Will the Portugal Film Commission disappear? Management doesn’t know anything and the Ministry of Culture didn’t understand
ONE Portugal Film Commission (PFC) has its days numbered. Or rather, he no longer has days to count. The three years envisaged for its duration – and extended for a few more months – end this Friday. A project that was “clearly successful” for executive director Sandra Neves, according to her statement to the Lusa agency. But despite being certain about the PFC’s past, he seems to know nothing about its future. “I didn’t receive any invitation to leave or to stay,” she said, adding that despite the proposals sent, there were few responses.
To Expresso, the Ministry of Culture clarifies: “Naturally, who defines the model to be adopted is the Government, which is committed to a structured and definitive solution, a solution that will replace the currently existing project group, which by nature is limited in time”.
The statement from the Ministry of Culture, shared two days after Sandra Neves’ statements, on December 22, reads “political commitment”, “strengthen” and “reinforce the role of Portugal Film Commission”, with no mention of how it intends to do so. But this “model of the future”, says the Ministry, is yet to be “announced shortly”.
In an open letter addressed to the Minister of Culture Pedro Adão e Silva, three regional structures (the movie commissions do Centro, Arrábida and Alentejo and Ribatejo), claim to remain in the dark regarding such intentions. In addition to the “climate of great intensity” that is experienced internally, no document shared with journalists this Wednesday also assumes the concern regarding the potential integration of Portugal Film Commission in the structure of the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual (ICA). Something that, for regional structures, would mean the “loss of autonomy”, in addition to the limited “response capacity and speed of action and decision that the sector needs”. The Ministry does not comment on the issue, responding that “it is a decision that is up to the Council of Ministers”.
The primary objective of creating the Portugal Film Commission is based on the development of a harmonious synergy between creative factories and tourism. Like? Leveraging the country as a destination for filming international productions. A project described in this letter as “truly essential to the creation of an economic pillar arising from the film sector”, fostering the interest of foreign productions that earned the country a wealth of more than 220 million euros.
PFC managed, in these three years of existence, to bring to Portuguese soil the filming of titles blockbuster like “Fast & Furious 10”in addition to series that conquered audiences such as the fifth season of “Paper House” or the prequel to one of the greatest hits of all time, “Dragon House” (“House of the Dragon”, in the Portuguese translation).
Portugal put itself on the launch pad and the major studios chose the country for the construction of their sets. Such was the demand that, in May 2022, Portugal incentives from the Support Fund for Tourism and Cinema have run out – there were 43 applications for tax incentives for filming. The maximum ceiling of €12 million, budgeted for 2022, had to be reinforced with a further €10.9M. In 2023, an increase in its annual allocation of up to 14 million euros is foreseen.