Fernando Pessoa, one of the greatest writers of the Portuguese language established a gigantic parallel universe creating a series of heteronyms to survive his loneliness of genius. José Saramago, Nobel laureate of literature in 1998, wrote this novel returning the heteronymous Ricardo Reis to Portugal, after 16 years of exile in Brazil.1936 is the year of all danger, Mussolini's fascism, Hitler's Nazism, the terrible Spanish civil war and Salazar's Estado Novo in Portugal. Two women, Lídia and Marcenda are Ricardo Reis' carnal and impossible passions. Literature as well as cinema allows “Life and Death is all one”. Fantastic realism is the subject-matter of this movie.

João Botelho
November 2019

João Botelho, born in 1949, Portugal. With an active career spanning over 43 years in which he has directed 17 feature films, he is one the Portuguese filmmaker with the largest body of work today. His films have been shown at major international film festivals and he has received several awards, such as in Berlin IFF 1986 “OCIC Promotional Award, Forum of New Cinema” and in Venice IFF 2001 the “Award Mimmo Rotella Foundation”. A retrospective of all his work was presented in Bergamo (1996), in La Rochelle with a monograph (1998), at the Luxembourg Cinémathèque (2002) and at the LEFEEST (2018) in Lisbon.

COMPLETE FILMOGRAPHY

2020 | O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis
(Feature Film and Mini Series)

Based on the Novel by José Saramago
(in distribution, national première – 1st of October)

2017 | A Peregrinação
(Feature Film)
Based on the Novel by Fernão Mendes Pinto
Awards:
Academia Portuguesa de Cinema - Premios Sophia . Prémio Sophia Melhor Guarda Roupa- Silvia Grabowski, 2018 . 25/03/2018
Academia Portuguesa de Cinema - Premios Sophia . Prémio Sophia Melhor Caracterização- Rita de Castro, Filipe Muiron, 2018 . 25/03/2018
Academia Portuguesa de Cinema - Premios Sophia . Prémio Sophia Melhor Caracterização/Efeitos especiais- Nuno Esteves, 2018 . 25/03/2018

2016 | O Cinema, Manoel de Oliveira e Eu
Award João Sampaio, Festival de Cinema do Recife, Brasil, 2016

2015 | NOS CAMPOS EM VOLTA (short)
Co-production with the Museum of Archeology of Serpa
IndieLisboa 2015

2015 | O SOM DA PRATA (short)
Order in the context of the celebration of the 140 years of the Topázio

2014 | A ARTE DA LUZ TEM 20.000 ANOS (doc)
Documentary
Order of the Côa Museum
IndieLisboa 2015
Rencontres du Film d'Archéologie du Grand Narbonne 2015

2014 | QUATRO
Documentary about four Portuguese plastic artists

2014 | OS MAIAS
Semana do Cinema Luso-Brasileiro em Maputo
Mostra Nacional de Cinema de São Paulo
Festival do Rio de Janeiro
Semana do Cinema Português em Moscovo
MUCES - Muestra de Cine Europeo
Festival Internacional Cinema de Fronteira
Festival Literário de Macau
Semana do Cinema Português em Malba, Buenos Aires

>2012 | O BRAVO SOM DOS TAMBORES
Documentary for Guimarães 2012, European Capital of Culture

2012 | A VALSA
Short film about "La Valse", by Maurice Ravel,for the National Ballet Company

2012 | ANQUANTO LA LHÉNGUA FUR CANTADA
Documentary, Mirandese

2010 | FILME DO DESASSOSSEGO
Premiere: Cultural Center of Belem CCB<
34ª Mostra Internacional de S. Paulo.
Winner of the Prizes SOCIEDADE PORTUGUESA DE AUTORES 2010, for Best Film of the Year and Best Actor – Cláudio da Silva (Bernardo Soares)

2010 | OH, LISBOA MEU LAR! (curta)
Documentary.
Premiere: IndieLisboa 2010.
Provincetown International Film Festival 2010.

2009 | PARA QUE ESTE MUNDO NÃO ACABE
Documentary
Premiere: DocLisboa 2009.
Panorama 2010.

2008 | A CORTE DO NORTE
Feature film, high definition, from the novel of the same name by Agustina Bessa-Luís.

Premiere: Official Selection of the New York Film Festival
Official Selection of the Rome Film Festival, Competition.
Special Jury Mention for Artistic Merit.
Closing movie of the Funchal Film Festival (integrated in a tribute to the director).

2007 | CORRUPÇÃO
95’ producer version | 118’ director version.
Not signed for disagreement with the producer on the editing and soundtrack.

2007 | A TERRA ANTES DO CÉU
Documentary
Order of the Directorate General of Culture of the North for the commemoration of the centenary of the birth of Miguel Torga. DocLisboa 2007.
PANORAMA Lisboa.
FID MARSEILLE.
Festival de Cine de Mar del Plata, Argentina.

