RICARDO COSTA (the filmmaker)

Ricardo Costa, a Portuguese producer and film director, was born January 25, 1940 in Peniche, Portugal. The majority of his films are documentary ones; however, a lot of them have dramatic and poetical feeling which makes them more attractive to broader audiences.

Ricardo Costa studied at the faculty of arts at the Lisbon University. After completing the studies he earned a PhD in 1969, submitting a thesis on the novels of Kafka. Later he became a high school teacher and published several paper works on literature and cinema. After the Carnation Revolution in 1974 Ricardo Costa chose the profession of a filmmaker and became a part of the Grupo Zero together with other significant filmmakers of that time. Later he became an independent producer with a production company Diafilme. where he produced several of his films and some of other directors.

A number of Portuguese post-revolution filmmakers were influenced by the idea, that reality is the real and true poetry. So in order to prove and show that they were traveling around the country producing movies of everything they saw in their way. These movies were usually with a low budget and were supported with the state funds or made in co-production with the national broadcast TV station (the RTP). Some movies were political, some portrayed the reality and real events, but all of them were full of charm and poetical flair.

Ricardo Costa himself claims that presenting the reality as it is in its all beautiful colours is his main purpose rather than trying to change the world with his movies. He cultivates the style in which the reality turns into poetical expression and human portrait.

Ricardo Costa‘s last feature film, Brumas (Mists), was selected for the 60th Venice Film Fetival.

The article RICARDO COSTA AND THE FLOWING PICTURES by José de Matos-Cruz




Ricardo Costa, portugalų prodiuseris ir kino režisierius gimė sausio 25-ąją, 1940-aisiais metais Peniche mieste, Portugalijoje. Nors didžioji dauguma jo sukurtų filmų yra dokumentiniai, daugelyje jų egzistuoja dramatinis ir poetinis pojūtis, kurio dėka šie filmai yra patrauklūs plačiajai auditorijai.

Ricardo Costa studijavo Lisabonos universitete, menų fakultete. Baigęs studijas, 1969-aisias metais jis įgijo daktaro laipsnį apsigynęs disertaciją apie Kafkos romanus. Vėliau jis dirbo mokytoju gimnazijoje ir išspausdino kelis savo darbus apie literatūrą ir kiną. Po Raudonųjų Gvazdikų Revoliucijos 1974-aisiais, Ricardo Costa pasirinko filmų kūrėjo profesiją ir kartu su kitais garsiais to meto filmų kūrėjais tapo Grupo Zero dalimi. Vėliau jis tapo nepriklausomu prodiuseriu Diafilme kompanijoje, kurioje jis pastatė kelis savo ir kitų kino režisierių filmus.

Dauguma postrevoliucinių portugalų kino kūrėjų buvo paveikti idėjos, realybė yra tikroji poezija. Taigi, tam, kad tai įrodytų ir parodytų, jie keliavo po šalį ir kūrė filmus apie viską, ką tik sutikdavo savo kely. Dažniausiai tokie filmai būdavo mažo biudžeto ir buvo remiami valstybės lėšomis arba kuriami bendradarbiaujant su nacionaline televizija (RTP). Vieni filmai būdavo politiniai, kiti – vaizdavo tikrovę ir tikrus įvykius, tačiau visi jie buvo kupini žavesio ir poetinės nuojautos.

Pats Ricardo Costa tvirtina, kad būtent realybės vaizdavimas tokios, kokia ji yra iš tikrųjų, o ne bandymas pakeist pasaulį, yra jo tikrasis tikslas kuriant filmus. Jis kultivuoja stilių, kuriame realybė tampa poetiniu posakiu ir žmogiškuoju portretu.

Ricardo Costa paskutinis pilnametražis filmas Brumas (Miglos), buvo atrinktas į 60-ąjį Venecijos filmų festivalį.

José de Matos-Cruz straipsnis RICARDO COSTA AND THE FLOWING PICTURES



Feature films (pilnametražiai meniniai filmai)
1976 : Avieiros – Avieiros, Tagus fishermen
1976 : Mau Tempo, Marés e Mudança – Changing Tides
1979 : Castro Laboreiro – Castro Laboreiro
1979 : Pitões, aldeia do Barroso – Pitões, a village of Barroso
1980 : Verde por fora, vermelho por dentro – Green outside, red inside
1981 : O Pão e o Vinho – Bread and Wine (film)
1981 : Longe é a cidade – Far is the City
1981 : Ao Fundo desta Estrada – Further ahead on this road
1985 : O Nosso Futebol – Our Football Game
2003 : Mists – Brumas
Short and middle-length films (trumpametražiai filmai)
1974 : No Fundo de Tróia – On the Bottom of Troia
1974 : Apanhadores de Algas – Seaweed Catchers
1974 : Ágar-Ágar – Agar-agar
1975 : Tresmalho – Drifting
1975 : O Trol – Long-lining
1975 : O Arrasto – Trawling
1975 : Oceanografia Biológica – Biological Oceanography
1975 : Ti Zaragata e a Bateira – Uncle Zaragata and his Boat
1975 : Pesca da Sardinha – Sardine Fishing
1975 : Conchinha do Mar – Sea Shell
1975 : Às vezes custa – Sometimes it’s hard
1975 : A Sacada – The Miracle Fishing
1976 : Os Irmãos Severo e os Cem Polvos – The Brothers Severo and the Hundred Octopuses
1976 : À Flor do Mar – On the Waterline
1976 : A Colher – The Spoon
1976 : O Velho e o Novo – Old and New
1976 : A Falta e a Fartura – Lack and Wealth
1976 : Quem só muda de Camisa – Changing his Shirt
1976 : A Máquina do Dinheiro – The Money Machine
1976 : Viver do Mar – Living on Sea
1976 : Uma Perdiz na Gaiola – A Perdix in Cage
1976 : Nas Voltas do Rio – On the River
1976 : O Submarino de Vidro – The Glass Submarine
1976 : April Carnations – Cravos de Abril – The Carnation Revolution in Portugal
1977 : Sea born – E do Mar Nasceu
1978 : Música do Quotidiano – Everyday Music
1978 : Abril no Minho – April in Minho
1979 : A Lampreia – The Lamprey
1979 : A Coca – Saint George and the Dragon
1979 : Histórias de Baçal – Stories of Baçal
1979 : Esta aldeia, Rio de Onor – This Village, Rio de Onor
1979 : O Pisão – The Fulling Mill
1979 : A Feira – The Village Market
1979 : O Outro Jogo – The Other Game
1980 : Joaquim da Loiça – Joaquim da Loiça
1980 : Pastores da Serra da Estrela – Shepheards of Serra da Estrela
1980 : Barcos de Peniche – Ships of Peniche
1980 : O Parque Nacional de Montesinho – The National Park of Montesinho
1982 : Lisbon and the Sea Lisbon and the International Court for the Law of the Sea for the UNESCO
Other genres (kiti žanrai)
1989 – 2006 Paroles : Interviews with Jean Rouch

Edgar and Rafael Morais

They are twin brothers born in Coimbra(Portugal)on 25 June, 1989. They both become actors, known in Portugal, though living in Los Angeles and speaking fluently in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.
Edgar Morais began acting at the age of 14 appearing in a variety of plays including "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, winner of a European Golden Globe for Best Theatrical Show of The Year and Best Ensemble Cast. At the age of 17 Edgar starred in the feature "From Now On"(2007), winner of the Audience Award at Rio De Janeiro Film Festival. In 2009 he was cast in the feature film "Fault Line" (2009/I) directed by Luke Eberl, and in the NBC shows "Ctrl" (2009) directed by Robert Kirbyson and "FCU: Fact Checkers Unit" (2010) directed by Dan Beers.
Rafael Morais began acting at the age of 14 as well. Before the release of Rafael's first feature film "Um Amor de Perdição"(2008) he starred in a variety of plays. At the age of 18 he was cast as the lead in the feature film "How to Draw a Perfect Circle "(2009) directed by Marco Martins, critically acclaimed director who received several awards at different film festivals such as Cannes Film Festival, Mar del Plata Film Festival, European Film Awards among others, followed by "Blood of My Blood"(2011), directed by 'Joao Canijo' who also received a variety of prizes at Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival for most of his films. Rafael Morais won the "Best Young Actor Prize" at the 2009 Estoril Film Festival.
At the age of 17 twins moved to Los Angeles where they now reside. I think they have a promising career in Hollywood, maybe some day they will become most famous actors of Portugal. Who knows..

