At age 16, Alba Baptista began her career as the protagonist in ‘Miami’ (2014), for which she received a Best Actress Award at the Festival Ibérico de Cine. During the following years, she forged a strong career with roles in many popular Portuguese films and TV series, such as ‘Magnetick Pathways’ (2018), ‘Leviano’ (2018), ‘Patrick’ (2019), ‘Campo de Sangue’ (2022), ‘Nothing Ever Happened’ (2022), ‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ (2022), among others. In 2019, she received the Nico Award for young talents from the Portuguese Film Academy. The American series ‘Warrior Nun’ (2020-22) for Netflix was her English-language debut, for which she has received international acclaim and two Portuguese Golden Globes nominations. Her directorial debut was alongside Justin Amorim with the short film ‘Change’ (2020). She received the European Shooting Stars Award at the Berlinale 2021.

Alessandro Pugno, born in in Casale Monferrato (Italy) 1983, lives and works in Spain from 2007. He is graduated in philosophy with a thesis about Heidegger and the Ancient Greeks. He started working as assistant photographer and spent some years travelling. As result of this experience he had a photo exhibit in Seville in 2006 (“Tio vivo”) and published a book of poems “Fili d’oro tra le ortiche”, awarded in the Lorenzo Montano prize. In 2007 he set Papaverofilms with which he coproduced and directed all his films. In 2012 he directed “Under the shadow of the cross”, a creative documentary about a boarding-school located in the highly polemic Valle de los Caídos, the mausoleum of Francisco Franco where, every day, under the tallest cross in the world, the boys sing the mass. The film has been shown at several international festivals (Mar del Plata, Guadalajara, Sao Paulo, Lima, Malaga, Festival dei Popoli) winning various awards (best doc at Malaga Festival) and it has raised the interest of media in Spain and beyond (El Pais, El Mundo, Deutsche Welle, La Stampa, Cadena Ser, etc.). In 2014, he has been selected by Berlinale among the 300 young film talents of the year. On top of filmmaker, Alessandro is also an expert in storytelling and communication and an activist in the international fight against asbestos. He cooperates with several European groups and he is the founder and the coordinator of the transmedia project: “Asbestos e-Library”, a digital library about asbestos.

Ana Correia, also known as ‘Peperan’, studied Design and Technology of Graphic Arts. She first became popular by posting YouTube videos and has since worked with brands such as FOX, AXN White, Universal Music Portugal, Sumol and WTF. She traveled around the country with the lecture ‘The Power of the Net’, with a TEDxYOUTH talk, and was also on a tour with the National Elections Commission with the aim to encourage young people who were going to vote for the first time. She’s the creator, screenwriter, director, protagonist and editor of the popular series ‘#CasaDoCais’ (2017), which was on the top most watched shows on the streaming platform RTP Play. She also wrote, directed, edited and starred in her short film ‘I’m Not a Ghost, Not Yet a Demon’ (2018), directed the childrens’ TV series ‘Covil’ (2021), as well as many commercials. More recently, she directed the animation series ‘Nuvem’ (2023) for FOX.

Director, screenwriter, art director and editor. Co-creator of Carpete, a video production company, she was the art director and camera operator for several music videos for the artist Iguana Garcia (‘Horas Vagas’, ‘Os Duros Não Dançam’), as well as a documentary for the same artist titled ‘Call Me - Iguana Garcia’. She released a series of live concerts from Portuguese bands such as Quelle Dead Gazelle, Riding Pânico, The Mystery Lights, Gator The Alligator and Cancro, titled ‘Lost Tapes’. She has written and directed many short films, such as ‘Azimute’, an experimental short that was nominated for the Portuguese Academy Sophia Student Awards. In 2022, she wrote and directed her first TV series ‘A Mim, Nunca.’ for the streaming platform RTP Play.

Ana Luis Quintão was born in Porto in 1991 and graduated in Plastic Arts with a major in Painting. During her academic years, she was awarded two Honorable Mentions in the Young Creators – Painting competition. She then got a second BA in Directing and Cinematography at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School, where she directed two short films: ‘s/Controlo’ (a studio exercise) and ‘Battu’ (documentary), both with a strong focus on the visual aspect. Her final school film, ‘Alcateia’, was selected for the first edition of PORTO FEMME - International Film Festival and broadcasted on national television. She did an internship at the production company Fado Films, worked as assistant director for other projects and also for the distribution company Films4you. The short film ‘00:00 MIDNIGHT’ (2024) is her first project outside the academic context.