2006/7 | A BALEIA BRANCA, UMA IDEIA DE DEUS
Documentary About the construction of the show "Moby Dick" in São Luiz Municipal Theater.
FIAPA
Ciclo de Documentários de Almada.
Shown on RTP on World Theater Day.

2006 | AVÉ MARIA (short)
Adaptation of a Christmas story by Manuel da Fonseca to RTP.
Montecarlo Television Festival.

2005 | O FATALISTA
Premiere: Venice Film Festival, Official Selection, Competition.
Toronto Film Festival.
Sevilha Film Fesrival.
Mostra de São Paulo.
Washington Film Festival.
Distribution in France: Gemini.

2005 | A LUZ NA RIA FORMOSA
Documentary
Festival DocLisboa.
Official Selection of Torino Film Festival.
Cinéma de Réel, Paris.
Vienna Film Festival - Viennale.
Festival di Popolo, Florence.

2003 | A MULHER QUE ACREDITAVA SER PRESIDENTE DOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DA AMÉRICA
Distribution in France: Gemini.

2001 | AS MÃOS E AS PEDRAS (short)
Opening film of Porto 2001, European Capital of Culture.

2001 | QUEM ÉS TU?
Venice Film Festival, Official Selection, Competition.
Mimmo Rotella Award for Best Artistic Contribution of the Venice Biennale.
Distribution in France: Gemini.
Sales in Japan.

1999 | SE A MEMÓRIA EXISTE (short)
Order for the 25th anniversary of the 25th of April.
Premiere: Venice Film Festival.

1998 | TRÁFICO
Premiere:Venice Film Festival, Official Selection, Competition.
Toronto Film Festival - Official Selection.
Festival de Cinema Português – Providence.
Hamburg Film Festival.
Festival de Cinema de Neighbours – Haifa.
Mostra Internacional de Cinema São Paulo.
Festival de Cinema Jove Valencia.
Distribution in France: Gemini.

1996 | 13 FILMES X 3’
For Quattro Trio, RTP.

1994 | TRÊS PALMEIRAS
Order for Lisbon 94, European Capital of Culture.
Premiere: Cannes Film Festival, Directors' Fortnight.
Distribution in France: Gemini.

1993 | AQUI NA TERRA
Venice Film Festival, Official Selection, Competition.
Selected for the Day of Europe, simultaneous exhibition in Germany, France and Portugal.

1991 | NO DIA DOS MEUS ANOS
RTP / ART order on the 4 elements.

Premiere: Locarno Film Festival, Official Selection, Out of Competition.
align="justify">1987 | TEMPOS DIFÍCEIS
Premiere: Venice Film Festival, Official Selection, Competition.
FIPRESCI Award.
New York Film Festival, Lincoln Center, Official Selection.
London Film Festival.
Best Film Award at Belfort Film Festival
Distribution in France - Lasa Films and in England - Artificial Eye.

1985 | UM ADEUS PORTUGUÊS
Premiere: London Film Festival
New Film, New Directors, MOMA New York.
Festival do Rio de Janeiro – Gold Toucan, Best Director.
Best Film at the Belfort, Cartagena, Salsomagiore and Pesaro Festivals.
Prémio OCIC.
Berlinale (Forum).

Distribution in France - Lasa Films and in England - Artificial Eye.

1980 | CONVERSA ACABADA
Premiere: Cannes Film Festival, Directors' Fortnight.
Distribution in France, Filmes du Passage.
Glauber Rocha Award, Figueira da Foz Film Festival.
Best Film at the Antwerp Film Festival.
OCIC Award.

1978 | ALEXANDRE E ROSA (short)
Premiere at the Week of the Cahiers du Cinéma - Paris, Cinéma Action République.

1977 | O ALTO DO COBRE (short)

1977 | UM PROJECTO DE EDUCAÇÃO POPULAR

1977 | OS BONECOS DE SANTO ALEIXO

Alexandre Oliveira studied production management at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School. He has worked in film production management and executive production with leading names in the Portuguese and European film industry: João César Monteiro, Manoel de Oliveira, Paulo Rocha and Werner Schroeter. He was a programmer at the Portuguese Cinematheque - Museum of Cinema with João Bénard da Costa. In 2001, he set up AR DE FILMES, a production company that promotes film and theatre projects. The company includes Companhia Teatro do Bairro and a 120-seater venue in Bairro Alto with a theatre, music and dance programme.It has produced over 20 plays in recent years.

