Portuguese film producer
Paulo Branco (born 3 June 1950) is a Portuguese film producer.
Life and career
Paulo Branco was born in Lisbon, and attended the undergraduate program in chemical engineering at the Instituto Superior Técnico but he did not graduate. He started to work at the Olympic Cinema, in Paris, with Frédéric Mitterrand, in 1974, for two years,[1][2] and started his career as a producer in 1979 between Paris and Lisbon.[3]
So far, he has produced over 300 films and has worked with film directors such as David Cronenberg, Jerzy Skolimowski, Wim Wenders, Chantal Akerman, Alain Tanner, Werner Schroeter, André Téchiné, Andrzej Zulawski, Christophe Honoré, Olivier Assayas, Sharunas Bartas, Cédric Kahn, Lucas Belvaux, Valéria Bruni-Tedeschi, João César Monteiro, Paul Auster, Philippe Garrel, Mathieu Amalric... among many others. His career has particularly been branded with an intense collaboration, during more than 20 years, with Raúl Ruiz (Time Regained, Three Lives and Only One Death) and with Manoel de Oliveira (Francisca, Abraham's Valley, The Satin Slipper).[citation needed]
He has been member of the jury at the Berlinale (1999), at Venice's Mostra (2005), and at the Rotterdam Film Festival (2006). In 2011, he was foreman of the jury at the Lecce Film Festival and at the Locarno Film Festival.[citation needed]
Paulo Branco is also the producer who has had the greatest number of films selected at Cannes Film Festival and the greatest number of films having competed for the Golden Palm.[citation needed] He presented 53 films in Cannes - 27 of which in Official Selection - and brought 48 films to the Venice Film Festival.[citation needed]
He created several production and distribution companies in Portugal - Madragoa Filmes, Leopardo Filmes, Clap Filmes - where he also owns movie theatres and in France: Les Films du Passage, Gemini Films, and lately Alfama Films. Established in 2006, Alfama Films Production extends Paulo Branco's commitment for independent cinema with directors he's been supporting for a long time but also with emerging talents, always taking on new challenges like Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. In just a few years, it has built an impressive[peacock prose] film catalogue welcomed in the most important festivals. Lines of Wellington by Valeria Sarmiento was presented in competition at the 2012 Venice Film Festival. Cosmopolis was selected in the official competition of Cannes in 2012. Mysteries of Lisbon by Raúl Ruiz was selected in competition at Toronto’s and San Sebastian’s Festival, Ashes and blood by Fanny Ardant was presented Out of competition in the Official Selection of Cannes 2009, This Night by Werner Schroeter was in competition in Venice 2008. Four Nights with Anna by Jerzy Skolimowski did the opening of Cannes’ Directors Fortnight in 2008. Love Songs by Christophe Honoré was selected in the official competition of Cannes 2007. Alfama Films has also been developing its activities of theatrical distribution, international sales and video edition.[citation needed]
Paulo Branco is President of the Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival, event that he founded in 2007.[citation needed]. He is the father of French lawyer and political activist Juan Branco.[4]
Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts Laureates
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