André Godinho (born 1979, Lisbon) studied at E.S.T.C. where he directed "6 Minutes" (Young Filmmaker Award - Curtas Vila do Conde '02) and completed the Documentary Course Les Ateliers Varan, at F.C. Gulbenkian. He directs documentaries ("MHM" about Manuel Hermínio Monteiro, "Faz Tudo Parte" the making of the concert "Três Cantos: José Mário Branco, Sérgio Godinho & Fausto") and experimental fictions ("La Chambre Jaune", "Ponto Morto"). He regularly works on film sets as a Script Supervisor. He creates videos for theater, dance, and opera performances. He is a close collaborator of the theater companies Teatro Praga and Cão Solteiro Teatro, with whom he collaborates not only as a director but also as an actor and co-creator.

Awarded writer, director, editor, producer and cinematographer André Marques studied at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School. His work crosses many genres – fiction, experimental, documentary –, with projects selected for several internationally renowned festivals such as the Berlinale, Venice Film Festival, Palm Springs, Leeds, Curtas Vila do Conde, Gijón, DocLisboa, among others. He has been the subject of six retrospectives of his work, such as by the Bucharest Cinematheque, FicBueu Film Festival, Burgas Film Festival, Gulbenkian Foundation, and others. He was selected for the Berlinale Talents 2016. His first feature film, ‘The Drunk’ (2023), premiered at the Molodist – Kyiv International Film Festival and was awarded at Caminhos do Cinema Português Film Festival. He has also been a guest lecturer at INIMPETUS Acting School and at the School of Innovation and Creation Technologies (ETIC).

Andreia Silva has a BA in Film, Video and Multimedia Communication, with complementary studies in Theater and Cinema by the ACT - School of Actors. Her first short film, 'Ouro Sobre Azul' (2019), was showcased in festivals such as Curtas Vila do Conde, Caminhos do Cinema Português, FEST - New Directors/News Films, among others. It also received a nomination for Best Short Fiction Film at the Sophia Student Awards of the Portuguese Academy. She directed several commercials for brands such as Redken, Lexus, Nissan and Wells, and many music videos for musicians like Mallu Magalhães, Agnes Nunes, Dream People, Supa Dust Man, Sequin, among others.

André Santos and Marco Leão’s paths crossed in 2002 while they were both studying at the Lisbon School of Communication, where André graduated in Advertising and Marketing and Marco in Audiovisual and Multimedia. Later, André studied Film Directing and Marco studied Audiovisual Post-Production. The duo first established itself with André on the photography side and Marco on sound for many documentary films. This production model led them to direct their first short film ‘A nossa necessidade de consolo’ in 2008, and since then they have directed together two series and eight short films, one of which – ‘Pedro’ (2016) – was the first Portuguese short to be selected for the Sundance Film Festival. In 2017, the festival Porto/Post/Doc hosted the first integral retrospective of their work. Their series ‘Luz Vermelha’ (2019), produced for RTP, was nominated for Best Series at the Portuguese Film Academy Sophia Awards, Best Fiction Series at the Portuguese Authors’ Society Awards, and pre-nominated for the Ibero-American Platino Awards in the categories of Best TV Series and Best Supporting Actress. Recently, they directed the series ‘Cavalos de Corrida’ (2023), a Spain-Portuguese co-production selected for the Geneva International Film Festival and distributed by RTP.

Bernardo Lopes is a director, screenwriter and producer. With a degree in Cinema, Video and Multimedia Communication, he began his career as a film critic for publications such as Nisimazine and C7nema. He was part of the jury for the Giornate Degli Autori at the 71st Venice International Festival, where he was also chosen as the Portuguese ambassador for the LUX Prize - European Union Film Prize. He has directed two feature documentaries and four short fiction films which have earned prizes and selections in many prestigious national and international film festivals such as IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Curtas Vila do Conde, Chelsea Film Festival (where he was awarded Best Director for ‘Ivan’), Tangier Film Festival, LEFFEST – Lisboa Film Festival, Orlando Film Festival, among others. He was distinguished by the Portuguese Film Academy with the Nico Award for new talents in 2021, as well as with the Sophia Award for Best Fiction Short Film for ‘Moço’ (2020). He has also directed and produced music videos for artists such as Ana Moura, Pedro Mafama, Carolina Deslandes, Regula, D.A.M.A, Mike El Nite or Vaarwell.

