Cristina Carvalhal

Every night, in danger of being beheaded, Scheherazade tells King Shahryar unfinished tales to continue them the following night, hence defying his promise of murdering his new wives after their wedding night. Scheherazade tells King Shahryar her stories but these are not those in the book. As in the book, these stories are tragic and comical, with rich and poor, powerless and powerful people, filled with surprising and extraordinary events.

The misfortunes of Sofia, the exemplary Madalena and Camila, the troubled vacations of girls and boys, a few years later leading to the resolution of some mysteries, form the perfect trilogy by the Countess of Ségur on education, social, religious, and political power. Desire and its oppression, violence and punishment, in short, the terrible loss combined with inevitable growth. Both adults and children will understand that precepts, rules, and prayers can tear nerves and blood apart.

Nogueira, a man in his fifties, is a relic of times long past. While the youngsters at the school where he works as a caretaker still think the world is their oyster, Nogueira knows that, for him, most doors have long closed.

We stare at mirrors as if 'image' was a weapon of self-defense. At night, I hide in actors' dressing rooms for a working class experience. By day, I face an old theatre being razed to the ground, making way for a parking lot. Graffitis have curtains, the nose cap of an umbrella arises from a mount of sand. Oh, Happy Days! No need to stage anything! The bulldozer is a dinosaur whose teeth and gracious neck swings by a EU flag. In the boxes, we await the audience. Sometimes, nobody comes. Lost in a symbolic show of reality, I can only watch the world's end because all the endangered species perform and a reflecting labyrinth of life stories breaks through the glass of the Economic Eating Machine. Even when the sky is falling, theatre will always happen. So, choose the right place.

Dois Dragões follows a small dog on an adventure in a Chinese restaurant, where its owner (Ana Zanatti) goes to have dinner with her daughter (Beatriz Batarda). Terrorised by the possibility of being turned into Chop Suey, the dog passes a frightening night, running through the restaurant and hearing the telenovela-like conversations taking place at the different tables. With the camera placed in the dog’s perspective, this short film acts as an amusing panorama of Lisbon society at the end of the 20th century.

The story of the CEO of a recently privatized company.

Some of the chapters from Arabian Nights are adapted to a modern Portugal in this epic.

A plot that surrounds police officers, politicians and consultants who crudely demonstrate the lines apparently hidden of the political system and public institutions.

Based on the events which took place the night of April 24th, 1999 in Portugal. This is the story of the Coup d'État which put an end to the Dictatorship and reinstated the Democracy.

Two families affected by cyber bullying. The feelings of shame, rebellion, and guilt of the actors in the story, Vasco and Raquel, and the difficulty of the parents in perceiving the reality in which the children live.

Catarina Menezes is a bisexual TV reporter who decides to have a child on her own and chooses Spanish humanitarian doctor Rafael to father the child, setting up an elaborate charade to lure him into her bed. When Catarina reveals her pregnancy, though, her current live-in girlfriend doesn't take to it kindly and promises to make Catarina's life hell; to make matters worse, Rafael finds out her true identity and comes to Lisbon to see her. And Catarina's sole refuge is in the arms of fellow journalist Francisco, her professional relationship slowly becoming a romantic one.

A theatre having national as part of its name, at the top of a square, reflecting a country’s history. But which one? This is a voyage through the various narratives about D. Maria II National Theatre, forged through the intentions of the several regimes that intended to convey their own ideologies within the theatre’s mission. This is also the story of those who fought against it, opposed the institution and became part of it. How can one become heir of these stories, even if never having set foot inside.

Rui Esteves is a thirty-something provincial doctor, praised for his human qualities towards the elderly and needy in a village where loneliness and abandonment are as much or more of a problem than illness and disease. When a controversial revelation exposes him as an impostor, Rui is removed from his position and forced to relive a past of pain and alcohol dependence.

A group of innocent hostages is left to their own deaths facing a clockwork bomb, while the whole country watches them on the TV.