António Silva

António Silva: António Silva: "Antonio Silva (August 15, 1886 – March 3, 1971) Antonio Maria da Silva or better..."

António Silva: António Silva

António Silva: António Silva: "Antonio Silva (August 15, 1886 – March 3, 1971) Antonio Maria da Silva or better..."

João Pedro Rodrigues

In 1966 in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon was born a new visionary, a little genius of contemporary Portuguese cinema - João Pedro Rodrigues. Even so he started his career as a movie director only in 1997, he went all his life step by step gaining the knowledge in this area. He was a student and an assistant of memorable Portuguese directors such as Alberto Seixas Santos and Teresa Villaverde.

The first decision of young João was to become an ornithologist, but after finishing these studies he made up his mind to look not for the birds in the sky, but through the artistic camera to the serious issues of contemporary society. To achieve this goal, he spent 4 years of hard studying at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema in Lisbon.

You can ask – what makes him so special, even extraordinary comparing to other contemporary film directors in Portugal?

It is not because of the melancholy in his eyes this young man is mentioned next to such stars as Claire Denis and Tsai-Liang in the latest critics’ reviews. In his movies he seeks the perfection, the perfect balance between total differences – comic point of view and heartbreaking story lines, calm surface and hidden deep meaning. The perverse or tragicomic sexuality and violence, cruelty of our world – two main roads for the thematic he chooses. Rodrigues style is called as austerely classical one: everything is balanced to the maximum; you can not find chaos in his compositions – light and color, music and silence – everything goes together and to the point.

His filmography:

1997 - Parabéns! (Happy Birthday!)
1998 - Viagem à Expo (A Trip to the Expo)
2000 – O Fantasma (The Phantom)
2005 - Odete (Two Drifters)
2007 - China China
2009 - To Die Like a Man


A deep tradition of avant-garde narrative film in Portuguese cinema and radical filmmaking pioneers such as Manoel de Oliveira and Pedro Costa influenced Rodrigues. The Phantom, his the most famous piece of art, presents his curiosity about a human body and sexual identity. Rodrigues is an active member of Portuguese community, because his movies come not only from his own artistic aims, but are always related to the current issues in the country. The Phantom was one way of the representation and response to the growing influence of homosexual culture within the Portuguese artistic circles. As all well-done art it made some controversy in Portugal, but Western Europe, Brazil and USA showed it in their cinemas without any difficulties.

To Die Like a Man - a latest accomplishment of Rodrigues, was nominated as a favorite in the Cannes festival. It again deals with the same important issues of nowadays world – mutability of gender, lost sexuality and identity. The director avoids the old clichés of this type of movies, trying to make this melodramatic story understandable for both - heterosexual and homosexual.

The main attraction of this growing talent is that he never judges and his camera is like an oasis for tolerance. Rodrigues is creating characters that disobey conventional mores, like creating his own utopia of modern world.

*Small footnote for interested: Film-maker João Pedro Rodrigues gives a tour of his home city, from the locations that inspired his movies to riverside restaurants and local bars: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/video/2010/sep/30/lisbon-portugal-my-city-guide. Have a nice journey!

Lietuviška versija.

1966-taisiais, po Lisabonos dangumi gimė João Pedro Rodrigues - mažasis šiuolaikinio portugalų kino genijus, nauja vizija. Jo karjera kaip filmų režisieriaus prasidėjo tik 1997, bet jau prieš tai jis sėkmingai mokėsi ir sukosi kino industrijoje, beasistuodamas tokioms portugalų kino legendoms kaip Alberto Seixas Santos ar Teresa Villaverde.

Jaunasis João neiškart priėmė sprendimą pasukti kino kūrėjo keliu. Svajingas jaunuolis iš pradžių ėmėsi ornitologijos, ir tik baigęs šiuos mokslus suvokė, kad tikrasis pašaukimas laukia visai kitur. Į dangų nukreiptos akys, stebėjusios paukščius, ėmė žvelgti pro kameros objektyvą į rimtas ir aktualias šiuolaikinės visuomenės problemas. Norėdamas tobulintis jis praleido sunkius keturis metus besimokydamas kino meno žymiausioje tam skirtoje vietoje Lisabonoje - Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema.
Galime įtariai paklausti – ir kas gi išskiria šį asmenį, daro jį ypatingu šiuolaikinių Portugalijos kino kūrėjų kontekste?

Ne dėl melancholiško žvilgsnio šis jaunas kūrėjas kritikų prilyginamas tokioms kino pažiboms kaip Claire Denis ar Tsai-Liang. Jis perfekcionistiškai žvelgia į savo darbą, ieško idealaus balanso tarp visiškų skirtybių – komiško vaizdavimo ir už širdies griebiančių siužeto vingių, ramus filmų tempas derinamas su gilia ir sukrečiančia potekste. Kitoks ar net tragikomiškas sesualumas ir smurtas, šiuolaikinio pasaulio žiaurumas – pagrindinės tematinės linijos, kurias jis renkasi. Rodrigues’o stilius įvardinamas kaip modernios klasikos pavyzdys: viskas subalansuota iki maksimumo; nerasi čia kompozicinio chaoso taip būdingo postmoderniam rėksmingam kinui – apšvietimas ir kolorito sprendimai, muzika ir tylos pauzės – viskas greta ir veiksmingai paveiku.

Filmografija:

1997 - Parabéns! (Su gimtadieniu!)
1998 - Viagem à Expo (Kelionė į Expo)
2000 – O Fantasma (Fantomas)
2005 - Odete (Odetė)
2007 - China China (Kinija Kinija)
2009 - To Die Like a Man (Mirti žmogiškai)

Gili avantgardinio pasakojimo tradicija portugalų kine ir radikalaus filmo kūrimo pionieriai (Manoel de Oliveira ir Pedro Costa) įkvėpė Rodrigues. Fantomas, jo populiariausias kūrinys, pristato autoriaus susidomėjimą žmogaus kūnu ir seksualine tapatybe. Režisierius, būdamas aktyvus portugalų visuomenės veikėjas, ir savo filmais siekia ne tik meninių aukštumų, bet ir rūpinasi jų aktualumu šalies bendruomenei. Fantomas – tai viena iš reprezentacijų ir reakcijų į augančią homoseksualų kultūros įtaką Portugalijos bohemiškoje aplinkoje. Kaip ir dauguma puikiai subalansuotų meno kūrinių, šis filmas sukėlė kontraversišką reakciją jo gimtojoje šalyje, tačiau Vakarų Europos, Brazilijos ir JAV kino teatrai itin teigiamai priėmė šį lisaboniečio darbą.

Mirti žmogiškai – vėlyviausias Rodrigues pasiekimas, nominuotas kaip vienas iš Kanų festivalio favoritų. Čia ir vėl bandoma perteikti svarbias nūdienos aktualijas, šįkart – lyties keitimo, prarasto seksualinio identiteto ir greta bendrai pasimetimo, identiteto paieškų problematiką. Režisierius atsisako senų klišių, būdingų šio tipo filmams, melodramatišką istoriją bando padaryti suprantamą tiek heteroseksualų, tiek homoseksualų bendruomenėms.