Born in Brazil and graduated in New York City, Bruno Ilogti has made a name for himself with his beauty and high fashion films, music videos and commercials. He works regularly with well-known names from the industry and brands such as Marni, Pantene, Wella, Nars, Neutrogena, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, among others. His work has received seven Cannes Lions awards, as well as the Unilever Prize at Cannes (2015). He directed music videos for artists such as Fergie (‘Hungry’ ft. Rick Ross, ‘Just Like You’, ‘You Already Know’ ft. Nicki Minaj, ‘Enchanté’ starring Kendall Jenner), Anitta (‘Downtown’ ft. J Balvin, ‘Paradinha’, ‘Sua Cara’, ‘Bang’, ‘Rosa’...), Pabllo Vittar, Luísa Sonza, Mallu Magalhães, among other artists. He was the first Brazilian to direct several films for Maison Valentino and has worked many times with supermodel Gisele Bündchen, such as for Vogue Italia. His first narrative project was the short film ‘Reason’ (2013) starring Anna Mouglais and Andreja Pejic.

Daniel Vicente Roque is an animation director, storyboard artist, 2D animator and illustrator working under the pseudonym Vicente Nirō. He has a degree in Visual Arts and Multimedia and an MA in Illustration and Animation. His short film ‘#LINGO’ (2015) won the Young Filmmaker Award at the Cinanima Film Festival and Best Portuguese Essay Award at Caminhos do Cinema Português Film Festival. His most recent short, ‘T-Zero’ (2024), was selected for festivals such as IndieLisboa, Chilemonos International Animation Festival, Animator Festival, Sopot Film Festival and Curtas Vila do Conde, where he won the My Generation competition. He is the animator behind several videos of the platform TED-Ed, which has over 20 million subscribers on its YouTube channel. He also gives workshops and masterclasses in traditional animation and optical toys.

Dauto Galli is a director based between Lisbon, Paris and Brazil. He attended the Film School École Internationale de Création Audiovisuelle et de Réalisation in Paris and began his career in 2012 under the guidance of Brazilian director Márcio Darocha, after an invitation to be the assistant director and camera operator for ‘Programa Lá’, broadcasted by Canal Brasil. In cinema, he worked as assistant director for the short film ‘Je Suis Fan du Grand-Screen’, which won the prestigious Jury Prize at the Nikon Festival 2013. He was part of the direction and programming of the French Film Festival in Búzios, and in 2016 he participated in the production and curatorship of the Epernay Latin Film Festival (France). He has directed music videos for artists such as Marc Desse, Jaloo, Xamã, Davi Sabbag, Urias, Johnny Hooker, Túlio Dek, Mayra Andrade, Callaz, Ive Greie, Lucas Carlos, Antónia Morais, Agnes Nunes, among others.

Fábio Mota’s fascination for light and story led him to the craft of Cinematography, enrolling in a BA in Amsterdam and later at the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in London. Guided by legendary Directors of Photography such as Oliver Stapleton, Roger Deakins, Brian Tufano, Billy Williams, Rob Hardy and Sean Bobbitt, the films he shot during this period – 'Miss Curvy' (2020) and 'The Fire Next Time' (2021) – were awarded at festivals worldwide and were both nominated for Best Short Film at the prestigious BAFTA Awards. He also directed many commercials, one of which (‘Rough Hands’) was awarded Best Short Format at the Royal Television Society Awards 2020. He has worked as a Director of Photography for many series such as ‘O Clube’, ‘5Starz’, ‘Na Porta ao Lado’ and ‘Praxx’, before embarking on his directorial debut, ‘Alma Anciana’ (2023), a feature documentary he co-directed with Helen Esther Aschauer and which premiered at Caminhos do Cinema Português Film Festival.

