As a seasoned movie critic with decades of experience under my belt, I have witnessed the evolution of film festivals from close quarters. The Sanfic Industria round table in Santiago, Chile, provided a fascinating insight into the current state and future prospects of these events in Latin America and beyond.
Santiago, Chile – Amidst a time of upheaval, even film festivals aren’t exempt from change. Many have been impacted significantly by budget reductions in the public sector or COVID-19, yet they continue to adapt post-pandemic. The focus has shifted as they respond to a dynamic political climate and global cinema trends. A roundtable discussion at Chile’s Sanfic Industria last week, titled “The Present and Future of Film Festivals,” provided insight into these evolutions.
Distinguished guests were invited to speak on panels at three significant Latin American festivals – Carlos Nunez, artistic director of Sanfic, Ilda Santiago, director of the Rio de Janeiro Film Festival, and Estrella Araiza, managing director of Mexico’s Guadalajara Festival.
The panelists also featured representatives from two film festivals known for showcasing Latin American films: José F. Rodríguez, a senior programmer at Tribeca Festival, which has recognized movies from the region like Uruguay’s “Don’t Let Me Go” this year, and Javier García Puerto, a programmer at Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival. Both these festivals exhibit films that challenge stereotypes in the Spanish language, such as the Tribeca winner “Huesera” by Michelle Garza and Agustin Toscano’s “I Trust You,” which won the best director award at the 2023 Tallinn Rebels With a Cause.
Here are five key insights gleaned from the discussion, chaired by Gerardo Michelin of LatAm Cinema. These observations align with numerous global gatherings and conversations.
An Ever Evolving New Normal
1. Example: Two instances to consider. Following March 2020, the Tribeca Film Institute halted its funding programs indefinitely. In 2021, the Tribeca festival shifted from mid-March to early June, a change that Rodríguez noted at Sanfic was like a “roller coaster.” Now, it’s discussing plans to launch industry activities with a Work-in-Progress (WIP) showcase organized by financiers and distributors, as well as an industry week featuring panels and meetings. At the Rio Festival, 20 years ago, Brazil was considered distant from the rest of Latin America, according to Santiago. However, today, due in part to growing co-production, Rio has the potential to appeal to younger audiences who are interested in watching Latin American films, as Santiago, visiting Chile for the first time to view movies, noted.
Festivals, Markets: A Vital Launchpad
The leading four film markets in Latin America – Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile – jointly produced around 600 films in the previous year, showing a minimal decrease of only 3% compared to the number released in 2019, as per reports from Marché du Film’s “Focus” section.
Yet, at $1.72 billion, 2023’s five-country combined box office was still 21% on 2019.
In a shrinking market, films require greater exposure more than ever before, and festivals or markets are often the best way to achieve this. However, opportunities can be scarce, as there is a high volume of titles competing for fewer broadcaster commissions. This was a common sentiment at both the Edinburgh TV Festival and Sanfic. Rio’s Santiago questioned, “With fewer audiences, fewer cinemas, fewer outlets for distribution, why are we producing more content, and what purpose does it serve?”
During the panel discussion, it became clear that overproduction in a shrinking market had significant impacts.
No Cannes, Venice Reduxes: A Larger Focus on Local, Regional Fare
As a movie enthusiast, I’ve noticed an intriguing idea: curating a festival exclusively from films premiering at Berlin and Toronto. However, it seems unlikely that this will happen. Festivals like Rio and Sanfic rely on crucial public funding, as does Guadalajara, which taps federal, regional, and municipal resources, according to Araiza. With many ambitious productions still grappling with the pandemic, the local film market in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico stood at 7.6%, 3.2%, 3.1%, 1.2%, and 4% respectively in 2023, as per “Focus.” Given these circumstances, it’s no wonder that one of the main priorities for all three Latin American events is to highlight homegrown productions. As Nuñez put it, “The role festivals play as a launchpad for local, Latin, and Ibero-American talent is incredibly important to us,” and Santiago and Araiza echoed this sentiment.
Fewer Films
Reviving the exposure of films comes with a chain reaction. As Rodríguez from Tribeca expressed, “We aim to create an experience, not just watching a film, but also participating in a performance or a discussion with artists like Paul McCartney, David Fincher, or Steven Soderbergh.” Festivals are now limiting the number of films they exhibit. For instance, Guadalajara displayed 194 films in June this year, and Arailza admits, “We won’t return to the number of films we had before the pandemic. We might have screened 50-60 more films, but our focus is on giving each film its due recognition.” Santiago echoed similar thoughts; she used to program 400 films, now screens 200. Similarly, García Puerto from the Tallinn Black Nights Festival stated, “Before the pandemic, we screened 400 films. Now, including shorts, we’re showing around 300, with 200 being features.”
Festivals Focus on Audiences
Festivals play a crucial role in ensuring their films reach diverse audiences, particularly a new generation of movie enthusiasts. This emphasis is not only cultural but also practical; festivals aim to introduce young viewers to cinema before they are drawn away by online platforms like YouTube. As it turns out, these young audiences have been instrumental in the global recovery of the box office, and they are increasingly becoming part of festival audiences as well. “We’re seeing a resurgence of younger people, aged 20-30s, returning to cinemas,” said Nunez. He also mentioned that while older audiences between 30s-50s may still prefer staying at home, they might be adjusting to streaming services during the pandemic but are expected to return. Currently, attendance at Sanfic stands around 40,000.
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2024-08-24 18:17