Pagrindinis šio augančio talentingo autoriaus patrauklumas slypi jo sugebėjime niekuomet neteisti savo sukurtų charakterių, jo kamera tampa tarsi maža tolerancijos oaze. Rodrigues’o kuriami veikėjai – tai pasipriešinimas įvairiausioms mums primetamoms konvencijoms, tai kūrimas savitos modernaus pasaulio utopijos.

*Maža pastaba susidomėjusiems: João Pedro Rodrigues kaip gidas pristato savo miestą, Lisaboną, aptardamas vietas, kurios įkvėpė jo filmus: nuo paupio iki vietinių barų: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/video/2010/sep/30/lisbon-portugal-my-city-guide. Smagios kelionės!

Pedro Costa

Pedro Costa

Pedro Costa is a well known Portuguese film director born in 1959. While studying history at University of Lisbon, Costa switched to film courses at School of Theatre and Cinema (Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema). After working as an assistant director to several directors such as Jorge Silva Melo and João Botelho, he made his first feature film O Sangue (The Blood) in 1989. He received the France Culture Award at 2002 Cannes International Film Festival for directing the film No Quarto da Vanda (In Vanda’s Room). His other film Juventude em Marcha (Colossal Youth) was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 and earned the Independent/Experimental prize from Los Angeles Film Critics Assossiation in 2008. He is acclaimed for using his ascetic style to depict the marginalised people in desperate living situations. Many of his films are set in a district of Lisbon inhabited by the socially disadvantaged and shot in a natural and low-key way that makes them resemble documentaries.

Being a really influential and unique film director Pedro Costa has really interesting ideas about cinema, it’s purpose, director’s and viewer’s parts. Today cinema reached the point where it has great influence over viewers and it also helps to know things. So according to the director it is very important to know how to watch films. A viewer has to watch films at a distance. He doesn’t face things directly in the cinema world, he only watches, feels and experiences the reality through unreality. Sometimes in the cinema it is just as important not to see, to hide, as it is to show. Pedro Costa states that the primary function of cinema is to make the audience feel that something isn't right. In order to notice, reflect, think and question this idea the audience should notice that in the film there is a lack of something or that the things shown in the film shouldn‘t be happening. So the director of a film should understand that that cinema is an art which can make its strongest effect with the idea of absence, with the idea of cinema as an art of absence.

Like life, films are also made by the rules and orders. The rules of a film are fixed in the production script. Of course there are documentary directors who film without a script and who also capture the same human experiences. Though according to Pedro Costa the first true directors were those who synthesized the documentary and fiction in a film. So sometimes when a documentary is made to show everything, in fact it doesn't show anything, the spectators don't see anything, they are just scattered. A single gesture or glance of an actor can say a lot more about suffering, misery, or joy, than a documentary that shows everything.

So by what it was said, Pedro Costa divides films into two categories: closed door films and open door films. In the case of open door films, when a spectator sees a good film, he always sees himself in the film, he sees what he wants to see. The open door films are those like junk food – you know that it’s bad for you but it makes you want it and finally you eat it. The spectator can only see the film if something on the screen resists him. If he can recognize everything, he's going to project himself on the screen. So fiction is always a door that a spectator wants to open or not.

And finally Pedro Costa speaks about film director’s part in the cinema world. He says that being a film director is a very solitary labour, because it involves working on your own feelings. A director is also something of a scientist, because he must research of good and evil and later show the conclusion in the film. lf the right feelings wouldn‘t be put into the technology, then the technoogy won't work.

So to sum up the main ideas by the director about cinema can be explained by one his quote: „Films, the entire history of cinema, and I would even say all music, all the work that men have made in what we call the arts – this work is like the trains that go alongside life, but must never cross it.“

Joaquim de Almeida (eng)

Joaquim António Portugal Baptista de Almeida - Portuguese origin actor, who conquered the international film industry. For Americans, he is an elegant bad guy with a low, a little bit throaty voice ("24", "Desperado," "Behind Enemy Lines", "CSI Miami"). For Europeans – a man of many parts, perfectly suited for both sensual man ("Earth Heart", "53 Winter Days", "Family Portrait", "Temptation") and the bohemian artist roles ("Oscar. Surrealist passion"). The most important thing, however, is that it does not matter, what kind of role he acts, Joaquim can receive a wide circle of viewers sympathy.

Joaquim de Almeida was born in Lisbon in the spring of 1957. When he was 18 years old, he was unable to study art, because after the so-called Carnation Revolution the Lisbon Conservatory was closed temporarily, so Joaquim decided to leave his country and go to Vienna. He spent there two years working various jobs (for ezample he worked as a gardener in Zairean embassy), and met his first wife, the Austrian pianist Maria Cecilia de Almeida. This friendship was the first thing, which made him turn to a way of becoming an actor finally - as Maria Cecilia received a scholarship to study music in America, in 1977 the pair moved to New York. So Joaquim began studying in Actors Sturio there, and soon he started playing in the New York Shakespeare Festival. That was a career beginning of one of the most successful actors coming from Portugal. Joaquims ability to speak in five foreign languages fluenty (English, French, Italian, Spanish and German) gave him great opportunity to show his talent not only in the U.S.A. and his homeland Portugal (where he always is happy to work), but also in other European countries, as well as in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.

Joaquim has made more than 70 kinds of roles in movies and TV series. Although in Lithuania he is better known as the villain from American crime dramas or thrillers, the actor prefer more emotional and miscellaneous roles in European directors movies. Maybe because of that, when Joaquim is casting as villain, he tries not to make them clichéd, give them more interesting features or sensitivity, because, according to the actor, bad guys have feelings also. However, in the recent interviews the actor was pleased that he plays as such guys more and more rarely, even in American directors movies ("Burning plane," "La cucina").

Despite the fact that Joaquim has played many in both South and North America, however, most recognition and awards, he received in the homeland Portugal. In Avances Film Forum, he was awarded as best actor for the role of the painter Óscar Domínguez in movie „Oscar. Surrealist passion“, also he was awarded with Golden Globe awards even three times, and awarded with the Golden Dolphin for all the achievements of his career in Festroia Festival.

However, neither rewards nor the fact that in Portugal live two of his children (son Lourenço from his first marriage, and daughter Maria from the second) has not made him come back, and Joaquim became a Citizen of U.S.A. in 2005. And while actor often come to Portugal, according to his own, it is fun to come here for holiday, bus this country is too small for business and cinema industry.

Joaquim de Almeida (lit)

Joaquim António Portugal Baptista de Almeida - portugalų kilmės aktorius, užkariavęs tarptautinio kino industriją. Amerikiečiams jis – elegantiškas blogas vyrukas, turintis žemą, kiek prikimusį, todėl gana „grėsmingai“ skambantį balso tembrą ("24", "Desperado", "Už priešo linijos", "Bėglių medžiotojai", "CSI Majamis"). Europiečiams – įvairialypė asmenybė, puikiai tinkanti tiek jausmingo vyro ("Žemės širdis", "53 žiemos dienos", "Šeimos portretas", "Pagunda"), tiek bohemiško dailininko vaidmenims ("Oskaras. Siurrealizmo aistra"). Tačiau svarbiausia, kad bet kuriame amplua šis aktorius sugeba sulaukti plataus žiūrovų rato simpatijų.

