Salette Ramalho is one of the leaders of the Portuguese Short Film Agency. An entity that helps promote the works of independent portuguese cinema and has a say on the direction of movies in Portugal.
Tell me a little about the agency for the promotion of Portuguese short films, in which context arises?
Salette Ramalho: I will then begin by the genesis of the history of cinema exhibition in Vila do Conde. By the 50s was created a film section of the Club Fluvial Vilacondense, which was one of the oldest film clubs in the country which failed to work, but in the 80s this was renewed in the so call "Cineclube of Vila do Conde", already with a new direction that showed movies to the city for several years. However, this same core decided to start a film festival in the image of the international festival of short films in Clermont-Ferrand which is one of the most important events in terms of the short film in the world, with about 3,000 professionals of the sector, and it is then in 1993 they decided to organize the first International Festival of short films of Vila do Conde. The concept of short film, over time, has changed. At the time, the short film was seen as a business card of a director, who just left film school and made a short film to show its potential. Nowadays it is modified. We see many filmmakers who have already made feature films to return to short films to test new concepts, new ways of filming, is the case of João Pedro Rodrigues, João Nicolau, even Manoel de Oliveira whose last work is a 20 minute film. The short so it's an attractive format for this type of experience. From the fifth year of the festival they decided to separate the Film Club for a very simple reason, this institution was a youth association and they were no longer very young (laughs). To this end they decided to create a cultural cooperative action to be the engine of the festival, of Curta Metragem CRL. All the arms of this organization start of the Shorts of Vila do Conde, after the agency, the "Solar", "Animate" or the "Estaleiro”, that have always started very spontaneously. In fact, the cooperative had always got wide open eyes, since its inception, wide open and attentive to the needs that arose.
The Agency appears the need for production?
SR: The Agency is born from the need to show what existed at the level of production in Portugal. In 1993 there was almost no domestic production of short films. There were small experiments but never from a secure funding of the "Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual" (ICA). In 1995, and after an ICA bet for the regular production of short, the direction of the festival found that there was a considerable number of films in order to be shown at the festival and thus created a competition dedicated to domestic production. This also helped to streamline this whole sector, at least that's what I like to think, because in the past the few short few were made did not have a dedicated place to be displayed. In 1999, in conversation with members of the ICA, discussing the problem of the internationalization of Portuguese short films that have had a considerable production, because the management of Vila do Conde Short films did spontaneous and voluntary work by delivering at the time the VHS tapes with Portuguese films to programmers from other festivals, they decided to formalize that action with the creation of the Portuguese Short Film Agency (PSFA), which at first had the duty to contact the Portuguese producers view the films, produced and make the connection with the other international film festivals. The agency inscribed the films in the festival competition and dealt with all the paperwork, leaving the producer to the already difficult task of producing. Today, in addition to structuring this work we see the PSFA with a more active role with international programmers with doing retrospectives and special Portuguese programs . However, for reasons connected with funding, the agency was forced to also to find ways to be self-financing because the ICA only supports their work 50% is necessary to find the remaining 50%. This funding is obtained through the sale of films for television, distribution through the short films rental for museums and film festivals that represent the bulk of sales. This turns out to be beneficial because it helps to create a small market, which is not very obvious at first sight, and instills in the programmers the need to recognize the value to a format that has a strong artistic component.
Yes, because the feature films suffer from this limitation of time and funding, which does not happen in short where there is total freedom.
SR: But the short films also require funding. And if we remember 2012, this was a chaotic year, was the so-called zero year of Portuguese Cinema because there was no ICA funding. What was seen produced that year in terms of short films were commissions to "Guimarães Capital of Culture" and the "Estaleiro". The "Shipyard", which meanwhile became the project "Campus" this is one of the Short Film CRL initiative with a strong pedagogical component which is defined by the production of short films, whose team consists of a guest professional director and by students of various courses dedicated to the moving image of the various universities and technical schools located in northern Portugal. The only condition that is necessary is that the theme has to be related to this part of the country, since it is funded by CCDRN. But you cannot, nor worthy, under penalty of compromising its quality, under the national production of short to a structure similar to that used on the "campus". There is a specialized professional tissue from the shooting directors to production workers that must be maintained. And yes, in the end because the short films have shorter production times do not have a strong participation in the financing compared to the longer movies and can do a walking with less money, while a feature film requires a other means. But it was in 2013 that we found the results of that calamitous year.
Since you taken the position of director until today, what changed in terms of artistic content of Portuguese filmmakers?