In the last years, he has made over 10 films with João Botelho ranging from documentaries and feature films, and also produced Margarida Gil, André Marques e Ariel de Bigault films. He has also done important work in film distribution by creating a new circuit system to ensure that audiences get to see the films by projecting them in large municipal theatres. O FILME DO DESASSOSSEGO, which is based on a work by Fernando Pessoa, is one of the most viewed films in Portugal in the last 10 years with an average of over 200 spectators per session. OS MAIAS adapted from Eça de Queiroz made over 150.000 spectators in the first realease in Portugal.

In 2015, Alexandre Oliveira was distinguished by the Academy of Cultural Producers with the Natércia Campos Award “for his ability to put himself at the service of a significant diversity of creators, languages, artistic fields and promoters, defending the artistic project near the audiences.”

FILMOGRAPHY as Producer

2020 | O Bêbedo
(Feature Film)

Written and Directed by: André Marques

Production Ar de Filmes

(pre-production)

2019 | A Última Festa
(Feature Film)

Written and Directed by Matheus Souza

Production - Coqueirão Pictures // Co-production - Ar de Filmes

(post-production)

2019 | Fantasmas do Império
(Documentary Feature Film)

Written and Directed by Ariel de Bigault

(90’;doc)
(post-production)

2020 | O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis
(Feature Film and Mini Series

 Based on the Novel by José Saramago

Director: João Botelho
(in distribution, national première – 1st of October)

2018 | Mar (Longa-metragem)
(Feature Film)
Written by Margarida Gil e Rita Benis

Director - Margarida Gil

2017 | O que Chamas Pensar?
Director - Margarida Gil

Ordered by Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

2017 | A Peregrinação
Feature Film)

Based on the Novel by Fernão Mendes Pinto

Director - João Botelho

2015 | Nos Campos em Volta
(Documentary Short-Film)

Director - João Botelho

Co-Production - Museu Municipal de Arqueologia de Serpa

2015 | O Som da Prata
(Documentary Short-Film)

Director: João Botelho

Ordered by the Company Topázio

2014 | A Arte da Luz tem 20.000 anos
(Documentary Feature Film)

Director: João Botelho

2014 | Os Maias
(2 versions of Feature Film - 183’ e 133’; and Mini Series for TV - 220’)

Director - João Botelho

Financed by ICA, Câmara Municipal de Lisboa e Montepio)

2012 | Bravo Som dos Tambores
(Documentary Feature Film)

Director - João Botelho

Financed by Fundação Guimarães 2012, European Capital of Culture

2012 | La Valse
(Short-Film)

Director: João Botelho

Financed by ICA
Co-production - RTP and Companhia Nacional de Bailado

2012 | Anquanto la Lhéngua fur Cantada
(Documentary Feature Film)

Director - João Botelho

Financed by Direcção Regional de Cultura do Norte
Sold to RTP

2011 | Coração no Escuro
(Documentary Feature Film)

Director - Maria Joana Figueiredo

2010 | O Filme do Desassossego
(Feature Film)

Director: João Botelho

Financed by ICA, CML, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian; Co-Production RTP

2010 | Oh Lisboa, Meu Lar!
(Documentary Short-Film)

Director - João Botelho

Financed by Câmara Municipal de Lisboa – Sold to RTP

2009 | Para que este mundo não acabe!
(Documentary Feature Film)

Director - João Botelho

Financed by ICA, Município de Montalegre e Município de Boticas; Co-Production RTP

2007 | A Terra antes do Céu
(Documentary Feature Film)

Director - João Botelho

Financed by Direcção Regional de Cultura do Norte Sold to RTP

2007 | A Baleia Branca – uma ideia de Deus
(Documentary Feature Film)

Director - João Botelho

Sold to RTP

2005 | Nunca estou onde pensas que estou
(Short-Film)

Director - Jorge Cramez

Financed by ICA
Co-Production - RTP

FILMOGRAPHY as Production Manager

2003 | A Mulher que Acreditava ser Presidente dos E.U.A.
Director - João Botelho

Production -a Madragoa Filmes

2007 | Mistério da Estrada de Sintra
Director - Jorge Paixão da Costa
Production - Filmes de Fundo

2007 | Nome de Código: Sintra
Director: Jorge Paixão da Costa

Production of the Tv Series: Filmes de Fundo to RTP

2003 | Quaresma
Director: José Alvaro Morais

Production Madragoa Filmes

2002 | Delfim
Director - Fernando Lopes

Production - Madragoa Filmes

2002 | Deux
Director: Werner Schroeter

Production Madragoa Filmes

2001 | Hora do Lobo
Director: José Nascimento

Production Madragoa Filmess

2001 | Água e Sal
Director- Teresa Villaverde

Production Madragoa Filmess

2000 | Palavra e Utopia
Director - Manoel de Oliveira

Production Madragoa Filmes

2000 | Branca de Neve
Director: João César Monteiro

Production Madragoa Filmesmes