Joaquim de Almeida gimė Lisabonoje 1957-ųjų pavasarį, tačiau sulaukęs pilnametystės ir negalėdamas rinktis meno studijų (po vadinamosios Gvazdikų revoliucijos Lisabonos konservatorija buvo laikinai uždaryta) nusprendė palikti savo šalį ir išvykti į Vieną. Čia jis praleido du metus, dirbdamas įvairiausius darbus (teko būti netgi sodininku Zairo ambasadoje), ir susipažino su pirmąja žmona, austrų pianiste Maria Cecilia de Almeida. Būtent ši pažintis leido Joaquim pagaliau pasukti aktorystės keliu – kadangi Maria Cecilia gavo stipendiją muzikos studijoms Amerikoje, 1977-aisiais jiedu persikėlė į Niujorką, ir Joaquim čia pradėjo mokytis aktorių studijoje, o netrukus ir vaidinti Niujorko Šekspyro festivaliuose. Taip prasidėjo vienu sėkmingiausių iš Portugalijos kilusių aktorių, užkariavusių tarptautinio kino areną, laikomo Joaquim del Almeida karjera. Gebėjimas laisvai kalbėti penkiomis užsienio kalbomis (anglų, prancūzų, italų, ispanų ir vokiečių) šiam aktoriui savo talentą parodyti leido ne tik JAV bei gimtojoje Portugalijoje (kur jis, beje, visada mielai dirba), bet ir kitose Europos šalyse, taip pat, Meksikoje, Argentinoje bei Brazilijoje.

Joaquim yra atlikęs daugiau nei 70 įvairiausių vaidmenų kino filmuose bei TV serialuose. Nors Lietuvos žiūrovams jis geriau pažįstamas kaip nenaudėlis iš amerikietiškų kriminalinių dramų ar trilerių, pats aktorius labiau mėgsta jausmingesnius ir įvairesnius vaidmenis Europos režisierių filmuose. Gal todėl ir vaidindamas minėtus nenaudėlius Joaquim stengiasi jų nestereotipizuoti, suteikti įdomesnių bruožų, jautrumo, nes, anot paties aktoriaus, ir blogi vyrukai turi jausmus. Visgi paskutiniuose interviu aktorius džiaugiasi, kad tokių vyrukų vaidmenų jam tenka vis mažiau net ir JAV režisierių filmuose ("Deganti dykuma", "Virtuvė").

Įdomu tai, kad daug vaidinęs tiek Pietų, tiek Šiaurės Amerikoje, visgi daugiausia pripažinimo ir apdovanojimų Joaquim de Almeida sulaukė gimtojoje Portugalijoje. Avancos kino forume jis buvo apdovanotas kaip geriausias aktorius už dailininko Óscar Domínguez vaidmenį filme "Oskaras. Siurrealizmo aistra", be to tėvynė savo tautietį net tris kartus pamalonino Auksinio Gaublio apdovanojimais bei skyrė Auksinį Delfiną Festroia festivalyje už pasiekimus visos karjeros metu.

Tačiau nei apdovanojimai, nei faktas, kad Portugalijoje gyvena du jo vaikai (sūnus Lourenço iš pirmosios santuokos bei dukra Maria iš antrosios) nepaskatino Joaquim grįžti, 2005-aisiais jis tapo JAV piliečiu. Ir nors aktorius dažnai atvyksta į Portugaliją, anot jo paties, čia smagu tik atostogauti, nes verslui ir kinui ši šalis per maža.

António da Cunha Telles

António Cohen da Cunha Telles gimė 1935 metų vasario 26-ąją Funchal miestelyje, Madeiroje. .
Nuo jo vaikystės, dar vidurinėje mokykloje, jis pradeda kurit 9,5 mm filmus, kuriuos jis plėtojo ir redagavo. A. Da Cunha Telles studijavo Mediciną, Lisabonos universitete, kur jis taip pat vadovo mokslinių filmų kūrimui. Po kelerių metų meta studijas universitete, kad visą laiką galėtų skirti kinui.
Išvyksta į Paryžių, kur1956-1961, studijuoja keliose kino mokyklose ir gauna šiuos diplomus:
• IDHEC režisieriaus ir produserio diplomą, Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques;
• Kino pažymėjimą Kinematografijos institute, literatūros fakultete, Sorbonos universitete;
• Sertifikatą "Expert LT Technika Audio-visuelles", garso ir vaizdo centro École Normale Supérieure de Saint-Cloud.

Grįžęs į Portugaliją, jis redaguoja laikraštį “Imagens de Portugal” (“Portugalijos vaizdai”), ir vadovauja Cinema Services of State Entities
António Cohen da Cunha Telles režisieriaus debiutu laikomas dokumentinis filmas “Os Transportes” (Transportas). Tai žymi jo, kaip produserio darbo pradžią, ilgainiui jis tampa vienu iš pagrindinių vardų Portugalijos Naujasis Kinas (Novo Cinema) judėjime.

1970 m. Cunha Telles sukuria savo pirmą ilgametražį filmą “O Cerco” (“Apgultis”). Tuo Taip pat įkuria platinimo kompaniją Animatógrafo.
António Cohen da Cunha Telles per 70-ąjį dešimtmetį sukuria tris filmus : Meus Amigos (Mano draugai) ir Continuar viver (Tęsti gyvenimą), As Armas eo Povo (Ginklai ir žmonės).
Naujausi filmai rež. N. Cunha Telles yra Vidas (Gyvenimai), Pandora, o Paskutinysis jo darbas - filmas Kiss Me ( Pabučiuok mane), kuriame atskleidžiamas Marisa’os Cruz, pasaulinio top modelio gyvenimas.


António Cohen da Cunha Telles was born on February 26, 1935 in Funchal, Madeira.
Since his early age, still at the high school, he starts making 9,5 mm films, which he develops and edits. He attends Medical School at the University of Lisbon, where he also directs some scientific films in 16mm and he directs some documentaries for RTP, in its initial phase (1956). He quits University to work full time in cinema.
He studies in Paris for 5 years, from 1956 to 1961, where he attends several cinema courses and obtains the following certificates: a I.D.H.E.C. direction and production certificate, at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques; A Film Certificate by the Institut de Filmologie, at the Literature Faculty of the University of Paris (Sorbonne); Certificate of “Expert en Techniques Audio-visuelles” by the Audiovisual Center at the École Normale Supérieure de Saint-Cloud.
Back to Portugal, he runs a newspaper called Imagens de Portugal (Images of Portugal), and assumes leading functions at the Cinema Services of State Entities.
His directing debut is made with the documentary Os Transportes ( Transport), and starts activity as a producer, becoming one of the essential names of the Portuguese New Cinema (Novo Cinema) movement. He produces Os Verdes Anos (The Green Years) by Paulo Rocha and Belarmino by Fernando Lopes.
In 1970, Cunha Telles directs his first feature-film, O Cerco (The Siege). Meanwhile, he establishes a distribution company (Animatógrafo) which becomes responsible for a revolution in the kind of cinema seen in Portugal in the first half of the 70s.
During the 70s, Telles directed three films: Meus Amigos (My Friends) and Continuar a Viver (Continue to Live) signed by himself, As Armas e o Povo (Weapons and People) together with other directors. In the end of the decade, Cunha Telles is found high placed as the leader of the Portuguese Cinema Institute.
In 1983, returns to production, since the Animatógrafo firm was divided in one sector of distribution and one sector of production, headed by himself, which is dedicated to its own productions as well as assuring executive productions of foreign films partially shot in Portugal, counting since that date with a large number of productions
The most recent films directed by Cunha Telles are Vidas (Lives), Pandora and, more recently, Kiss Me, the first and only cinematic experience of the top model Marisa Cruz.