SR: Please note that I am not the director of the agency, there is a direction, from the Short Film CRL, with 3 people: Miguel Dias, Nuno Rodrigues and Mário Micaelo. Along with others who however embarked on other projects, Rui Maia, Luis Urbano and Dário Oliveira, are the creators of PSFA. To answer the question, I feel that the filmmakers mainly need financial support and from other structures linked to the movies. In fact one can have a seed and put it in the earth, but if you have no water, sun and someone to look after it, may end up not sprouting. Talent is seen by us in this perspective. There are filmmakers who make a first film that may not have the desired projection, but having the sensitivity to realize that there is in the images of those filmmakers a vision of cinema, a promise and there is a commitment to continuity and support and so many talents can be discovered. Miguel Gomes is a fine example that started with a short films and was cherished by the agency from the beginning. But one thing is certain, without talent you cannot do anything. Obviously, the ICA also has a very important role in this continued support and a strategic vision for the future of cinema. Find it quite disturbing that, at present, is not this institution to make the appointment of judges to evaluate the projects. I note with concern that the choice of the jury members is made by the producers themselves, distributors, televisions or associations, because these are the main interested in receiving the funds. Everyone agrees that the ICA is the entity more equidistant to all film organizations and the most suitable, is why ICA should choose these juries.
So how is seen Portuguese cinema abroad?
SR: The movies you see and recognize out there is independent. I think it is fair to point out that what is seen and admired abroad is categorically the so-called Portuguese independent film (PIF), because it has artistic premises that has no ties to the markets, or to a passive concept of spectator. The PIF has an enviable image abroad and is considered an original cinema, surprising, promising and with vibrant ideas. It is the focus of fostering the image of Portugal, through the exhibition of films in the most prestigious film festivals. It would then fall to the ICA to continue the good work that has been done so far.
But there is this notion that the Portuguese do not like to Portuguese cinema, not even go to see.
SR: I think this idea is very wrong. In fact, we can see from the ICA numbers, for example, the film by Miguel Gomes, "Taboo", that had a colossal number of viewers.
Yes, but I would have had the same success if it had been released first in Portugal, if not already there was recognition from abroad, through awards in international festivals?
SR: Actually I cannot guess. But I refuse the idea that the Portuguese do not know how to recognize what is quality, I believe that each of us can tell. What is needed, in fact is to learn to know what we like and have access to what you can enjoy viewing. It is important to have means for connecting the Portuguese public to his cinema. What is the fundamental fact is that there is this connection and I am perfectly convinced of it. A fine example of this is the national competition Shorts of Vila do Conde, which is the competition of the festival that has ever more public, even when being displayed at dinnertime (laughs).
Is it not also because the festival after all these years turned out to educate the spectators in this sense, the choice of content according to the artistic quality?
SR: There that also! This ultimately means that we made this work with the public and it works. I think that's what is lacking mainly to Portuguese cinema.
So why the rest fails?
SR: I quite honestly do not think it does, I do not consider that fails too. The fact that we see our films to be awarded abroad to be placed on lists of the most prestigious film magazines, it helps for sure. See ourselves in the mirror through the eyes of others is much more rewarding.
So let's talk of filmmaking, there is now a certain chaos in terms of funding due to change of government?
SR: Well, it is not to be this or that government specifically, what happened is that the ICA sees this time with a serious cash flow problem to meet the commitments already made in the competitions. This is a problem caused by the recent political situation, the elections in October which gave victory to a coalition that was tour out a minority in Parliament, however there was a delay in the President's speech to announce a new government, this situation stopped the possibility of using the management balance, and prevented the normal procedures for the transfer of ANACOM's budget for ICA. That is why urgent policy intervention to this particularly delicate situation because there are many producers and sector entities awaiting for tranches in order to get their films, which are stopped, and because there are agreements and commitments that these entities have already taken which need be met. Basically, it is a great sand in gear, which usually works relatively well oiled, but because in recent months we live a moment out of the ordinary in political terms, this interregnum caused all this trouble.
Looking for managing ICA over the years, except this period of uncertainty, do you consider that the Portuguese cinema should be funded by state funds?
SR: Absolutely. In fact, the state has a very important mission to support culture. And if you think about it, all the most sophisticated civilizations are those that have a higher level of culture, with people going to the theater, cinema, concerts, museums and artists create, and the weight of the state is very strong. Culture opens new avenues, new ways of thinking and creates mental muscle. It is obviously is not by just seen a film that everything is achieved is the continued addition, to think about what we saw. This is important to develop ideas and to produce new things. And when I say this I speak not only in art. But there is a major fallacy when it comes to commercial cinema. There is no film in Portugal that can self-finance, as they scream supporters of the so-called "commercial cinema". In fact, I doubt that there is throughout Europe. We see in France, which is the country with the most robust film in Europe, which has a very ingenious system of funding and that is the state itself that, in addition to financially participate in production, oblige private to invest a percentage of their budgets in independent cinema. It is the example of the mandatory exemption from a percentage of its annual budget in the acquisition of films by the French television, or a ticket commission in theaters.
I've spoken to some directors and producers indicate that there is too much reliance on public funding.
SR: And that's why it has to be the ICA to pick juries and do it according to their strategy and diversity. Obviously it should not be that institution to take on this responsibility of financing. There are other ways as I said. And it also happens that there is a dysfunctional law of patronage. It is very difficult to find patrons being a private entity because the incentives or financial benefits received by the portuguese patronage law are more advantageous when given to state entities, the when given to private. This is a public museum, for example, has always an advantage in the race to the support of private patrons.
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