Spain’s Conecta Fiction & Entertainment Forum Fetes Brazil and Portugal Amidst a Myriad of Activities
variety.comAnna Marie de la Fuente Now on its 8th edition, the international TV forum Conecta Fiction & Entertainment (CF&E), held in the ancient Spanish city of Toledo from June 18 to 21, is turning its focus to Brazil and Portugal.
The South American country is haltingly reactivating its audiovisual industry under President Lula de Silva’s new government, which earmarked nearly $1 billion for the sector last year.
Meanwhile, Portugal has become a thriving hub for Portuguese-language premium dramas and launched a new 30% cash refund incentive program in April to lure higher-budget film and TV productions to shoot in the country. Conecta expects a delegation of 50 Portuguese and 30 Brazilian participants, who together represent “a market of more than 217 million potential viewers and a long history of content production,” said Conecta’s founder-director, Géraldine Gonard, at the press conference held on June 4.
The forum will be offering a panoply of activities with 175 speakers, 49.1% of whom will be women, said Gonard. “Each year, we have aimed for gender equity among the speakers, but it hasn’t been easy as there are still not that many women in positions of power,” Gonard told Variety, adding that there are not that many female producers in the biz either. “Despite being highly qualified, women must continue their struggle to achieve parity in salaries and positions,” she noted.
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