1971

Step by step the Cinema Youth Group (Grupo Juvenil de Cinema) from Portimão has been trying to broaden its activity in favour of the reduced format by organizing the 1st Film Festival of the Algarve. Among others, the journalist Vitoriano Rosa is part of the jury, a friend and faithful supporter of every edition. The results encourage organizers and the official bodies that programme its continuation by defining more accurately its purposes, ambitions, and even the results to be reached.

1972

The 2nd edition took place mainly thanks to the devotion of José Gregório Duarte, Ramalho Ortigão, Raúl Santos and José Francisco.

1973

For the third consecutive time the cinematographer Vasco Pinto Leite is awarded the Festival’s “Top Award”, and until today is the only one whose name has been chosen three times as the winner of this prize.

“A Herança” 1971; “O Ovo” 1972 and “O Castelo” 1973.

1974

The language spoken at the Festival is still Portuguese and the number of cinematographers and competing films increases significantly.

José Manuel Lima wins this year’s Top Award with the film “Os Mineiros da Ardósia”.

1975

These are bad times for culture and for the supporters of this type of event. The absence of adequate support and the need to not run risks at a time when the country is going through turbulent periods as well as the adaptation to new rules has caused a break.

1976

Although in a rather inconsistent way, the Algarve Film Festival resumes its course crediting another edition to its history.

Unfortunately, nothing new happens. The stories’ show a greater worry in the themes approached, rather than the technical and aesthetic aspects.

We are experiencing “freedom” of expression so direct cinema and socio-political intervention naturally exceed the merely cultural concepts or those of pure entertainment.

1977

Portuguese cinema makes a strong comeback. This year’s edition consolidates the presence of more directors and, most of all, the approach of more daring themes.

The increasing presence of a foreign audience is noted and the firm idea of making the festival an international one begins to gain shape.

“A Abordagem”, “Homem Nascido” and “Cruz” are the best.

1978

The first edition, open to foreign cinematographers, takes place but the Top Award is, once again, won by the Portuguese film “O Cesteiro” by Júlio Capela.

1979

Once again the Event is open to foreign films. The response is very positive but José Gregório Duarte soon feels the need to find new collaborators so as to give an adequate answer to future inevitable challenges that are already being felt.

1980

Invited by José Duarte, Carlos Manuel considers the possibility of taking on the direction of this event. The Organization now integrates ZOOM – Núcleo de Cineastas de Lisboa (Lisbon’s Nucleus of Cinematographers) widening its horizon and winning a new public by having poles of the festival take place in Lagos and Faro.

A new organizational strategy is expected which wagers strongly on the binominal tourism/culture as a means of animating and making the participating public, which has been restricted to the Algarve, more active.

1981

The first great turning point of the Festival is reserved for this year. Under the complete responsibility of Carlos Manuel and his new team of collaborators, the Algarve Film Festival does in fact become an international competition. There is a total of 64 films competing, 29 of which are foreign.

The Austrian Kurt Keil wins the Top Award, the festival catalogue has a more modern and commercial structure and the main public sessions take place in the Hotel Algarve’s showroom.

Hotel Jupiter’s presence is of great support and it becomes our home during the festival. It’s director, Pereira da Silva, gives an important ‘push’ so that the ambitious projects materialize.

1982

In this edition, the festival pays tribute to Júlio Bernardo, a cinematographer and photographer of the Algarve. Photography brought him to the cinema, where he won several international awards. Some of his films are shown to the public.

The general catalogue suffers more changes so as to adapt to the rules of the publicity market and gains new and important support.

In order to integrate the international calendar, the festival itself changes its date and is set for May.

98 films participate in the competition, 54 of which are foreign. The jury is wholly Portuguese.

Foreign personalities are finally invited to come personally to the Algarve. Tony Shapps comes to Portugal and is responsible for the first report on the festival to be published abroad, in the magazine MovieMaker.

The festival starts organizing extensive photography exhibitions and, within the scope of the 1982 edition, Eduardo Gageiro shows 20 pieces of work on “The Gulbenkian Ballet”, at the Jupiter Hotel.

1983

Reputable photographers return to the festival. This time we are home to a magnificent exhibition by Augusto Cabrita. To acknowledge the first works by Portuguese filmmakers the “António Bernardo” award is created and pays tribute to those who served the Portuguese cinema and filmmakers for so many years. As a mere curiosity: António Bernardo travels to Portimão and crosses the 25th of April bridge, something which had never happened before.

1984

This year’s edition sees the significant return of Portuguese films making an evident comeback. “Novas Perspectivas” by João Paulo Ferreira and “Processo Andrómeda” by Victor Silva are prominent for their technical originality and for the themes proposed.