Ramiro is a bookstore owner in Lisbon and a poet in perpetual creative block. He lives, somewhat frustrated, somewhat conformed, between his shop and the tavern, accompanied by his dog, his faithful drinking companions and his neighbors: a pregnant teenager and her grandmother recovering from a stroke. He would gladly continue living this quiet and somewhat anachronistic routine if events worthy of a soap opera did not invade his bubble.

Xavier returns to Lisbon after a military stint, determined to lead a meaningful life, only to find his world closing in on him.

A prophetic young woman Ana receives a foreboding vision about her father, dismisses it as superstition, and is devastated when it comes true. She learns that someone in the city foresaw the same fate, and against his wishes, she returns to confront him, only to become the subject of another terrifying prophecy he issues about her own future.

Ricardo Monteiro is a successful television producer specialising in reality shows. He is 45 years old and he has just received an award for the most popular television show of the year, when he receives an ultimatum from his 18-year-old daughter Leonor. If he does not come home that same evening to celebrate her birthday he will never see her again. Ricardo is distracted by business or other commitments and he is too late for the last flight home. When he returns next day the apartment is empty and Leonor is gone. At first Ricardo thinks that it is only a game, but there are no phone calls or messages and after a while he gets worried and starts looking for her. He discovers that she has quit school without telling him and that she has lost all contact with her old friends. She has become a complete stranger.

The film presents us with a reflection on the Spanish Civil War in the Portuguese society, At a time when Salazar ruled.

When her husband dies, Dora Rosário, a woman trapped in the dark years of the Estado Novo, begins to live only for her daughter Lisa and for the memory of her deceased husband, who accompanies her daily. However, when she discovers that her husband was not who she thought he was, Dora questions her entire past and ventures out in search of a new life. But she will soon discover that mourning will not be as easy as she wants to believe.

An unlikely love with a happy ending... At age 40, Miguel is at the top of his career as a plastic surgeon, having reached the fame and fortune he worked so hard for. He’s a hopeless bachelor, never committing to any real relationship. This is not just by choice, his situation is a result of never having met his parents and being raised in a children’s home. But, overnight, a simple phone call will change his life entirely, making him recall a point in his life that he’d rather forget. His best friend from the institution was just killed in a car crash along with his wife, but left written instructions behind stating that, if something should happen to him, Miguel should be given custody of his three children, 12-year-old Simão, 8-year-old Jaime and 6-year-old Beatriz. Initially, Miguel will try to dismiss himself from any responsibility but, after meeting the kids, he realizes that he has no choice but to bring them home.

Freedom is a state of mind... Carlos, José and Matias are three old friends who have known each other since childhood. José lives with his daughter, his son in law and his nine-year-old grandson Pedro. Being a grandfather is his only true source of happiness. Carlos is retired and spends most of his days tinkering. Matias, on the other hand, is a widower and lives alone and abandoned, as his son is living abroad. Each of them has a strong and contentious character of their own, but they are all joined by a deep friendship. When José is sent to a retirement home, Carlos and Matias set a plan to bust him out. They sneak into the retirement home and take him away from that depressing environment in which he was discarded. They know that they can’t come back home, so they decide to spend a while in Matias’ house up north. But, in the middle of their escape, they find José’s grandson snuck in there. Pedro doesn't want to leave his grandpa and insists on accompanying them in their journey.

Showing reality like it is... What happens when a promising and smart young woman is suddenly called upon to lead he most sophisticated police force in the country. To Ana Belmonte, this is the promotion of her lifetime, to the Criminal Police, this is a shake-up in their deep-seated hierarchy. This young inspector will be confronted with crimes that are tough to crack, where everyone is a suspect and leads can lead to the most unexpected places. But she’ll also have to face the jealousy and anger within her own department, where there are as many allies as there are enemies, and she’s a woman in a men’s world. Having been promoted by her former stepfather and national director Alberto Machado, Ana is going to permanently change the lives of those around her, whether they like it or not.