Filipa Pereira Pinto began her academic career in Visual Arts before graduating in Directing and Cinematography at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School. During her years at film school, Filipa directed ‘Well of Souls’, a short documentary that screened at festivals such as Visions du Réel, DocLisboa International Film Festival and FICUNAM. The film received an Honorable Mention at Lisbon & Estoril International Film Festival and was the winner of the Intangible Heritage Award given by Fundação INATEL. Her final school project, ‘Summer’ (2016), was an experimental short selected for Curtas Vila do Conde IFF and Porto/Post/Doc. She has worked as content producer for the Lisbon & Estoril International Film Festival, and as Rita Azevedo Gomes’ assistant director in the feature film ‘The Portuguese Woman’ (2018), selected for the Berlinale. She has also worked as an Art Director and Script Supervisor on other projects. The short film ‘00:00 MIDNIGHT’ (2024), co-directed with Ana Luís Quintão, is her first project outside the academic context.

Francisco Neves graduated in Cinema, Video and Multimedia Communication, and many of his school projects have been presented at national and international film festivals. His spot ‘A Little Difference, Great Opportunities’ (2015), produced for the European Council, won the Prix HECA Crédit Agricole at the Trés Court International Film Festival. His short film ‘Turp’ (2015) was selected for Caminhos do Cinema Português Film Festival, won the Grand Prize Universidade Lusófona/ICA and was nominated for the Portuguese Academy Sophia Student Awards. He worked as director, editor and screenwriter with the audiovisual collective Comicalate for projects such as the series ‘Menos Um’ (2018-19) which he directed for RTP Lab. He was also assistant director for other short films and music videos. His most recent short film, ‘15’’ (2023), competed at FEST – New Directors | New Films and MOTELX International Film Festival.

Gonçalo Loureiro is a director and screenwriter with a degree in Cinema and Audiovisual from the Porto School of Arts and a Master’s degree in Sound and Image. ‘Marasmo’ (2015), his final Master’s project, premiered at Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival and received over a dozen distinctions, including a nomination for the Portuguese Film Academy’s Sophia Student Awards. Following an Honorable Mention at the 2015 European Film Schools Competition, ‘Marasmo’ also had a theatrical premiere. His second film, ‘Sheila’ (2018), was selected for national and international festivals such as Curtas Vila do Conde, Alcine - Festival de Cine de Alcalá de Henares, OFF - Odense International Film Festival, among others. He directed ‘Misericórdia’ (2022) for the musician José Pedro Pinto, a visual illustration of his album of the same name and a foray into the genres of horror and fantasy, which was shown and awarded at festivals such as Fantasporto and MOTELX International Horror Film Festival. ’Trapstarz’ (2024), his most recent short, is a documentary hybrid which was in competition at FEST – New Directors/New Films.

Cuban/Austrian director and choreographer with a strong sense for visual storytelling, movement and aesthetics, Helen started classical ballet at age three and moved on to study at the Iwanson School of Contemporary Dance in Munich. Shortly after graduating, she joined a London-based dance company and went on to work as a professional dancer, touring through the UK, Lithuania and Austria. She worked in several commissions of the Royal Opera House London as well as in operas, commercials, music videos and films. She worked as an Assistant Choreographer for the feature film ‘Charlie's Angels’ (2019) and in 2019 she started working as a post-production producer for Red Bull Media House. In 2021, Helen premiered her first full theatre production ‘Entre Portas’, an immersive dance piece she directed and choreographed. She has also directed several commercials, music videos and short films. ‘Alma Anciana’ (2023) is her feature directorial debut, a documentary she co-directed with Fábio Mota which premiered at Caminhos do Cinema Português Film Festival.

Hermano Moreira is a Brazilian director and screenwriter who moved to Lisbon in 2017. Graduated in Film from Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado, he has nearly 20 years of experience in the audiovisual scene. He directed the short films ‘Ciclo Vicioso’ (2004), ‘Era Doce’ (2009), ‘Quadros’ (2012), ‘Passarinha’ (2011) and ‘13Horas e 31Minutos’ (2018). He was also the director for many commercials for clients such as Itaú, Cervejaria Devassa, Sesi/Fiesp, LG, PUC, Pial Legrand, Benetton, Philips, Vodka Kadov, Pravaler, Mercedes Benz, Cartier, Le Lis Blanc, Daslu, Tory Burch or Kate Spade, among others. In 2012, he opened his own production company, Manilha Filmes. He has directed the TV series ‘Mulher Arte’ (2014) (which he also co-created and co-wrote) and ‘Encuentros em Brasil’ (2015) for HBO Latin America, and created and wrote the series ‘Segunda Pele’ (2018) for FOX Brazil. Recently, his first feature, ‘Amo-te Imenso’ (2024), a Brazil-Portugal co-production, premiered theatrically.

