Portuguese cinema news in Portugal

Latest news and stories about portuguese cinema in Portugal for expats and residents.

Recent articles

The Figure of the Day: 'Prison Memoirs'

Aquilino Ribeiro loved to cite Camilo Castelo Branco as the quintessential Portuguese male: womanizing but unattractive. Reflecting on the film 'Prison Memoirs', the author praises director Sérgio Graciano for his remarkable transformation, moving from mediocre works to this extraordinary, unique film based on Camilo's experiences in prison for adultery. Starring Albano Jerónimo and Maria João Bastos, the film is described as a masterful, cinematic portrait of Portugal.

dn.pt23 Oct

"Playback" about Carlos Paião is the most-watched Portuguese film

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Sérgio Graciano's film about musician Carlos Paião grossed nearly 78,000 euros at the box office in its first four days, surpassing Ivo M. Ferreira's “Projecto Global”.

observador.pt10 Aug

"Playback" about Carlos Paião is the most-watched Portuguese film

Mário Moutinho: “On the street, they still call me ‘Mr. Andrade’”

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An actor and man of many other occupations spanning the performing arts, television, cinema, cultural animation, and civic life, this Porto native remains on stage. He was at the Batalha and is now already “turning 80!”

publico.pt1 Jul

Daniel Soares returns to the Cannes Film Festival

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He returns with “Some Things That Happen Beside a River”, the most recent work that is part of the official short film selection

rtp.pt22 May

Daniel Soares returns to the Cannes Film Festival

Leonor Teles fictionalised the last woman to be executed in Portugal in a dystopian future for a series

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Director Leonor Teles created a dystopian series based on the story of the last woman executed in Portugal.

SAPO11 May

Leonor Teles fictionalised the last woman to be executed in Portugal in a dystopian future for a series

“Cherchez La Femme”: Cunha Telles' final film is a sensual adaptation of Sá-Carneiro that has conquered Netflix

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António da Cunha Telles' posthumous film, “Cherchez La Femme”, sensually adapts a short story by Mário de Sá-Carneiro. We spoke with Pandora da Cunha Telles, the director's daughter who completed the film, and the lead actor Ângelo Rodrigues.

expresso.pt28 Apr

“Cherchez La Femme”: Cunha Telles' final film is a sensual adaptation of Sá-Carneiro that has conquered Netflix

Interview with Ivo M. Ferreira, director of “Projecto Global”: “Disappointments are fundamental to moving societies forward”

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Ivo M. Ferreira is 50 years old, roughly the same age as Portuguese democracy, and has the courage to address, right now, a burning issue: the Forças Populares 25 de Abril in a film, “Projecto Global”, which must be seen.

expresso.pt23 Apr

Interview with Ivo M. Ferreira, director of “Projecto Global”: “Disappointments are fundamental to moving societies forward”

Global Project: the FP-25, an army in the shadows

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(Post-)revolutionary hopes filmed as pure spectres, with no place in the country. The best film by Ivo M. Ferreira.

publico.pt22 Apr

Global Project: the FP-25, an army in the shadows

On the crossroads of Entroncamento

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In the Portuguese imagination, Entroncamento is more than just a railway hub. Pedro Cabeleira's film 'Entroncamento' explores this symbolism through the story of Laura, who returns to her hometown seeking peace, only to find herself entangled in local social tensions and group rivalries. The film, shot with a raw, realistic aesthetic, moves beyond sociological clichés to examine the complexities of human relationships and the search for identity.

Dinheiro Vivo26 Mar

Entroncamento, The Boy from Amrum Island and other premieres for this week

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New stories arrive in cinemas this Thursday. Choose your session and come experience them up close.

Público26 Mar

Entroncamento, The Boy from Amrum Island and other premieres for this week

A Portuguese-style gangster film

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'Entroncamento', by Pedro Cabeleira, arrives in cinemas with several awards.

Correio da Manhã23 Mar

Madalena Almeida: “My grandmother often says: ‘When are you doing a soap opera? That was guaranteed money’, but doing stories that interest me more has more value”

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Madalena Almeida is an actress known for many national fiction works. From “Pôr do Sol”, “Praxx”, and “Situações Delicadas” to more recently “Espias”, the actress provided an X-ray of the state of our small audiovisual industry on the “No Último Episódio” podcast, in an episode originally published on October 10, 2025.

Expresso20 Mar

Madalena Almeida: “My grandmother often says: ‘When are you doing a soap opera? That was guaranteed money’, but doing stories that interest me more has more value”

“Participating is already a huge victory”: Isabél Zuaa, the Portuguese actress at the heart of Oscar night

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In an interview with CM, the 38-year-old multidisciplinary artist does not hide her pride in being part of the Brazilian production 'The Secret Agent', which is nominated for an Oscar. She also reveals that she will be in Hollywood on Sunday to attend the ceremony.

Correio da Manhã13 Mar

“Participating is already a huge victory”: Isabél Zuaa, the Portuguese actress at the heart of Oscar night

Regina Pessoa and Beatriz Batarda at the 'Olá Paris!' festival

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The event will take place from 6 to 8 March at the Cinéma Club de L'Étoile, near the Arc de Triomphe, bringing together producers, actors and screenwriters from the current generation of Portuguese cinema in Paris.

Observador2 Feb

Regina Pessoa and Beatriz Batarda at the 'Olá Paris!' festival

Regina Pessoa and Beatriz Batarda in March at Portuguese film festival Olá Paris!

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Films by directors such as João Rosas, João Nuno Pinto and Regina Pessoa, who will give a masterclass, are part of the second edition of the Olá Paris! Festival, scheduled for March in the French capital.