Trailer "Kiss Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOqM1weQ98g

Manoel de Oliveiro (Lt)

 

Manoel de Oliveira     

Manoel Candido Pinto de Oliveira (gruodžio 11, 1908m.) yra Portugalijos režisierius, gimęs Cedofeita, Porto mieste. Šiuo metu jis yra seniausias vis dar kuriantis režisierius pasaulyje. Jam jau 101 metai! Tai vienas iš režisierių, kurio karjera prasidėjo nuo tyliųjų filmų, kaip " Douro upė" (1931) ir tęsiasi iki paskutiniojo Manuelio darbo " Šviesiaplaukės merginos nepaprastumas"(2009), kuris neseniai buvo įtrauktas į Berlyną. Nuo tada, Oliveira yra pastatęs daugiau nei 50 filmų. Jo darbai gavo pasaulinį pripažinimą daugelyje festivalių, institutų ir akademijų. Manoel de Oliveira kūryba atspindi unikalų ir originalų gyvenimą, kurį jis rodo filmuose. Manuelis taip pat buvo puikus sportininkas (šuolių su kartimi Portugalijos čempionas), lenktynininku, trapecijos meistru, Douru upės vyno gamintoju ir vieno iš žinomiausių portugalų passamania fabrikų direktoriumi, Manoel de Oliveira visada matė savo gyvenimą kaip nesibaigiantį patirties šaltinį, kurio ištakos glūdi nepaprastos asmenybės gyvybiškume, kuris nustebina visus jį pažįstančius žmones.

  Portugalijos istorija ir kultūros identitetas neretai darė įtaką Oliveira'os darbams. Ryšys tarp dokumentikos ir fantastikos, teatro kine, teksto ir vaizdų, garsų ir muzikos nepriklausomybė, kaip ir žmonių santykiai yra nuolat atrandami jo kūryboje. Jie ypač pastebimi istorijose apie vyrus ir moteris, kurios buvo paimtos iš novelių ir pjesių..

Jo režisieriaus karjera

Oliveira lankė mokyklą Galicijoje, Ispanijoje ir jo paauglio tikslas buvo tapti aktoriumi. Jis būdamas 20 metų amžiaus mokėsi italų kino režisierius Rino Lupo's mokykloje, tačiau vėliau pakeitė savo nuomonę, pamatęs Walther Ruttmann dokumentinį filmą “Berlynas: miesto simfonija”. Tai paskatino jį režisuoti savo pirmąjį filmą, taip pat dokumentinį, pavadinimu “Douro, Faina Fluvial” (1931).

1963 m. “Pavasario apeigos”, dokumentinis filmas, buvo labai svarbus posūkis jo karjeroje. Tai buvo netrukus po niūraus filmo “Medžioklė”, kuris kontrastavo su ankstesniais šviesiais, laimingais dokumentiniais filmais. Nepaisant visuotinio pripažinimo, jis nebegrįžo į režisieriaus vietą iki 1970 metų. Nuo 1990 m. (kai jam sukako 82), jis surežisuoja bent vieną filmą per metus.

Oliveira teigia, jog režisuoti filmą jam yra didelis malonumas ir jis tai daro nekreipdamas dėmesio į neigiamas reakcijas ir kritiką. Jis išlaiko ramų gyvenimą, šiek tiek atsiribojus nuo prožektorių, nepaisant daugkartinių apdovanojimų Kanų, Venecijos ir Monrealio kino festivaliuose. Manoel de Oliveira buvo apdovanotas dviem karjeros apdovanojimais “Auksinių liūtų” festivalyje 1985 m. ir 2004 m. bei "Auksinės palmės” apdovanojimuose už viso gyvenimo pasiekimai 2008 metais.

Jis taip pat yra žinomas plačia žanrų įvairove: dramos, dokumentikos, trumpų filmų, komedijos žanrais. Be to, į filmografiją jis įsiamžino kaip: režisierius, rašytojas, redaktorius, aktorius, prodiuseris, operatorius, garso operatorius.

 

Štai keletas ištraukų iš interviu (Euronews) su Manoel de Oliveira. Kai jo buvo paklausta, kąs jį skatina taip aktyviai dirbti ir per pastaruosius du dešimtmečius surežisuoti bent vieną filmą per metus, jis atsakė:

"Nėra jokios paslapties - tai darbas! Nuolatinis darbas, nesiliaujanti iniciatyva. Mano gyvenimas yra toks sudėtingas, - man reikia erdvės aplink save, aplink mane vyksta tiek daug įvykių, o mano namas yra mažas, ir man šviežio oro. Aš negaliu nei pratęsti laiko, nei padidinti namo. Tai užimtų pernelyg daug laiko, kurio aš negaliu sau leisti. "

Jo nuomone, svarbiausi dalykai gyvenime yra:

"Žinoti, kaip atlikti darbus tinkamai. Švietimas yra svarbiausias dalykas. Vyriausybės požiūriu, svarbiausia turi būti sveikata. Nesveiki žmonės neatneš nieko gero šaliai. Tačiau antroje vietoje turi būti švietimas, o vėliau menas ir kultūra, kurios yra glaudžiai susijusios su švietimu. Žinios yra žmonijos esmė, be to mes nežengsime toliau pažangos keliu. Po to yra visa kita ... "

Manuelio de Oliveiros  gyvenimo kredo: sustoję mes mirštame, jei mes nuolat judame- gyvename.

 

Interviu su Manueliu de Oliveira:

http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/09/manoel-de-oliveira-the-oldest-working-film-director/

 

Paskutinio jo filmo “Šviesiaplaukės merginos nepaprastumas” pristatymas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qZrxtE-TmM

Manoel de Oliveira

Manoel de Oliveira                      

Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira (born December 11, 1908) is a Portuguese film director born in Cedofeita, Porto. He is currently the oldest active film director in the world. He is already 101 years old! The only one of directors whose career began with a silent films such as "Work in the Douro River" (1931) to Manoel`s recent  work "Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl" (2009) which recently was introduced in Berlin. Since then, Oliveira has built more than 50 films. His work has received worldwide recognition, as demonstrated by many awards at film festivals, institutes and academies. Manoel de Oliveira`s  fabulous  creations reflect a unique and original life, which he shows in films. Being an exceptional athlete (he was jumping pole Portuguese Champion), racing, trapeze master, the River Douro wine producers and one of the most famous factories passamania Portuguese director, Manoel de Oliveira has always seen his life as an endless source of experience, whose origins lie in an extraordinary vitality of personality.

History of Portugal and cultural identity is often influenced in Oliveira's work. The relationship between documentary and fiction, drama film, text and images, sounds and musical independence, the same as human relationships are continually find in his works.

Directing career

Oliveira attended school in Galicia, Spain and his goal as a teenager was to become an actor. He enrolled in Italian film-maker Rino Lupo's acting school at age 20, but later changed his mind when he saw Walther Ruttmann's documentary Berlin: Symphony of a City. This prompted him to direct his first film, also a documentary, titled Douro, Faina Fluvial (1931).

In 1963, O Acto de Primavera (The Rite of Spring), a documentary depicting an annual passion play, marked a turning point for his career. This was shortly followed by A caça (The Hunt), a grim feature film that contrasted with the happy tones of his previous documentary. Despite the widespread acclaim garnered by both films, he would not return to the director's seat until the 1970s. Since 1990 (when he turned 82), he has made at least one film each year.

Oliveira has said that he direct movies for the sheer pleasure of doing it, regardless of critical reaction. He maintains a quiet life away from the spotlights, despite multiple honours such as those of the Cannes, Venice and Montreal film festivals. He has been awarded two Career Golden Lions in 1985 and 2004 and a golden palm for his lifetime achievements in 2008.

He is also known for vast variety of genres: drama, documentary, short, comedy. Furthermore he jumped to filmography as: director, writer, editor, actor, producer, cinematographer, sound department, miscellaneous crew.

There are few extracts from the interview(Euronews) with Manoel de Oliveira. When he was asked what keeps him going that over the last two decades he have made at least one film per year, he answered:

“There is no secret – it is work! It is doing something, it is a natural impulsion. My life is so complicated – I need space around me, I have so much going on and my house is small, and I need breathing space. I cannot seem to sort it out. I cannot either stretch time, or enlarge the house. That would take up precious time which I cannot afford.”