Actress and director, Inês Sá Frias graduated at the Cascais Theater School, after which she began her acting career. She also has BA in Film from the Lisbon Film and Theater School, where she co-directed the documentary 'Em Lugar Algum' (2017). As an actress, she has been in several stage plays, TV series – 'Cenas de Família' (2017-22), 'Três Mulheres' (2018-22), 'Pôr do Sol' (2022), 'Praxx' (2022), 'Cavalos de Corrida' (2023) –, soap operas – 'Mulheres' (2014), 'Senhora do Mar' (2024) –, short and feature films – 'Sombras Brancas' (2023), 'Inner Ghosts' (2018). She wrote, directed and starred in her first series 'Nem a Gente Janta' in 2022 for RTP LAB. She’s currently expanding her career both in front and behind the cameras.

Joana de Sousa (Santarém, 1989) is a filmmaker and curator. Over the years, she has developed several interdisciplinary curatorial programs. She was a programmer at Doclisboa - International Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. Being part of its Direction, between 2019 and 2022. Currently works at Cinemateca Portuguesa, in the dissemination of the collection. She is also part of the artistic collective Rabbit Hole. Her films mainly deal with bodily perceptions, dreams and more-than-human explorations.

João Marques is a director and photographer who studied Cinema, Video and Media Communication, as well as Photography. His first fiction short film ‘Incomum’ (2018) was selected for IndieLisboa International Film Festival, among other festivals. In 2019, he had the opportunity to travel to Zhuhai, China, to direct the documentary ‘Remained’ as a part of the ‘Looking China’ Youth Film Project. João’s photography work has been displayed twice in China (at the Parallel Space Gallery in 2019 and at the Yixian International Photography Festival 2020), and has been featured in several international platforms such as VSCO, Fubiz and Milk. He has also directed commercials and music videos for national and international artists. Currently, he is working on his first feature documentary that follows young influencer La Vie de Marie.

João Martinho was born in 1997 and studied Film at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School. His first documentary short film, ‘Ex-Venus in Furs’ (2017), premiered at DocLisboa and was in competition at Caminhos do Cinema Português International Film Festival, among other festivals. ‘Irene’ (2019), a fiction short film, premiered at Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival. João has also edited films such as ‘Hangar, Metro, Terminal’ (2018) by Salomé Lamas, showcased at the Venice Architecture Biennal, and ‘Fogo de Artifício’ (2017) by Clara Jost, which premiered at IndieLisboa. His most recent short film ‘Autoerotico’ (2022) was selected for festivals such as the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, IndieLisboa International Film Festival and others.

João Pais studied Law at the University of Coimbra. In 2011 he started working at Caminhos do Cinema Português International Film Festival as an assistant programmer, before becoming the programming coordinator for the festival since 2013. In that same year he attended the film course ‘Cinemalogia 3’. As a programmer, he is often invited to curate film programs around the country. He is currently the president of the Coimbra University Film Society, where he’s responsible for its annual program. He’s also a board member of Caminhos do Cinema Português – Film Arts Association, and of the Portuguese Film Societies Federation. Alongside these activities as film programmer and curator, he often collaborates with screenwriters and directors on script consultancy and mentoring. He is currently developing the animation TV series ‘Os Bons Selvagens’ as co-creator and screenwriter.

