Focus Mariana Caló & Francisco Queimadela

In the early 2000s, FIDMarseille opened up its programme extensively to the field of visual arts: on the one hand by bringing films from contemporary art spaces into cinemas, and on the other by incorporating exhibitions into its programme.

Twenty-five years later, this commitment remains fully intact. The Focus we are dedicating in 2026 to the Portuguese artist duo Mariana Caló and Francisco Queimadela is a striking illustration of this. Indeed, few contemporary artists divide their time and practice so evenly between cinema and visual arts. FIDMarseille has supported their work since their first film, A Trama e o Círculo, in 2014. This year, we are proud to present, in its international premiere in Marseille, their first feature-length film, the magnificent Infinito infinito, na imaginação da matéria (2025).

In order to do justice to the diversity and organic nature of Mariana Caló and Francisco Queimadela’s artistic practice, we have conceived this Focus in two complementary parts: in the festival’s screening venues, a complete retrospective of their films; alongside it, an exhibition bringing together film installations and visual artworks (photography, painting, drawing) in the spaces of the sissi club gallery, a partner of the festival.

With this first major retrospective outside Portugal, we are delighted to share the work of Mariana Caló and Francisco Queimadela with FIDMarseille’s large French and international audience, and thus to help establish its significance at the intersection of cinema and contemporary art.

For over twenty years – and this is one of its distinctive features – FIDMarseille has been fostering an active dialogue between cinema and contemporary art. In this context, in partnership with the sissi club gallery, the FID invites you to discover, from 9 July to 31 August 2026, an exhibition dedicated to the Portuguese duo Mariana Caló and Francisco Queimadela, whose practice lies at the crossroads of experimental cinema, visual research and the observation of the local environment.

Their works forge connections between landscapes, gestures, organic forms and systems of signs. Through analogue film, drawing, photography and painting, they develop a visual language that blends mythology, the archaeology of images and a keen awareness of the transformations taking place in the natural and urban worlds.

Focus in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation - Delegation in France as part of the GULBENKIAN EXHIBITIONS programme to support Portuguese artistic scene in European cultural institutions.