In his opinion the most important things in life there are:

“Knowing how to do things properly. Education is the most important thing. From the government’s point of view, the most important thing must be health. A sick country is nothing. But in second place must be education, and then there is art and culture, which go hand in hand with education. Knowledge is the very essence of humanity, and without that we cannot progress. After that, well, there is everything else…”

Manoel de Oliveira` s life credo is: If you stop, you die; if you keep going, you live.

The interview:

http://www.euronews.net/2008/12/09/manoel-de-oliveira-the-oldest-working-film-director/

Trailer of his last film “Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl”(2009)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qZrxtE-TmM

Vasco Wellenkamp

Vasco Wellenkamp have studied dance since 1961 at the Verde Gaio group, Wellenkamp entered the Gulbenkian Ballet in 1968 and was awarded a two-year scholarship in 1973 to study at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York where he earned a degree in Modern Dance.In New York he also studied composition with Merce Cunningham and worked with Valentina Pereyslavec at the American Ballet Theatre. In 1978 he won a scholarship to study choreography at the University of Surrey in England. While continuing to work as resident choreographer and professor at the Gulbenkian Ballet from 1977 to 1996, he was named professor of the National Conservatory Dance School in 1975 and coordinating professor at the Superior Dance School in 1983.

In Brazil Wellenkamp also collaborated with the Municipal Theatre Ballet of São Paulo, the Niterói Ballet, the CIA Cisne Negro and the Guaíra Ballet; in Argentina with the San Martin Contemporary Ballet; in England with the Extemporary Dance Theatre, the Dance Theatre Commune and Focus On; In Switzerland with the Ballet du Grand Theatre de Gèneve; in Italy with the Tuscany Ballet; and in Croatia with the Zagreb Dance Theatre.

Since 1974 has received numerous awards from the Portuguese press. In 1996 he won the gold medal as best choreographer of the II International Dance Contest of Japan and was decorated in 1994 with the Order of Prince Henry (The Navigator) by the President of the Republic, Dr. Mario Soares, in recognition of his contribution to Portuguese dance.

Wellenkamp's choreography is mainly about combaining ballet and contemporary dance elements, about partnering, with lifts of all kinds and spinning embraces coming to the fore. The fluent Wallenkamp‘s choreography is so outstandingly performed that the rush of emotion, varied with quiet moments,is amazing. All the peroformances are full of pasion, energy and so close o natural human sences. Wellenkamp is not afraid to allow his extraordinarily skilled dancers to look clumsy or peasant-earthy. They hurl themselves at the floor and each othe, they arch and twist their torsos and throw their heads back, their arms and legs thrash the air. That intensity makes them so extraordinary.

In 1997 in Lisabon Vasco Wellenkamp and Graça Barroso have founded „Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporâneo“ also known as CPBC - a repertory dance company whose purpose lies in constituting a forum for the creation of contemporary dance. During the last decade, thanks to a repertoire created exclusively for the Company by its artistic director and outside choreographers, in collaboration with artists from different regions, and with a group of dancers who embodied exceptional technical and artistic abilities, CPBC acquired the uniqueness which earned its international renown on the contemporary dance scene. Among the many pieces which stand out in the repertoire, many are dance works choreographed by Vasco Wellenkamp. CPBC produces not only spectacular shows but and educational programs specifically geared to children’s and family audiences which it presents at schools along with a series of dance workshops.

After the creation of his first choreography for the Portuguese National Ballet in 2005, Vasco Wellenkamp was invited by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture to become Artistic Director of the Companhia Nacional de Bailado in 2007 and assumed the nuclear challenge of this structure: the combination of classical repertoire with contemporary creation, including national creation.

Vasco Wellenkamp’as nuo 1961-ųjų studijavo šokį Verde Gaio grupėje, atėjus į Gulbenkian baletą 1968-aisiais gavo dviejų metų stipendiją studijuoti Martha Graham šiuolaikinio šokio mokykloje Niujorke, kur įgijo šiuolaikinio šokio diplomą. Niujorke jis taip pat studijavo kompoziciją kartu su Merce Cunningham ir dirbo su Valentina Pereyslavec Amerikos baleto teatre. 1978-aisiais jis laimėjo stipendiją studijuoti choreografiją Surrey universitete Anglijoje. Tuo metu, kuomet nuo 1977-ųjų iki 1996-ųjų kaip choreografas ir profesorius dirbo Gulbenkian balete, jis taip pat profesioriavo Nacionalinės koncervatorijos Šokio mokykloje 1975-aisiais ir Aukštojoje šokio mokykloje 1983-iaisiais.

Brazilijoje Wellenkamp’as bendradarbiavo su São Paulo baleto teatru, Niterói beletu, CIA Cisne Negro ir Guaíra baletu, Argentinoje su San Martin šiuolaikiniu baletu, Anglijoje su šiuolaikinio šokio teatru ir Focus On, Šveicarijoje su Ballet du Grand Theatre de Gèneve,Italijoje su Toskanos Baletu, o Kroatijoje su Zagrebo šokio teatru.

Nuo 1974-ųjų Wellenkamp’as gavo daugybę apdovanojimų . 1996-aisiais jis laimėjo auksinį medalį kaip geriausias II-ojo tarptautinio Japonijos šokių konkurso choreografas, 1994-aisiais princo Henrio vardu iš respublikos prezidento Mario Soareso gavo apdovanojimą už nuopelnus Portugalijos šokiui.

Wellenkamp'o choreografijos esmė yra baleto ir šiuolaikinio šokio elementų sintezė. Sudėtinga ir grakšti klasikinė baleto choreorgafija derinama su itin plastiškais ir veržliais šiuolaikinio šokio judesiais. Taip sukuriama neprilystama energija. Šokio kompozicijos dažnai paremtos pirminiais žmogaus instinktais yra be galo žemiškos. Wellenkamp’as nebijo savo neeilinio talento šokėjus nuleisti iki primytyvaus žmogaus būvio, taip išlaisvinant laukinę energiją, o gartu ir gryną jausmą, kuriuo itin ir pasižymi visi choreografo darbai.

1997-aisias Lisabonoje Vasco Wellenkamp ir Graça Barroso įkūrė „Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporâneo“ , plačiau žinomą kaip CPBC – šiuolaikinio šokio trupę, kurios tikslas yra kurti ir stiprinti Portugalijos šiuolaikionio šokio tradiciją. Per paskutinį dešimtmetį dėl specialaus CPBC repertuaro, sukurto jos meno direktoriaus ir choreografų iš šalies, bendradarbiavimo su skirtingų regionų artistais ir grupės šokėjų su išskirtinėmis techninėmis ir artistinėmis savybėmis, CPBC įgijo savo unikalumą, kuris uždirbo tarptautinį pripažinimą šiuolaikinio šokio scenoje. Tarp daugelio darbų, išsiskiriančių iš repertuaro dauguma yra Vasco Wellenkamp’o choreografijos šedevrai. CPBC kuria ne tik pribloškiamus ir išskirtinius pasirodymus, bet ir rengia edukacines programas skirtas vaikams ir šeimos auditorijai, kurias pristato mokyklose kartu su šokio darbinėmis sesijomis.

Po pirmosios choreografijos pastatymo Portugalijos nacionaliniam baletui 2005-aisiais, Vasco Wellenkamp’as Portugalijos kultūros ministerijos buvo pakviestas tapti Companhia Nacional de Bailado meno vadovu. Taip jis prisiėmė šios sistemos iššūkį – suderinti kalsikinį repertuarą su šiuolaikine kūryba, nepamirštant ir nacionalinio identiteto.

Maria de Medeiros

Maria de Medeiros ( full name Maria de Medeiros Esteves Victorino D'Almeida) is the older of three daughters by the pianist, maestro and composer António Vitorino D'Almeida and Maria Armanda Esteves. Her sisters are Inês de Medeiros, stage actress and film and stage director and Ana Medeiros, violinist, composer, and music teacher.

