

· MARIA HENRIQUETA ESTEVE AQUI (MARIA HENRIQUETA WAS HERE), Nuno Pimentel (Portugal)

· THE HUNT, Diogo Costa (Portugal, Spain, Japan, The Netherlands)

· SERES VIVOS (LIVING THINGS), Margarida Pinto da Fonseca (Portugal)

· MNEMA, Carolina Bonzinho, Inês Costa (Portugal)

This was an opportunity for directors, producers, distributors, film students, among others, to meet with various programmers from the world's most important international festivals where there are short film competitions. These festivals include Cannes, Venice, Locarno, Clermont-Ferrand, Berlin, Rotterdam, among others. The aim of this meeting was to deepen knowledge of the specificities of each event and to promote the films on the international circuit. In 2024, Meet the Festivals took place on July 17th at the Hotel Brazão and was attended by 41 participants.

Curtas Pro was organized in collaboration with Instituto Francês - Programa Mais França, Media Desk Portugal, Portugal Film Comission and Portuguese Short Film Agency.