The public and the jury enjoy and award it.

The festival already has a definite international programme and its decentralization is emphasized.

1985

The jury now integrates foreign personalities and the first invited one is Ben Yahia Salem, from Tunisia. Meanwhile, the festival continues its journey towards internationa-lization becoming an active member of institutions that bring together filmmakers and films worldwide.

The social get-together among participants, official bodies and the organization is definitely established as an “added value” of a journey of undeniable cultural interest which, year after year, sees development in the quality of the participating films.

The yearly trip on the trawl-boat, offered by the organization to all those who visit us, becomes a much appreciated tradition for those who manage to get a place on board …and who don’t get seasick!

1986

On its 15th anniversary the festival goes back to where it first took place – the Boa Esperança Club.

The return to its first showroom takes place simultaneously with a new experience of decentralization. For this edition, the organization has sessions programmed for Praia da Rocha, Portimão, Lagos, Faro, Olhão, Monchique, Albufeira, Pedras d’El Rei and Silves.

The influencial North American participation is marked with works of undeniable quality.

1987

In this edition, the public screenings before the inter-national jury now take place in the Jupiter Hotel, which now has a splendid congress room.

Our 1st Photographic Safari takes place and we pay tribute to the Spanish cinematographer Diaz Noriega.

Two other initiatives of a wide cultural range also take place: the exhibition of works by Norman McLaren with the support from the cultural services of the Canadian Embassy, and the cycle “Cinema and Science Fiction” for which we have the vital collaboration of Filmes Castelo Lopes. Albufeira, where this cycle takes place, greatly applauds the initiative and every session is sold out making the repetition of some films a must.

In this edition, another important step in our history throughout the years is also taken, a step dedicated, however, to a more restricted public. The Lethes Theatre in Faro houses a selection of French detective films in which Simone Signoret, a great world-renowned lady of the cinema, is the main artiste in every film shown.

1988

This year’s edition is marked by the biggest decentralization to date.

Lagos, Armação de Pera, Albufeira, Monchique, Olhão, Estombar, Carvoeiro, Silves, Loulé, Faro, Alvor, Vila Real de Santo António, Bias and Tavira participate in events that integrate the complex programme of the International Film Festival of the Algarve.

We are in the midst of the time when local radio stations are appearing in Portugal and, as a result, the coverage by the media is significantly felt. Interviews, chronicles and live interventions direct from the festival, reach thousands of listeners, providing them with live, up-to-date information on the development of the programme.

The well-known Portuguese photographer, Gil Montalverne, is represented through some of his works in the “European Photographers” exhibition.

1989

We celebrate Chaplin’s 100th birthday by providing a well-deserved space in the “publicity section” of the programme, for the humanitarianism reflected in his themes, the versatility of his style, and above all, for the richness of his whole work.

In the “competitive section” of the festival a maximum number of entries is reached: 118 films representing 27 countries.

American cinema triumphs with the film “The Professor’s Weekend” by the young director Ben Woythaler.

There is an exhibition, which includes some of the oldest films in Portuguese cinema, and João Mário exhibits his paintings throughout the festival.

1990

The festival organization decides to create four distinct juries, thus widening the range of opinions on the value of the works shown in the competition and also increasing the suspense that is normally felt during the closing celebration.

A new initiative is started: Cinema at Midnight – sessions mainly dedicated to the public working in shifts and who can only then watch a good film.

Two countries start to emerge from among the favourite finalists for their strength and their quality in acting: Belgium and the United States of America.

Cinema, Folklore and Magic are hand in hand at the closing ceremony of the festival, with the presentation of two youngsters from the Algarve, European champions of Illusionism - a different way of ending a successful edition.

1991

The Organizing Association of the International Film Festival of the Algarve (FICA) is established, a non-profit making body that is now responsible for the organization of this event.

A new record number of film entered in the “competitive section” is reached.

We gain the adhesion and support of a company specialized in audiovisuals – JN Comunicação e Sistemas Audiovisuais, which guarantees the most adequate equipment and we give the public the opportunity to watch an “Official Selection” of films of undeniable quality, unanimously recognized by the media present.

1992

FICA – the International Film Festival of the Algarve made its first step into an already long history in 1971 (after a first unsuccessful attempt in August 1970) and is now the oldest event of this kind in Portugal. The festivals of Guimarães, Coimbra, Rio Maior, Tomar, Estoril, Aveiro and others were left behind, which is important and worthy of note in the weak outlook of the 7th art in Portugal.

1993

This year, a sad note is evident among all that can be remembered from a very successful edition, from a cultural and participative point of view. FICA loses forever the collaboration and, above all, the presence of two prestigious collaborators and friends, two very important references: José Gregório Duarte, the founder of this festival, and Adriano de Morais, a pioneer cinematographer and a long-term adviser.