Justin Amorim founded the production company Promenade at the age of 22. Born in Toronto, Canada, he moved to Portugal during his childhood. His passion for motion pictures led him to New York City to complete a BFA in Film & Video at the School of Visual Arts. Simultaneously, he worked with the Tribeca Film Institute & Festival during the years he spent there. He wrote, produced and directed his first feature film ‘Leviano’ (2018), which premiered internationally at the prestigious Thessaloniki International Film Festival before its theatrical release and was later sold to HBO and Amazon. He wrote and directed the TV series ‘5Starz’ (2021) and has also produced numerous features, short films and TV series through his production company Promenade. In 2022, he was one of the producers selected for Match Me!, part of the Locarno International Film Festival. He is currently preparing the premiere of his short film ‘Flying Carpet’ and in pre-production for the series ‘Piedade’.

While still a film student, her first short ‘Rhoma Acans’ (2012) was awarded in festivals such as Clermont-Ferrand and IndieLisboa. ‘Batrachian’s Ballad’ (2016) won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlinale, making Leonor the youngest filmmaker to receive the prestigious award. The film’s many other distinctions include the Firebird Award for Best Short Film at Hong Kong Film Festival and the Portuguese Academy Sophia Award for Best Short Film. Her first first feature film ‘Ashore’ (2018) premiered at Cinéma du Réel, where it won the Prix International de la SCAM, as well as the Young Critics Award at Mar del Plata International Film Festival, among other prizes, having also integrated the ACID TRIP #2 PORTUGAL exhibitions at the Cannes Film Festival 2018. Leonor was nominated for the European Film Awards 2019 with the short ‘Dogs Barking at Birds’ (2019), which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Recently, her first fiction feature film ‘Baan’ (2023) premiered at Locarno Film Festival. She also works as a Cinematographer for various projects, including João Canijo’s acclaimed duo ‘Bad Living’ (Berlinale Silver Bear)/’Living Bad’.

Born in São Paulo, Lud Mônaco is a screenwriter and director whose works mainly explore feminine themes. She studied at the Barcelona Film School and her final school film ‘Para, pero sigue’ (2013) was awarded Best Short Film at LEFFEST - Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival. Her films have been selected for festivals such as International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Mix Brasil, Sitges International Film Festival, BFI Flare - London LGBT Film Festival, among others. She was also selected for the Berlinale Talents 2017 and her work has been exhibited at the prestigious São Paulo Museum of Image and Sound. Her short film ‘Enjoy the Drama’ (2015) was released on DVD and VOD as part of a collection by the distributor Peccadillo Pictures. She has also directed and produced many commercials and music videos. Currently, she’s working on her first feature film ‘Augusta & Kátia’, which has already been selected for film markets such as the Music & Film Marseille International Film Festival Market, MedFilm Festival and Ventana Sur.

Marcela is Brazilian filmmaker, actress and creative director. She began her career in New York City, where she worked for seven years as a fashion stylist and creative director for magazines such as Document Journal and Teen Vogue, as well as high fashion and commercial clients. After studying Acting with Robert Castle at the Strasberg Institute NYC, she started her acting career with the short film ‘Moço’ (2020), winner of the Portuguese Film Academy award for Best Short Film. She was also in the major Brazilian telenovela ‘Éramos Seis’ (2019-20) for Rede Globo and the short films ‘Life of Liberty’ (2021) and ‘Love in L.A.’ (2022), which she also directed. She wrote, directed and starred in her short film ‘Nobody’ (2023), which premiered on NOWNESS and was screened at many film festivals throughout the world.

Martim Baginha Cardoso discovered his love for cinema when his father gifted him a VHS of ‘À Bout de Souffle’. After studying Visual Arts, he studied Film (focusing on Screenwriting and Editing) at the Lisbon School of Film and Theatre, at the same time as he began working in production, and later as a screenwriter and assistant director. He is one of the screenwriters for the series ‘A Espia’ (2020) and TV film ‘Jogos de Enganos’ (2023), both for RTP. As assistant director, he has worked in various films such as Tom Harper’s ‘Heart of Stone’ (2023) starring Gal Gadot, ‘Amadeo’ (2023) by Vicente Alves do Ó, as well as the series ‘Pôr do Sol’ (2022), ‘Silent Cargo’ (2022), ‘Marco Paulo’ (2023), ‘Turn of the Tide’ (2023), ‘Os Eleitos’ (2023-24), ‘Morangos com Açúcar’, among others. ‘Joaquina’ (2023) is his first short film as a director, with festival screenings in the UK, Germany, Spain and Portugal.

