The TELA – National Association of Film Festivals, which has been in preparation for nearly a year, is set to be formalized soon, according to Stefano Savio, director of the Italian Film Festival, French Film Festival, and spokesperson for the founding committee. This will involve the election of the board and announcement of the agenda of objectives and demands.
The association was inspired by a “need to establish representation for the film festivals” in dialogues with entities such as the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual. It also aims to unify the diverse range of events that play a crucial role in Portugal’s auteur cinema ecosystem, said Savio.
The founding committee includes organizers from festivals like DocLisboa, Olhares do Mediterrâneo, IndieLisboa, Porto Femme, and the Caminhos do Cinema Português in Coimbra, where TELA was officially introduced on Sunday.
Stefano Savio estimates there are around fifty film festivals in Portugal, and TELA has already attracted the participation of 24 events, including both competitive and non-competitive showcases throughout the country, featuring documentaries, short films, comedies, horror films, and animation.
The association intends to develop tools and analytical data to understand “how festivals position themselves between production, distribution, exhibition, communication, and audience development,” according to Savio.
“It’s crucial to understand where festivals stand in the sector. The sector faces a certain crisis in audience loss. […] Right now, creating an effect of cannibalization between festival audiences and those in auteur cinema theaters is very dangerous. The situation is far from positive,” warned Savio.
When asked about the role of festivals in light of unequal geographical distribution of theaters across the country, Savio expressed that “the example of festivals shows there is an audience for auteur cinema—curious, consistent, and well-prepared—but it could grow if there were more spaces.”
“One major issue right now is the lack of sufficient auteur cinemas with direct street access to host certain types of films. […] There is a terrible narrowing of cultural offerings, with much Portuguese and European auteur cinema awaiting distribution,” he added.