Studied at Lycée Français Charles Le Pierre, Lisbon, and when she was 15 years old, she acted in her father's movie, Silvestre. Went to Paris in 1984, aiming to take a college degree in the Beaux Arts, and ended by taking Philosophy, and Drama instead, at the National Schools of Arts and Theatre Techniques.

Lived and filmed in Portugal, and abroad, then she returned to Paris, where she is established since 1987. She married a Catalonian (Spain), and has two daughters. She acquired the French nationality because of her children, and because she has a French culture as well as a Portuguese one. She is fluent in Portuguese, French, English, German and Spanish.

Among Medeiros' most memorable film appearances are three early 1990s roles. Her considerable resemblance to Anaïs Nin landed her the primary role in Henry & June (1990) in which she played the author. In 1990, she played the role of Maria in Ken McMullen's film about the rise of the Paris Commune 1871 and, in 1994, Medeiros appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, playing Butch Coolidge's (Bruce Willis) girlfriend Fabienne.

In 2000 she directed the film April Captains about the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. In 2003, she appeared as a hairdresser in the movie My Life Without Me starring Sarah Polley.

She has starred in the Canadian movie The Saddest Music in the World (2004) directed by Guy Maddin, costarring with Isabella Rossellini and Mark McKinney.

In 2007, she released an album, A Little More Blue, in which she performs songs by Brazilian musicians, including Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins and Dolores Duran. On the album, she sings in French ("Joana Francesa" by Chico Buarque), Portuguese and English ("A Little More Blue" by Caetano Veloso). On February 23, 2010 her second recording is released, Peninsulas & Continentes.

Medeiros was on the front cover of issue two of London fanzine "The Freaky Jason". In 2008, de Medeiros was nominated UNESCO Artist for peace

In 2009 she sung These Boots Are Made for Walkin' in The Legendary Tigerman' CD, Femina.

Maria de Medeiros (pilnas vardas Maria de Medeiros Esteves Victorino D'Almeida) yra vyriausia iš trijų pianisto, maestro ir kompozitoriaus António Vitorino D'Almeida ir Maria Amanda Esteves dukterų. Jos seserys Inźs de Medeiros, scenos aktorė bei kino ir scenos direktorė ir Ana Medeiros smuikininkė, kompozitorė ir muzikos mokytoja.

Studijavo Lycée Français Charles Le Pierre, Lisabona, ir kai jai buvo 15 metų, ji suvaidino savo tėvo filmą, Silvestre. Išvyko į Paryžių 1984 m., imtis meno išsilavinimo Beaux kolegijoje o vietoj to ėmėsi filosofijos ir dramos nacionalinėje meno ir teatro technikos mokykloje.

Gyveno ir filmavo Portugalijoje ir užsienyje, tada ji grįžo į Paryžių, kuriame gyveno nuo 1987 metų. Ji ištekėjusi už katalono (Ispanija), ir turi dvi dukterys. Ji įsigijo Prancūzijos pilietybę dėl savo vaikų, ir todėl, kad ji Prancūzijos kultūros, taip pat kaip ir Portugalijos. Ji laisvai kalba portugalų, prancūzų, anglų, vokiečių ir ispanų kalbomis.

Tarp labiausiai įsimenamų Medeiros' pasirodymų filmuose yra trys ankstyvųjų 1990-ųjų vaidmenys. Jos panašumas į Anaïs Nin davė jai pagrindinį vaidmenį filme „Henri ir pavasaris“(1990), kurioje ji vaidino autorę. 1990 m ji atliko Marijos vaidmenį Ken McMullen filme apie Paryžiaus sukilimą „Commune“ 1871, o 1994 m. Atliko vaidmenį Quentin Tarantino filme Pulp Fiction, kur vaidno Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) merginą Fabienne.

2000 m ji režisaco filmą „Balandžio kapitonai“ apie 1974 gvazdikų revoliucija Portugalijoje. Filmas sulaukė dėmesio Un specialaliame apdovanojime , esančiame 2000 Kanų kino festivalyje. 2003 M. ji pasirodė kaip kirpėja Sara Polley filme „Mano gyvenimas be manęs“.

Ji sužybėjo Kanados filme „ Liuūdniausia muzika pasaulyje“ (2004), režisuotame Guy Maddin, kartusu Isabella Rossellini ir Mark McKinney.

2007 m išleido albumą, „A Little More Blue“ kuriame ji atlieka Brazilijos muzikantų dainas įskaitant Čik Buarque Caetano Veloso, Ivanas Lins ir Dolores Duran. Albume, ji dainuoja prancūziškai("Joana Francesa" pagal Čik Buarque), portugalų ir anglų kalbomis("A Little More Blue" pagal Caetano Veloso). 2010 m. vasario 23 d. išleido savo antrą įrašą, „Peninsulas & Continentes“.

Medeiros buvo ant priekinio viršelio Londonofanzine "Freaky Jason". 2008 m de Medeiros buvo nominuota UNESCO atlikėja uz taiką.

2009 ji padainavo „ The boots are made for walking“ „The Legendary Tigerman“ albume.

Beatriz Batarda

Beatriz Batarda – Portugalų aktorė. Beatrisė yra kilusi iš Londono, bet nuo pat mažų dienų gyvena Portugalijoje. Nesvarbu kur ji vaidina Lisabonos Cornucopia kompanijos režisuojamuose filmuose ar Nacionaliniame teatre, jos vaidyba yra tisiog be priekaištų. 2000 metais Beatrisė baigė Londono Gildijos muzikos ir teatro mokyklą ir buvo apdovanota už gerą vaidybą. Aktorė buvo apdovanota aukso medaliu kaip „Geriausia metų aktorė“ ir pasirodė Londono scenoje spektaklyje „Už juoko ribų“ . Savo karjeroje ji dirbo su Portugalijos kino meistru Manoel de Oliveira. Beatrisė taip pat vaidino Kanadiečių ir Anglų statytame filme „ Viskas baigta, Pitai Tongai“, kuris buvo nominuotas 8 kategorijose ir laimėjo „Geriausio Kanados filmo“ apdovanojimą 2004 Toronto Tarptautiniame Filmų Festivalyje. Ji taip pat vaidnimo Marko Martinsono filme „Alisa“, kuris laimėjo „Geriausio filmo“ apdovanojimą Kanuose 2005 ir buvo nominuotas kaip „Geriausias metų Europos atradimas“. Šiuo metu Beatrisė filmuojasi Eriko de Bruyno filme „ Nadine“.

Beatriz Batarda – is a Portuguese actress. She was born in London and has lived in Lisbon since her childhood. No matter where she acts in Lisbon's Cornucópia Company or at the National Theatre she does it perfectly. In 2000, Batarda graduated London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama and got an honours degree in acting. She was awarded a gold medal for "Best Actress of the Year" and appeared on stage in London in „Beyond a Joke“. In her film career, she has worked with Portuguese master Manoel de Oliveira. What is more, she acted in the Canadian, UK film „It‘s all gone Pete Tong“ in 2004, which was nominated in eight categories and won the Best Canadian Feature at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival. She also acted in the film „Alice“ by Marco Martins, which won the prise of being "Best Film" in Cannes in 2005 and nomination for European Discovery of the Year. Now Beatriz Batarda is acting in the new film by Erik de Bruyn ‚Nadine‘.

João César Monteiro

João César Monteiro

João César Monteiro das Neves (Figueira da Foz, 2 de Fevereiro de 1939 — Lisboa, 3 de Fevereiro de 2003) foi um cineasta português. Integrou o grupo de jovens realizadores que se lançaram no movimento do Novo Cinema. Irreverente e imprevisível, fez-se notar como crítico mordaz de cinema nos anos sessenta.

