Maria João Luís

Cinema and affections from life in images and what goes on outside the frame. 'Snapshots' of shootings and the present-day memory of directors, actors and technicians.

A walk for half a century, yes, a letter perhaps. Travels in my life, I could call it, which I like Garrett so much. A traveling as he would like, a loose story, memories, projects, meetings. Also because, since 1995, I have done several portraits of artists (Palolo, Bravo, Lapa, Skapinakis, Bartolomeu, Angelo, Sena, Ana Vieira and I prepare Sofia Areal and Fernando Lemos), I started to think that this is my life, these meetings , see, hear, cut, show, tease. I want, with this film continue to show what I see. [Jorge Silva Melo]

Following Marta's wake, her five best friends decide to spend the night at a rural tourist getaway that Marta never got around to opening. The night becomes a long, mazelike journey through their interconnecting friendships, ultimately leading to deep self-revelations about life, themselves and a friendship that survived it all. But will this friendship be able to survive death?

John Malkovich es el protagonista de la única película que captura el mito del mayor seductor de todos los tiempos, Casanova. Basada en La historia de mi vida de Giacomo Casanova, con arias de W.A. Mozart y Lorenzo da Ponte. Su historia es narrada tanto a través de la ficción como con interpretaciones teatrales que desvelan el relato de sus aventuras, pasiones y, sobre todo, su miedo a la muerte.

Sofia lives a strangely isolated life in the old apartment where she grew up in Lisbon. Mariama arrives from Guinea-Bissau, having been hired by Sofia’s mother to help take care of the house and her son. The appearance of Bobô, Mariama’s younger sister, awakens in Sofia the desire to take a stand. The forced cohabitation between Sofia and Mariama forces them to confront their own private ghosts.

Salvador knew Contança and Santiago. He did not know, but admired, Laurence. Among them, Laurence knew Santiago. Constance did not know Laurence. Only Santiago knew Laurence, Constança and Salvador.

Side Effects is the story of a woman who's not afraid to believe that happiness is not only possible but the only truth to be achieved. A woman who won't give up believing in people. A woman who will fight against all adversities in order to let others not to give up a life worth living. Nowadays, the desire for happiness is a real heroic act.

Telenovela star Mariana is on the verge of a nervous breakdown: shooting is not going smoothly, her popularity is waning, and she is forever being hounded by paparazzi. Frustrated, Mariana can't find out who is responsible for these invasions of her privacy. It is the feared 'Paparazzo' Gabriela Santos, who's real name is Juan. One day, Juan and Mariana meet by chance and fall in love. Now Juan must do everything he can to prevent Mariana from discovering his true identity.

Humberto hanged himself. Catarina, Paulo and Victor want the company where Humberto used to work for to take responsibility in his death, leading them to kidnappe the company’s director in an act of despair. Who is Humberto? What company is that? In which paths will he take us, after his death? Cinerama is an edgy, enigmatic, but not distant film that brings up genres of cinema as well as other forms of art like dance, theatre and poetry. The film reflects ways of being in life.

A couple watches a bank robbery live on TV.

The darkness of night, a barely lit place, motorbikes flirting with danger: a group of teenagers at a crossroads playing chicken with unaware passing cars. Jota (Eduardo Frazão) stands out from this group, unclassifiable; his destiny has no straight lines save those on the asphalt. Jota lives in permanent conflict with everything and everybody in his small town. No room for stillness. And then comes Margarida (Ana Moreira). Jota has no inside, Margarida has no outside. In spite of, or because of, that, they meet. What can they do? They can just ride, they can get away with it even if its all messed up. Love is to be lived.

Alexandra Lencastre plays a woman who believes she is President of the U.S.A.

Sonia and Branca are two close friends at their thirties's sexual peak, on the verge of their cosmopolitan loneliness. Despite the long relationship that keeps them together, they are so distant, that it's as if they didn't really know each other. Cronica Feminina (Women's Tales) is a dramatic comedy that talks about women, but essentially approaches, from the point of view of its characters, the human need to communicate, seduce, fantasize, the need for love in the bottom of all things

In 1980, a small plane carrying the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister and six others crashed during takeoff in Camarate, Portugal, killing all on board. The police investigation decided it was an accident caused by pilot error. But controversy raged for twenty years, and the Parliament investigated it no less than six times. Finally, in 2000, in response to a suit by the families of the survivors, the High Court had to decide whether to open a criminal investigation, or close the case forever.