1994

Faced with serious problems due to promised support that was not fulfilled, the organization is faced with cancelling this already announced edition. An extremely difficult but inevitable decision because of the impossibility of adequately and in due time, overcoming the number of problems of an international film festival that has a natural growth and expansion but without the necessary support.

It is decided to stop so as to reflect and make decisions.

1995

This year, with remade projects and new strategies, FICA comes back with all its strength and beats a new record of film entries in the “competitive section”: 162 titles, re-presenting 29 countries.

The outstanding winner is “Mon Papa d ‘Amerique” by the Dutchman (Belga) Daniel Hiquet.

The International Film Festival of the Algarve is definitely set in the cultural panorama of the Algarve region bringing to Portugal, with every edition, a large number of people connected to social communication and to the audiovisual phenomenon.

1996

As from this edition, the competing films are only present by invitation of the organization, which now undertakes the whole responsibility of the choice made at the best festivals in the world in this field. There are even those who already call FICA the “Festival of Festivals”, an epithet which makes us proud.

The Official Catalogue undergoes a new adjustment to international rules, and the festival materializes the screening of all the foreign films with digital electronic subtitling by computer – a technical development of undeniable advantage.

The public screenings of the films before the various international juries is made in a magnificent room with capacity and comfort for more than 400 people and, in the end, Portuguese cinema and the Portuguese filmmakers are clearly given prestige.

Pedro Sena Nunes, Abi Feijó and Pedro Serrazina are invited onto the stage during the closing session to raise their trophy and thank the audience’s applause for their work and for the message in the films presented at the competition.

It is noteworthy that, in 1996, for the first time in FICA’s history, IPACA’s Management (Portuguese Institute of Cinematographic and Audiovisual Art) was present.

1997

Our Silver Anniversary.

Many ideas, many surprises, more collaborators and more people full of strength and youth.

A very serious bet on decentralization so that FICA can become, even more, the most decentralized film festival of the Portuguese cultural calendar. As well as the Algarve, we have the daring of carrying out publicity campaigns in Lisbon, Castelo Branco, Évora, Funchal and Angra do Heroísmo.

A very complete programme, a team that revels in its “experience” in the calm, respectful and healthy conviviality of different generations that manage to materialize, in each edition, a different cultural proposal around a passion in common… Cinema.

We celebrate the 25th Anniversary tasting the Reserva de Lagoa wine that the local Adega Cooperativa (Wine Cooperative) made a point of bottling for our anniversary.

1998

This year the International Film Festival of the Algarve fulfills its 26th edition, guaranteeing the largest decentralization ever. There is a wide number of publicity campaigns that cover several places of the interior of the Alentejo and Algarve. As usual we visit the schools, we screen 10 short films in 4 simultaneous places (Alvor, Lagos, Albufeira and Faro). Technically, the biggest bet is made with the simultaneous contracting of 3 machines for digital subtitling and with the installation of a Dolby sound system in the main exhibition room in the Algarve Auditorium in the Hotel Praia Alvor.

We pay homage to Augusto Cabrita and inaugurate the photo exhibition “Angra do Heroísmo – World Patrimony”.

By going to the islands – Angra do Heroísmo and Funchal – decentralization is realized.

We have great projects and new ideas. Let us hope it is possible to fulfill everything. You will enjoy it!

1999

From this edition, the 27th in its history, FICA will only accept films on a 35mm support and in the animation and fiction categories.

The Festival already belongs to the European Coordination of Film Festivals and in 1999 programmes its biggest and most decentralized edition ever. More showrooms, more films, more sessions at schools, a greater number of exten-sions and a new projection room at its main nucleus in Portimão.

We have more plans, and with some help, in 2000 we will fulfill an edition of great quality with cultural and tourist proposals which should be divulged this year, towards the end of Summer.

In this edition we had not only the presence of films from countries that had never been in the Algarve, but also the presence of the authors themselves embodying an undeniable experience of cultural roots.

2000

"The 29th season represents a giant step into the future for this Film Festival, which already has 28 seasons to its credit."

By agreeing to be one of the Festival’s main sponsors, the City Hall of Portimão has initiated a different kind of relationship, one that lends a new type of support to the Organization. Now there is not only more time to organize, but also–dare we say?–more means. FICA is embarking on an  ambitious cultural and entertainment project that will spread around the world (more than ever), this region, this city, and a festival which is becoming more respected all the time and which brings excellent independent films every year to the city of Portimão.

