Porter+Craig Film and Media Distribution Acquires Global Rights to Fado Filmes’ ‘Nothing Ever Happened’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Porter+Craig Film and Media Distribution, run by veteran industry executives Jeff Porter and Keith L. Craig has acquired worldwide rights to Gonçalo Galvão Teles’ “Nothing Ever Happened.”
The film has enjoyed considerable success on the festival circuit, including awards in the CinEuphoria Awards, Cinequest, Chicago Latino Film Festival, Mostra Internacional de São Paulo and Punta Del Est Film Festival in Uruguay, as well as 11 nominations in the Portuguese Film Academy’s Sophia Awards.
More from Variety
Produced by Luis Galvão of Portugal’s Fado Filmes and co-produced by Raquel Morte and Antonio Gonçalves Junior, the pic is a co-production between Fado Filmes, Entre Chien et Loup (Belgium) and Grafo Audiovisual (Brazil).
Speaking about the deal, Craig said: “Nothing Ever Happened” aligns perfectly with our strategic focus on distributing films that offer unique perspectives and emotional depth. We see Gonçalo Galvão Teles as an amazing director that we look to showcase to a much wider audience. We look for the film to not only succeed commercially but also to contribute meaningfully to cultural and social dialogues, reaffirming our commitment to impactful and diverse cinema.”
The film is a coming-of-age tale featuring three teenagers, Pedro, Maria and Paulo, that mixes themes of sexual discovery and depression. After the teenagers die in a suicide pact, Pedro’s family is left in a desperate trail of decay and regret. The cast includes the late Filipe Duarte and Alba Batista (“Warrior Nun”) as teenager Maria.
Fado Filmes, founded in 1997, is one of Portugal’s oldest and most active film production companies. It has produced more than 40 films, with a total audience of almost 9 million spectators.
Gonçalo Galvão Teles holds a master’s in Screenwriting from USC and says that for his solo directorial debut, he attempted to combine American screenwriting rigor with his sensibility and aesthetic, shaped by his life in Portugal. He was attracted to the project to understand the angst that led the teenagers to kill themselves and the soul-searching that this tragedy provoked in their parents and grandparents.
The film was released in Portugal in September 2022 and later opened in the co-producing countries – Belgium and Brazil – but rights for the rest of the world remained up for grabs until the Cannes deal.
Galvão Teles explains that the pic enjoyed a very positive response from its screenings at festivals in the U.S., which prompted the distributor’s initial interest. After several months of negotiations, the deal was signed at Cannes, and the helmer hopes that it will leverage access to theatrical, streaming and TV channels worldwide.
“Nothing Ever Happened” received support from ICA, PIC/Cash Rebate scheme, Eurimages, RTP, Lisbon City Council, Ibermedia, the Belgian Tax-shelter, Belga Films Fund, Belga Productions, and Outsider Films.
Porter + Craig Film and Media Distribution is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, where it handles its own slate of films and third-party content, with an annual slate of 50 to 100 films. Its current slate includes Mena Gay’s “The Undead,” sci-fi thriller “Lumina” and docu “Roger Corman: The Pope of Pop Cinema.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