Clara y Hans, dos terroristas de izquierdas, huyen de la policía desde hace quince años. Cuando su hija Jeanne, una adolescente cada vez más rebelde, se enamora de un muchacho desconocido, se convierte en una amenaza más para la seguridad de sus padres.

En el siglo pasado, una joven campesina, Bernadette, se despierta y se siente atraída hacia una cueva. En la actualidad, Bernard Guillaumet es un joven fotógrefo que está haciendo fotografías en Lourdes. Cuando vuelve a su casa, ve que Natalie, su mujer, le ha dejado un paquete. Lo abre y ve que es un viejo manuscrito, titulado Lourdes, de su viejo bisabuelo, Henri Guillaumet, el cual conoció a Bernadette. Bernard ya conocía ese manuscrito, por su padre, pero nunca lo había leído porque él no cree en esas cosas. Cuando Bernard va a revelar las fotos ve que no hay nada. A Natalie le dan dolores de vientre. Resulta que está embarazada de dos meses y puede abortar. Bernard comienza a leer el manuscrito, que resulta ser el diario de Henri, en el que se relata el encuentro con Bernadette. Bernard decide volver a Lourdes porque su jefe le está presionando, y deja a Natalie en el hospital.

'Mal' reúne varias historias: la de Pedro y Cathy, separados por todo pero unidos por un inmenso amor; la de la constante angustia del joven delincuente Daniel y su búsqueda de un lugar bajo las estrellas; la historia de un abuelo que llega a Lisboa a buscar a su nieta; y la de los Cruz, que viven juntos por necesidad. Según Alberto Seixas Santos, "'es un mosaico narrativo en el que temas cotidianos de vidas separadas se encuentran".

Young Jesus is taken on a vacation by his parents (Rita Blanco, Adriano Luz) to a deserted beach resort. They accidentally fall into overnight wealth after Jesus digs in the sand, uncovering a large drug stash. Others characters intersecting here include an alcoholic actress, a philandering banker, a general trafficking in arms, priests who close their church and head north as hitchhikers, politicians who watch an all-girl production of Julius Caesar, and beggars who recite a children's story in a huge heap of trash.

Miguel (Luis Miguel Cintra) is lucky that his income will only level off if he neglects his business as a financier, and his wife and family will be well supported. Why? Because he has begun hearing noises that no one else hears, noises that bother him a great deal, and that make it impossible for him to bear human society. His wife (Jessica Weiss) is thoroughly put out by this radically changed behavior in her formerly good husband, but though she considers leaving him, she stays by his side. Deep in the mountains, Cecelia (Rita Dias), a devout, pure young cowherd, has been brutally raped by an old man. Her boyfriend (Pedro Hestnes) has killed the rapist, and fled the area. As a result of the rape, Cecelia is pregnant. One day, while driving in the mountains, Miguel gives Cecelia's boyfriend a ride. The two of them chance upon her sitting amid the rocks with her infant baby.

Mário was involved in a terrorist attack in Africa. Everyone thinks it was an accident but Mário knows it wasn’t. Now, hiden in Alentejo, he knows that sooner or later " they" will find him, yet he does not want to flee with a new identity until he finds his lover Alice. "They" find him and he has to escape with the help of Matilde. A fascinating woman who will now give him shelter and pretends to help him find Alice. Time is running out for Mário and Alice.

In the quietness of rural life, small disputes about the right to use a rivulet may take the proportion of a life-and-death matter..

One night Jorge will meet with a Japanese industrialist, who will allow him to abandon his teaching position and resume his chemical work. However, when he gets home he finds a person there.

This Portuguese movie directed by João Botelho, is part of The Four Elements series. This is the second episode, The Air.

The story of a child who faces the emptiness that surrounds the figure of his parents, disappeared in Africa.