FICA 2000 offers screenings of thematic cinema of the highest  quality, and for the first time, can boast the official collaboration of Lauro António, a respected and prestigious figure on the Portuguese cinematographic scene. Children, another important part of the festival, have the chance to view, or view again, the latest and best films made especially for them.

The festival has grown a bit more, and has been moving into other areas – all of the screenings put together represent a cinematic experience for more than 25,000 movie-goers. There’s no doubt about it – with the geographical area it now covers with its multi-faceted program, FICA is the most decentralized film festival in Portugal.

The short subject sector, as always, brings to Algarve and to Portugal some of the top films recently produced. Competing directors are also rewarded with the best money prizes in Portugal for short subject films. These are given out at the moment the decisions of the jury are made public at the closing ceremonies.

2001

FICA is preparing for the future and has become more exacting in the selection of its films, both in the media section and especially in the short subject competition. For the first time there will be films from Macedonia, Belorussia, Iran and Azerbaijan – new countries, new cultures, and more friends. As if this weren’t enough, this year the festival is inaugurating a new movie theater in Portimão – the Algar Cine, or Porimão cinema complex (Complexo de cinemas Portimão) as it is also known. The theater seats 400, has a 10 x 4.5 meter screen with a Dolby Surround Digital DTS projection system, making it one of the best equipped movie houses in the country.

The directors of the festival clearly have a stake in the quality and orderliness of their organization. They maintain and respect the friendship and experience of their long-time collaborators, but are also taking on new associates. With an eye on the future, they have passed the handling of images to a group of young designers, DESIGNAOVIVO, who are already getting ready for the next season, which will commemorate the 30th year of the Festival.

2002

"The year of maturity." The 30th anniversary and the Algarve festival is carrying out its biggest and most de-centralised edition ever. More films, more cycles, better prizes in the competition section, more venues and more theatres, to welcome a really ambitious programme.

In 2002, FICA is also betting on new sections, which hope to show to “other kinds of public” another type of cinema, which we know will be to their liking. Basically, this edition is the making of a more adult and professional festival.

2003

2003 represents - at least this is our intention - the beginning of a “new shaking up,” a “new breath of life” in FICA’s already long history. It’s part of a strategy that also has to do with the season we’re planning for next year. Never before have we banked so much on the continuation of this project, on developing new ideas, and on studying how to put new initiatives into practice that can make FICA more interesting and appealing. But, after 33 years of existence and 31 solid seasons, what, in fact, is this festival "2003 represents - at least this is our intention - the beginning of a “new shaking up,” a “new breath of life” in FICA’s already long history. It’s part of a strategy that also has to do with the season we’re planning for next year. Never before have we banked so much on the continuation of this project, on developing new ideas, and on studying how to put new initiatives into practice that can make FICA more interesting and appealing. But, after 33 years of existence and 31 solid seasons, what, in fact, is this festival?"

2004

The 2004 season represents a daring step forward in the history of the festival.

FICA is breaking new ground with the introduction of “ideas” in audiovisual support, which is being adopted as a big communication project. During the course of the year several initiatives for spreading independent and alternative cinema have been established, and the short subjects competition is back, along with the project focusing for school children. A radio program has been started that already covers all of the Algarve and Baixo Alentejo,  even reaching certain regions in Andalusia, and is heard all over the world on the internet.

We are preparing new beginnings and the project never stops growing.

2005

FICA is considered a large communication project, with audiovisual support as its basis. Image, sound and words gain increasing importance in the initiatives that we carry out to bring people and different cultures together. tc "FICA is considered a large communication project, with audiovisual support as its basis. Image, sound and words gain increasing importance in the initiatives that we carry out to bring people and different cultures together. "

2005 also brings new inspiration to our efforts to disseminate and take culture in the Portuguese language to greater heights. Through radio, the FICA program “Mar de Tranquilidade” (Sea of Tranquillity) seeks to attract new audiences from countries whose official language is   Portuguese. Meanwhile, Brazilians and Portuguese have joined hands, exhibiting their work in an initiative being carried out in partnership with the Casa de Cinema in Bahia: in September it will be in the Algarve and in October there will be plenty of Portuguese cinema in Bahia. We are growing... steadily.

2006

This year’s season is really a preparation for next year’s 35 year celebration.tc FICA has grown both in size and purpose. It has broadened its activities to cover all of the Algarve. Now it has permanent exhibition centres from Vila do Bispo to Vila Real in Santo António, a total of 14 different locations. It reaches more people and has other initiatives. For the first time, it is launching an international competition of ideas for creating its 2007 institutional image. In partnership with the Cristal Atlantis company, it has redesigned its “City of Portimão” Grand Prize and is already presenting a new trophy for next year’s edition to commemorate 35 years as the oldest film festival in Portugal.