Prossegue a tradição iniciada por Manoel de Oliveira (Acto da Primavera) ao introduzir no cinema português de ficção o conceito de antropologia visual — Veredas e Silvestre (filme) —, tradição amplamente explorada no documentário por outros cineastas portugueses como António Campos, António Reis, Ricardo Costa, Noémia Delgado ou, mais tarde e noutro registo, Pedro Costa.
Segue um percurso original que lhe facilita o reconhecimento internacional. Várias das suas obras são representadas e premiadas em festivais internacionais como o Festival de Cannes e o Festival de Veneza (Leão de Prata: Recordações da Casa Amarela).

Biografia

Pertence a uma família da burguesia rural, anti-clerical e anti-salazarista. Aos quinze anos, para prosseguir os estudos liceais, transfere-se com a família para Lisboa, a "capital do Império".
É dos poucos cineastas associados ao movimento do novo cinema que não prossegue estudos universitários. A propósito, o seu alter-ego, no filme Fragmentos de um Filme Esmola (1973), explica-se assim: «A escola é a retrete cultural do opressor».
Começa a trabalhar como assistente de realização de Perdigão Queiroga. Em 1963, graças a uma bolsa da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, vai para a Grã-Bretanha estudar na London School of Film Technique. De volta a Portugal, em 1965, inicia a rodagem do que viria a ser a sua primeira obra: Quem espera por sapatos de defunto morre descalço. O filme só será concluído cinco anos depois, como média-metragem.
A sua obra, polémica e dificilmente classificável, caracteriza-se pelo lirismo, em forma de filmes-poema. A sua veia satírica como realizador tem sido objecto de estudo para portugueses e estrangeiros, críticos e académicos. João César Monteiro, que tem sérios detractores, é conhecido como um dos mais importantes realizadores portugueses.

Filmografia

Longas-metragens

Fragmentos de Um Filme Esmola, A Sagrada Família (A Sagrada Família - 1972)
Que Farei Eu com Esta Espada? (1975)
Veredas (1978)
Silvestre (1982)
À Flor do Mar (1986)
Recordações da Casa Amarela (1989)
O Último Mergulho (1992)
A Comédia de Deus (1995)
Le Bassin de John Wayne (1997)
As Bodas de Deus (1999)
Branca de Neve (2000)
Vai e Vem (2003)

Curtas e médias-metragens

Quem Espera por Sapatos de Defunto Morre Descalço (1971)
Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (filme) - 1972
Amor de Mãe (1975)
O Amor das Três Romãs (1979)
Os Dois Soldados (1979)
O Rico e o Pobre (1979)
O Bestiário (1995)
Lettera Amorosa (1995)
Passeio com Johnny Guitar (1995)

Como produtor

Quem Espera por Sapatos de Defunto Morre Descalço (1971)
O Amor das Três Romãs (1979)
À Flor do Mar (1986)

Como actor

Vai e Vem (2003)
As Bodas de Deus (1999)
Le Bassin de J.W. (1997)
A Comédia de Deus (1995)
O Bestiário ou o Cortejo de Orpheu (1995)
Lettera Amorosa (1995)
Passeio com Johnny Guitar (1995)
Rosa Negra, de Margarida Gil (1992)
Paroles, de Anne Benhaïem (1992)
Conserva Acabada (1990)
Recordações da Casa Amarela (1989)
Relação Fiel e Verdadeira, de Margarida Gil (1989)
Doc's Kingdom, de Robert Kramer (1987)
À Flor do Mar (1986)
A Estrangeira, de João Mário Grilo (1983)
Amor de Perdição, de Manoel de Oliveira (1979)

Livros

Corpo Submerso (1959)
Morituri te Salutant (1974)
Le Bassin de John Wayne (1998)
As Bodas de Deus (1998)
Uma Semana Noutra Cidade (1999)

João César Monteiro iniciou-se no cinema em 1961 como assistente de produção de Perdigão Queiroga no fime O Milionário. Dois anos depois rumou a Londres com uma bolsa da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian para frequentar a London School of Film Technique. Regressado a Portugal realiza filmes publicitários e dedica-se à crítica cinematográfica.

Estreia-se como realizador em 1969 com o documentário Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (que só será exibido três anos depois), em que faz dá provas duma estética poética que combina na perfeição com o ambiente literário da obra da escritora.
Quem Espera por Sapatos de Defunto Morre Descalço (1970) é uma curta- metragem sobre jovens intelectuais na Lisboa do princípio da década, seguindo-se-lhe o primeiro filme de fundo: Fragmentos de um Filme-Esmola: A Sagrada Família (1973), um dos projectos emanados do Centro Português de Cinema, organismo criado por cineastas do chamado "cinema novo" e subsidiado pela Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. Nele se revelam já algumas das coordenadas da obra futura de João César Monteiro, nomeadamente um pendor literário algo surrealizante: o filme tem como base textos de autores tão díspares como Ésquilo, James Joyce, Francis Ponge e André Breton.
Um ano depois da Revolução de 25 de Abril de 1974 realiza a longa-metragem Que Farei Eu com esta Espada?, que, embora eivada de referências à situação política então vivida, se distingue de filmes contemporâneos pela carga simbólica (surge mesmo Nosferatu, o vampiro de Murnau) de que faz rodear imagens de manifestações e de certa marginalidade lisboeta.
Com Veredas (1977) inicia uma fase de abordagem de lendas e contos da mitologia popular portuguesa, a que dará sequência numa série da Rádio Televisão Portuguesa, intitulada precisamente "Contos Tradicionais Portugueses" (1979), para a qual roda O Amor das Três Romãs, Os Dois Soldados e O Rico e o Pobre. Silvestre (1982) é ainda a adaptação dum conto tradicional, ambientado no séc. XV, e marca a estreia em cinema da que se viria a tornar uma das mais internacionais actrizes portuguesas: Maria de Medeiros.
O próprio João César Monteiro começa a ganhar alguma projecção internacional, o que se reflecte na presença dum elenco internacional (encabeçado por Laura Morante) no seu filme seguinte, À Flor do Mar (1986).
O maior destaque internacional de João César Monteiro surgirá com Recordações da Casa Amarela (1989), vencedor do Leão de Prata do Festival de Veneza, em que faz nascer no écran a figura de João de Deus, seu alter-ego, que marcará presença em futuros filmes. Não o retomará em O Último Mergulho (1991), que filma para a série "Os Quatro Elementos" da RTP, nem nas curtas-metragens O bestiário e Lettera Amorosa, ambas de 1995, mas fá-lo-á reaparecer em dois outros trabalhos de 1995: a curta-metragem Passeio com Johnny Guitar e A Comédia de Deus. O seu estilo vai-se tornando cada vez mais abstracto, com planos largos e frequentemente insólitos e um erotismo usado de forma provocadora.
São estas também as características de Le Bassin de John Wayne (1997) e As Bodas de Deus (1999), pelos quais perpassa uma crítica corrosiva ao modelo da sociedade ocidental, baseado na luta pelo poder e pelo dinheiro.
No ano 2000 filma o que será o seu filme mais polémico, Branca de Neve, que, aquando a estreia, reacenderá o debate sobre a atribuição de subsídios a obras cinematográficas que atraem poucos espectadores. No caso de Branca de Neve, a controvérsia era sobretudo motivado pelo facto de durante mais de metade do filme o écran estar a negro, ouvindo-se apenas as vozes de actores narrando a história, opção justificada pelo realizador pelo facto de as crianças a conhecerem essencialmente contada e não visualizada. João César Monteiro insurgia-se também contra a dependência dos espectadores portugueses de modelos narrativos convencionais, derivados duma estética televisiva que nada tinha a ver, na sua concepção, com a criatividade que devia exigir-se do cinema.