ABOUT US
SPAMFLIX was founded in 2017 by Julia Duarte and Markus Duffner, driven by a passion to promote and disseminate auteur cinema—films that often struggle to reach the audiences they truly deserve.
Originally launched as a TVOD streaming service, SPAMFLIX was active until 2023, distributing over 170 films, with a strong focus on arthouse, avant-garde, and cult cinema. Its catalog spanned genre films, fantasy, cutting-edge experimental works, and bold animation, offering a home for unconventional storytelling and visionary filmmaking.
In recent years, SPAMFLIX has shifted its focus towards producing original animated stories, while also managing all-rights distribution in Portugal for a carefully curated selection of animated films each year.
Committed to cinema as a cultural heritage, SPAMFLIX is also engaged in film preservation, representing restored classic films on the international stage—ensuring that the artistic legacy of the past continues to inspire the future.
Who Is Julia Duarte
With a degree in Portuguese Studies from Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Julia Duarte has been working with cinema since 2006, when she joined the São Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil, where she covered several positions, including programming, until 2017.
She was executive manager of Cinema do Brasil, an organization that promotes Brazilian cinema abroad, and between 2017 and 2023, she was coordinator of the Brazilian edition of the São Paulo Locarno Industry Academy, created by the Locarno Film Festival (Switzerland).
She currently works in the Open Doors section of the same festival, as part of the artistic team, selection committee, and matchmaker. She has consulted on the international careers of Brazilian films and participated in public selection committees for projects.
She is a founding partner of SPAMFLIX.
Who Is Markus Duffner
Born and raised in Italy to a German family, resides in Portugal since 2016. Markus Duffner graduated in Cinema, TV, and Multimedia Production from the University of Bologna (Italy, Master’s degree) and in Foreign Languages and Literatures from the University of Urbino (Italy). Always passionate about Cut-Out animation, he has completed several DIY projects in this technique.
He began working in the film industry in 2005, gaining experience in market events at festivals such as Venice, Rome, Cannes, Montecarlo Comedy FF, and at the magazine Le Film Français (founded in 1944). Since 2014, he is part of the Locarno Film Festival team, where he currently holds the position of Director of Locarno Pro. In 2017, he co-founded Spamflix.
He co-produced the animated documentary King Khat by Uri Marantz, which was selected for the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2023.
As a director he completed Vele al Vento (animated short film, 2025) reflecting his passion for Cut-Out animation, was selected for the IndieLisboa – Lisbon Screenings (Industry Screenings) and is currently in distribution with Premiere Film Distribution, while also in post-production with a children animation short film A Luz é Grande.