RTP Notícias2 Feb

Regina Pessoa and Beatriz Batarda in March at Portuguese film festival Olá Paris!

Projecto Global, the film Ivo Ferreira wanted to make

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Premiering at the Rotterdam Film Festival, the director's fifth feature — from the maker of Letters from War and the series Sul and The American — fictionalises the years of the FP-25 de Abril, caught between idealism and disillusionment.

Público1 Feb

Projecto Global, the film Ivo Ferreira wanted to make

João Canijo — great cinema and sadness

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And as Canijo's latest films show: what happens on screen is not a lesser or false life; it is another life — another possibility.

Correio da Manhã31 Jan

João Canijo: A film legacy perpetually drawn to the theatre

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A profile of filmmaker João Canijo, whose cinematic work has consistently been influenced by and intertwined with the theatre.

Dinheiro Vivo30 Jan

João Canijo: A film legacy perpetually drawn to the theatre

President of the Republic laments the 'premature death' of film director João Canijo

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João Canijo died on Thursday at the age of 68. His body was found at his home by a domestic worker.

Correio da Manhã30 Jan

President of the Republic laments the 'premature death' of film director João Canijo

João Canijo: President of the Republic mourns 'premature death' of 'a strong and singular voice'

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The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, today mourned the 'premature death' of film director João Canijo, whom he described as 'a strong and singular voice' and 'a fearless chronicler' of the country's reality.

RTP Notícias30 Jan

João Canijo: President of the Republic mourns 'premature death' of 'a strong and singular voice'

João Canijo (1957–2026): the filmmaker of real-life wounds

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He filmed the realism of human relationships and made cinema the mirror of a country. He won a Berlin Bear and leaves two films awaiting release. He died this Thursday, aged 68, at home.

Observador30 Jan

João Canijo (1957–2026): the filmmaker of real-life wounds

Adão e Silva recalls João Canijo: "He made cinema that was distinctly Portuguese"

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The CNN Portugal commentator and former Minister of Culture remembers the filmmaker, who died aged 68.

CNN Portugal30 Jan

Adão e Silva recalls João Canijo: "He made cinema that was distinctly Portuguese"

Filmmaker João Canijo has died

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Filmmaker João Canijo, who directed 'Sangue do Meu Sangue', 'Viver Mal' and 'Mal Viver', has died aged 68.

RTP Notícias29 Jan

João Canijo has died

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The filmmaker was 68 years old.

CNN Portugal29 Jan

Laura Carreira won the European Film Award for Best First Film

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'On Falling', Laura Carreira's first feature film, won the European Film Award for Best First Film.

RTP Notícias26 Jan

Laura Carreira won the European Film Award for Best First Film

Cinetendinha Awards choose "On Falling" as the best film of 2025

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Algarve Film Week, in Loulé, closed its fifth edition with the presentation of the Cinetendinha Awards. These honours recognise Portuguese cinema — the best work of 2025. The ceremony took place at the Cineteatro Louletano in the city centre.

RTP Notícias26 Jan

Cinetendinha Awards choose "On Falling" as the best film of 2025

Angela Schanelec, Alain Gomis and Karim Aïnouz at the Berlinale

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The 76th edition of the Berlin Film Festival has announced a programme full of promise but is almost devoid of stars. It opens on 12 February, with several Portuguese co-productions in the parallel sections.

Observador20 Jan

Angela Schanelec, Alain Gomis and Karim Aïnouz at the Berlinale

João César Monteiro: Cinema between lyricism and sarcasm

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An exploration of João César Monteiro’s films, positioned between lyrical expression and sardonic humour.

Diário de Notícias7 Jan

João César Monteiro: Cinema between lyricism and sarcasm

Who is Inês Carvalho, honoured with an award that recognises women who have 'contributed notably' to Portuguese cinema

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The first person to be credited as cinematographer on a Portuguese feature film, Inês Carvalho received the Bárbara Virgínia Prize 2025, awarded by the Portuguese Film Academy and named in honour of the first woman to direct a fiction film in Portugal in 1946. In her thank-you speech she acknowledged the importance of being a pioneer: 'It's good to know that I opened a path.'

Expresso6 Jan

Who is Inês Carvalho, honoured with an award that recognises women who have 'contributed notably' to Portuguese cinema

Actress Carla Chambel elected president of the Portuguese Film Academy

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Actress Carla Chambel was elected president of the Portuguese Film Academy for the 2026–2028 three-year term, succeeding producer Paulo Trancoso, the association announced today.

RTP Notícias19 Dec

Actress Carla Chambel elected president of the Portuguese Film Academy

Portugal

1665: At the Battle of Ambuíla in northern Angola, a Portuguese force from Luanda under Luís Lopes de Sequeira defeats the army of the Kingdom of Kongo. King António I is killed and beheaded, and the once-powerful kingdom slides into civil war.
1936:The Tarrafal prison camp
The steamer Luanda lands the first 152 political prisoners at the Tarrafal concentration camp on Santiago island in Cape Verde, among them Marinha Grande strikers and sailors from the September mutiny. The 'camp of slow death' operated until 1954 and again from 1961 to 1974.
Read more Dictatorship and the Estado Novo, 1926–1974

Elsewhere

1929: 'Black Tuesday' on Wall Street: some 16 million shares change hands as the New York stock market collapses, the crash that ushered in the Great Depression.

What event prompted the composition of Portugal's national anthem, A Portuguesa?

Question 1 of 25 • 2 min quiz