Every project begins with an artist.

Aventesma

Co-creator and director

Mitchell Kriegman is an American writer, producer and director and a three-time Emmy Award winner. He began as a writer and filmmaker for Saturday Night Live and National Lampoon, then created Clarissa Explains It All, Bear in the Big Blue House and The Book of Pooh, and worked as story editor and developer on Rugrats, The Ren & Stimpy Show and Doug. His work spans television, theatre, books and documentary. On Aventesma, he is co-creator and director.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Ana Cristina Silva was born in Lisbon and is a university lecturer at ISPA, with a doctorate in Educational Psychology and research on reading and writing. She is the author of more than a dozen novels, among them Cartas Vermelhas, O Rei do Monte Brasil and A Noite não É Eterna, which won the Prémio Fernando Namora in 2017. Her recent novels are published by Bertrand. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Aventesma

Co-creator and writer

Filipe Homem Fonseca is a Portuguese screenwriter, playwright, novelist, humorist, musician and director, born in Lisbon in 1974. For three decades he has written across television, theatre, radio, film and the page, from the landmark comedy programme Herman Enciclopédia to the novel A Imortal da Graça and several books of poetry. His work moves easily between wry humour and the textures of everyday Portuguese life. On Aventesma, he is co-creator and writer, leading script and narrative development.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Cláudia Lucas Chéu was born in Lisbon in 1978. A poet, playwright and novelist, she teaches at the University of Évora and has written for the newspaper Público. Her books include the poetry collections Trespasse and Confissão, the novel Aqueles Que Vão Morrer and the stage text Orlando. She co-founded Edições Guilhotina and won a Camões Institute literary residency in Maputo in 2023. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Janes

Director

André Braz is a Portuguese film director with more than twenty years of experience across documentary, branded content and commercials. Born in Aveiro and trained in journalism and film direction, he has made campaigns for brands including Apple, Leroy Merlin and Fidelidade, and won a Grand Prix at the Clube de Criativos de Portugal for the documentary Dream Big. His feature documentary Feel the Magic, on basketball star Ticha Penicheiro, premiered at Tribeca Festival Lisboa in 2025. On Janes, he directs the film.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Filipa Amorim was born on the outskirts of Lisbon and graduated in Journalism. She works as a press officer and began telling stories at the age of ten. She writes thrillers published by Penguin Random House: A Corrente (2024) and A Noite da Tempestade (2025), both with Suma de Letras, and A Casa da Falésia. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Territórios que Contam

Graphic novel

Nuno Caravela is a Lisbon-born author and illustrator who has worked in children's books since 1992. He studied at IADE and Ar.Co, spent six years as an advertising creative, and for seven years wrote and coordinated Escola Global, a project bringing traditional Portuguese tales into the classroom. His best-known series, O Bando das Cavernas, has passed one million copies sold in Portugal, with titles recommended by the Plano Nacional de Leitura. On Territórios que Contam, he leads the graphic novel.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Gabriela Relvas was born in Porto in 1983. A writer, screenwriter and actress, she has also presented television programmes for channels including RTP, SIC and TVI. Her novels include A Ilha da Formiga, Gula de Uma Rapariga Esquelética de Amor, Uma Vaca a Arrotar Metano, A Confissão da Defunta and Cai Neve no Diabo, the last two published by Minotauro. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Territórios que Contam

Children's book, author and curator

Margarida Azevedo is a writer, editor and trainer. She holds a master's degree in Text Editing and a degree in Communication Sciences, and studied Artes da Escrita at postgraduate level at NOVA FCSH. Her work explores the links between writing, music and the performing arts. She has published Orfeu e os seus avôs em busca do Tosão and Grito Umbilical, and her tale A Caixa da Pandora appears in the anthology Conto em Casa. On Territórios que Contam, she is author and curator of the illustrated children's book.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Lénia Rufino was born in Lisbon in 1979 and grew up in the suburbs, surrounded by books. She wrote her first short story at the age of ten and decided to become a writer. Trained in Advertising and Marketing, she works in text revision and translation. Her debut novel, O Lugar das Árvores Tristes, published by Manuscrito, follows a daughter who investigates her mother's past in a Portuguese village. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Territórios que Contam

Children's book, illustrator

Marta Calado is a designer and illustrator born in Évora who now lives on the Alentejo coast. A graduate in Communication Design, she has worked as a freelance designer, a children's book illustrator and a mentor to young artists. Nature is her main source of inspiration, and her work brings illustration together with strategic design and branding. On Territórios que Contam, she illustrates the children's book, giving image to the stories the students help to write.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Maria Francisca Gama was born in Leiria in 1997 and published her first two books, Em Troca de Nada and Madalena, before turning eighteen. A graduate in Law, she worked at a law firm and later at a communications agency. Her novels A Profeta (2022) and A Cicatriz (2024) were published by Penguin Random House, followed by Filha da Louca (Suma de Letras, 2025). She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Territórios que Contam