Miguel Clara Vasconcelos (born in Lisbon, 1971) is a professor of Screenwriting, director, screenwriter, and writer, with several national and international awards in literature and cinema. His filmography includes Circo do Amor (Torino, 2018), Às vezes não sou eu quem fala por mim (GUIÕES Festival, 2018), Encontro Silencioso (Indielisboa, 2017), Vila do Conde Espraiada (Brive, 2015), Triângulo Dourado (Curtas de Vila do Conde, 2014), and Universo de Mya (Capalbio Cinema, 2011). As a writer, he has published poetry (Obsessão B), essays (Estrume), and literary short stories (in the magazine Bíblia). He has also written and staged theater plays (Um Crime P’Canino, Solidão Aperto e Queda, 1/2 Culpa) and had a brief but significant experience in journalism (newspaper Público). He holds a Master's degree in Film Studies from the Université Paris 3 - Sorbonne Nouvelle, and has received training in Art (Escuela Superior de Arquitectura y Bellas Artes, Universidad Europea de Madrid), Literature (University of Lisbon and University of Coimbra), and Social Sciences (Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão). Besides Portugal, where he currently resides, he has lived in Mozambique, Spain, and France, collaborating with people from diverse countries and cultures, learning different ways of life and worldviews. He enjoys cycling and swimming in the sea.

Born in 1993, in Lisbon, Portugal, Miguel C. Saraiva studied film and television, cementing, from the beginning, his knowledge in two key areas. While exploring different areas, Miguel has won awards for cinema, music videos, and commercials. In 2015, he won the Sophia Estudante Award for Best Documentary Short with "Ruas Paralelas". In 2018, the music video he co-directed for Prof Jam, "Água de Coco", was considered the Music Video of the Year by the specialized website Rimas e Batidas. And in 2020, the commercial he created for ModaLisboa, "Awake", won five awards, including gold for Best Web Film, in the Lusófonos Creativity Awards. Stable camera moves and invisible transitions give his movies rhythm while defining his signature style. Always thoughtful about the power of movies, Miguel is constantly looking to create a more immersive experience.

Paolo Marinou-Blanco is a screenwriter and director with a BA in Philosophy and History from the London School of Economics, an MA in French Literature from University College London, and an MFA in Film and TV from Tisch School of the Arts – New York University. Following an internship with Spike Lee, Paolo wrote and directed his first feature film ‘Goodnight Irene’ (2008), which screened at Tallinn Black Nights, Edinburgh and in over 30 other festivals worldwide. It also had a theatrical release in Portugal and the UK and received a Portuguese Golden Globe win for Best Actor. His short film ‘Nada nas Mãos’ (2021) premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival, followed by many other festivals. He has simultaneously worked as a screenwriter (as a WGA – Writers Guild of America member) and producer through his own production company Darya Films. His upcoming feature ‘Dreaming of Lions’ (estimated release in 2025) has been selected for many labs and markets such as the Torino Film Lab or Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes, and has won distinctions such as the prize for Most Promising Project at Tallinn Black Nights, the San Francisco Film Society Rainin Grant, and the prestigious Eurimages support.

Pedro Gomes studied Cinema and Media Arts and has produced several fiction films, commercials and music videos. His debut was in 2018 with the production of the short film ‘Incomum’, shown in several film festivals including IndieLisboa and FEST – New Directors/New Films. The next short film he produced, ‘Banho Santo’ (2019), competed at festivals such as the Chelsea Film Festival and FEST – New Directors/New Films. In addition, he attended the RTP 5.0 Academy, promoted by the state TV station. His debut as a director and screenwriter was the fiction series ‘A Mim, Nunca.’ (2021), for RTP. He currently works as a producer for film and commercial works.

