João Canijo

On João Canijo’s (1957–2026) birthday, we present a retrospective dedicated to one of the most important contemporary Portuguese filmmakers. His work was characterised by formal rigour, emotional intensity and a focus on complex human relationships, exploring family and social conflicts through deeply layered characters, particularly female ones. Rita Blanco, Anabela Moreira, Cleia Almeida and Beatriz Batarda were regular features in a cinema that always sought to reveal the complexity of the human experience.

Born in Porto, he studied History in the late 1970s before dropping out to devote himself to cinema. He began his professional career as an assistant director to filmmakers such as Manoel de Oliveira, Wim Wenders, Alain Tanner and Werner Schroeter, experiences that profoundly shaped his artistic vision.

He made his feature film debut in 1988 with Três Menos Eu, which was selected for the Rotterdam Film Festival. Over more than three decades, he has built up a remarkable filmography, including Noite Escura (2004), Sangue do Meu Sangue (2011) and the diptych Mal Viver/Viver Mal (2023). The latter earned him the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, one of the greatest honours of his career.

Through this retrospective, we revisit the career of a unique filmmaker, presenting some of his most memorable films and works by directors who have influenced his artistic journey.