The Catalan audiovisual industry will once again be present at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, which takes place from 14 to 25 May. This year sees the participation of a Catalan production in the Festival, and several Catalan projects have been selected for the Marché du Film, as well as a delegation of around 80 companies. And as part of its activities in the film industry, Catalan Films, the Government of Catalonia’s brand for the internationalisation of the Catalan audiovisual industry, will be organising meetings to enhance the Catalan audiovisual industry’s links with the global ecosystem.

Catalonia at the Cannes Film Festival

Misericordia(Andergraun Films, Rosa Filmes, CG Cinéma, Arte France Cinéma, Scala Films), the latest film by the filmmaker Alain Guiraudie (known for projects including The Stranger by the Lake), will be screened at Cannes Premiere, the official non-competitive section for world premières. The film follows a man who returns to his home town to attend his mentor’s funeral, and finds himself in the midst of rumours and a police investigation. The film is a Catalan-French co-production, supported by the minority co-productions area of the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies.

Catalan talent will also be present with the film Blue Sun Palace (Field Trip Media, Big Buddha Productions), the début by Constance Tsang, which was shot and produced in New York, where Marta Cruañas, who currently works with the Canada production company and has worked with Lastor Media and Vilaüt, was the executive producer. The feature film, selected in the Semaine de la Critique, will be competing for the Camera d’Or for Best First Film.

Catalan industry at the Marché du Film

The festival’s space for the industry, the Marché du Film will feature Catalan projects in the market’s various professional programmes this year. The Government of Catalonia will once again be present with a stand (Riviera A4) with Catalan Films and the Catalunya Film Commission, for Catalan companies and professionals.

On the days the market takes place, there will be a series of initiatives and actions to raise awareness of the Catalan industry and foster professional connections: an event with international sales agents, a co-production meeting to build bridges between Brazil and Catalan companies, and to attract filming and promote creative and technical talent, and a networking session at the stand open to the Catalan and international industry, to promote Catalan companies and the productions selected this year, at both the festival and in the market.

And as is the case every year, Catalan short films will also feature in the Short Film Corner, a niche in the market that has become a meeting point for the short film industry. Catalan Films will be hosting a meeting with programmers in this context, which will also feature the six short films selected for the Shortcat 2024 festival, which are available for international buyers and distributors.

Another event taking place for the industry will be the Sales Agent Networking Lunch, a space where Catalan production companies will be able to connect with the most important sales agents on the international audiovisual scene. A list has been published with the market screenings of Catalan productions that will take place during the market.

Support for the audiovisual industry

The Ministry of Culture allocated more than 50 million euros to the audiovisual industry in 2023, a record figure. The audiovisual sector is one of the main priorities of the Government of Catalonia in this term of office. In the words of the Minister Garriga, “our priority is to promote it as a strategic sector that shapes imagination, describes landscapes, ways of doing things, creates references, conveys the language and generates conversation and provides impetus for the economy”. The Ministry of Culture’s grant lines cover the entire audiovisual value chain, with allocations earmarked for development and co-production, among other areas.

This support has helped to highlight and consolidate some of the Catalan audiovisual industry’s outstanding assets: the talent of its professionals, the existence of internationally renowned training centres, the work and commitment of a powerful audiovisual industry that draws on a long tradition and creates an enormous variety of productions, and the wealth of festivals that put the country on the international map.