Pedro Henrique, one of João Eça’s pseudonyms, graduated from the Lisbon Theatre and Film School with a focus on Editing, got an MA in Philosophy, and is currently taking a PhD in Performance Arts and Moving Pictures at the School of Fine Arts. As a researcher, he has published many philosophical articles in international publications, including his first ever essay which was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. He has directed shorts and features such as ‘Homens do Mar’ (2014), ‘Susana’ (2016) and ‘Entre Cão e Lobo’ (2021). He’s also worked on several other films as assistant director, screenwriter, production manager and editor. He is part of the collective ‘Dobra’, which aims to experiment with new methods of making cinema. His first feature film ‘Fragile’ (2022) screened at festivals such as the Ann Arbor Film Festival, IndieLisboa, Fantasia IFF and Torino Film Festival, before its national theatrical release in 2023. He is also a DJ and music producer, as well as an activist protesting against gentrification, the privatization of public spaces and the monopolist institutions of the art world. Pedro is currently working on his next feature film ‘We Live In Fear’.

Actor and director, he studied at the Cascais Theater School and at the Stella Adler Academy in Los Angeles. His role in 'Como Desenhar um Círculo Perfeito' (2009) earned him the first of two nominations for the Portuguese Golden Globes and the L'Oréal Young Talent Award at the Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival. His acting career includes several films: ‘Bad Living’ (2023, Berlinale Silver Bear), 'Living Bad' (2023) and 'Blood of my Blood' (2011), all by João Canijo; 'Amadeo' (2023), which earned him a nomination from the Portuguese Academy for Best Actor, among other films. In television, he participated in series such as 'White Lines'(2020) by Álex Pina, 'Glória' (2021) by Tiago Guedes, and ‘Rabo de Peixe’ (2023) by Augusto Fraga. Recently, he starred in ‘A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On’ (2022) by Gentian Koçi, a role that was highly praised by critics worldwide and got him a Best Actor Award at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. He made his directorial debut with the short film ‘You Are the Blood’ (2012), which premiered at IndieLisboa. He was selected for the Berlinale Talents 2024.

Ricardo Branco published his first novel ‘Amor Combate’ in 2010. He directed three films in an academic context: ‘1500’ (2016) premiered at the BFI Flare - London LGBT Film Festival; the documentary short ‘For a de Campo’ (2017) premiered at the Portuguese Cinematheque; and the fiction short ‘Rute’ (2017) received a Special Mention from the Jury at QueerLisboa – International Queer Film Festival. He works regularly as a screenwriter, researcher, script supervisor and assistant director. He is also the creator and curator of the cultural festival Escrever nas Margens. ‘Under the Influence’ (2022), his latest short film, was selected for QueerLisboa – International Queer Film Festival and Frameline47 - San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, among other festivals. Ricardo is currently developing his first feature film ‘Nossos Ossos’, selected for the Torino FilmLab and the Eave+ program.

Thiago Luciano began his career in Brazil as an actor before becoming a director and screenwriter of several award-winning films, including: the feature film "Um Dia de Ontem" (2009) — Best Film at the Beverly Hills Film Festival and Best Director at the Iberoamerican Festival of Sergipe; the short film "Inocente" (2009) — Los Angeles Latino IFF and Miami Film Festival; the short film "Essa Não é a História de Gregor Samsa" (2010) — Best Film at Curta Kinoforum and selected for the Toronto Independent Film Festival; the short film "Café Turco" (2011) — Best Film at the Paulínia Festival and the Iberoamerican Festival of Sergipe, and selected as one of the top twenty shorts of 2012 by YourFilmFestival. On television, he was the creator of the series "Meu Amigo Encosto" (2014), the first series produced for the VIVA channel. In 2018, his feature film "Fica Mais Escuro Antes do Amanhecer" premiered at the São Paulo International Film Festival. In 2021, the series "Os Ausentes" premiered throughout the Americas, becoming the first Brazilian original series on HBO Max and was nominated for the 2021 APCA Award for Best Series. His next feature film, "O Segundo Homem" (2022), co-produced by Promenade, will soon be released in Portugal and had its premiere on Star+ (Disney+) in Latin America. It was awarded an Honorable Mention by the Jury at FESTin and the Best Actor Award for Anderson Di Rizzi at the Madrid Indie Film Festival.

Yavez Anthonio is a photographer, director and creative based in New York and Amsterdam. Some of his past clients include Nike, Converse, Adidas, Tommy Jeans, OVO, Audi, GAP, Levi’s, Guess, among many others. His work has been featured on Nowness, Hypebae, I-D, Kodak, The Fader and others. In 2020, he directed the music video ‘Obsessive’ for the artist Jarreau Vandal, produced by Promenade.