Theatre adaptation

Mafalda Santos was born in Lisbon in 1982. She trained in acting at the Escola Profissional de Teatro de Cascais and graduated in Theatre and Directing from the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema. An actress and director since 2000, she writes for theatre and television, teaches acting, and has published novels including Enquanto o Fim Não Vem and Terra Estreita. On Territórios que Contam, she leads the dramaturgy and direction of the annual stage adaptation. She is also a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Rita da Nova studied Communication Sciences and built a career in marketing and advertising strategy, while writing a blog about travel and books. Her debut novel, As Coisas Que Faltam, was published by Manuscrito in 2023, followed by Quando os Rios Se Cruzam in 2024 and Apesar do Sangue. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Valentina Silva Ferreira was born in Funchal, studied in Coimbra and lives in Caniço. She works in gender violence prevention. She has short stories in more than twenty anthologies and has won several prizes, including the Prémio Literário Pedro da Fonseca in 2020. Her novels include Vertigens and Um Lobo no Quarto, both from Aurora, and A Casa das Malvas (Oficina do Livro, 2026). She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Ana Portocarrero was born in Porto in 1980 and still lives there. A biologist by training, she also holds master's degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Communication Sciences and has taken several creative writing courses. Her debut novel, A (In)Felicidade de Sara Lisa, published by Suma de Letras, follows a happy writer who goes looking for misery on the streets of Porto. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Janes

Performer, unreleased songs

Cláudia Pascoal is a singer and songwriter born in Gondomar in 1993. She trained in fine arts and audiovisual production in Porto, with music never far away. In 2018 she won the Festival da Canção with O Jardim, written by Isaura, and represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon. She returned to the national final in 2023 with her own song, Nasci Maria. She lends her voice to Janes, recording one of Alberto Janes' unreleased songs.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Célia Correia Loureiro was born in Almada in 1989. She worked in tourism for more than nine years before becoming a literary translator in 2021. She has published novels since 2011, among them Demência, A Filha do Barão, Uma Mulher Respeitável and No Tempo das Cerejas, published by Aurora. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Territórios que Contam

Young-adult novel

Sara Rodi was born in Porto in 1978 and grew up in Évora. A graduate in Communication Sciences, she published her first novels, Frio and A Sombra dos Anjos, in 2000, and has since written historical fiction, television scripts and more than thirty books for young readers. She is a co-founder of the civic movement Por Uma Escola Diferente, which works for better schooling. On Territórios que Contam, she is the author of the young-adult novel. She is also a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Elisabete Martins de Oliveira was born in Almada in 1995. She studied Psychology at ISCTE in Lisbon and specialised in Developmental Psychology in Liverpool. Having lived in Portugal, the United Kingdom and Sweden, where she now lives, she works as a writer, writing trainer and literary mentor. Her debut novel, Um Muro e Uma Cerca, was published by Cultura Editora in 2023. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Festival da Paisagem

Writer and director, Noite de Núpcias

Marcantonio Del Carlo is an Italian actor, director and writer who has lived in Portugal since the age of fifteen. He trained at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema in Lisbon and has worked in theatre since 1989, with companies including the Teatro Experimental de Cascais, the Teatro da Cornucópia and the Teatro Nacional São João, alongside film, television and teaching. For the Festival da Paisagem he wrote and directs Noite de Núpcias, a monologue built from real testimonies.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Filipa Mota Nesbitt was born in Lisbon in 1980. With a degree in management, she worked in banking before turning to writing, taking an advanced creative writing course and then a postgraduate degree in Writing Arts at Nova FCSH. Her debut novel, Senhora de Si, was published by Oficina do Livro in 2025, and she writes the weekly newsletter Amelia Writes. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Janes

Performer

António Zambujo was born in Beja in 1975 and grew up with the cante alentejano before making his name in Lisbon fado. He won the Amália Rodrigues Prize for best male fado singer in 2006 and was made Commander of the Order of Infante D. Henrique in 2015. His album Do Avesso received the José Afonso Prize, and his tribute to Chico Buarque earned a Latin Grammy nomination. He lends his voice to Janes, performing the songs of Alberto Janes.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Joana Kabuki has lived in Lisbon all her life and dreams of one day settling in the Alentejo. She works mainly in marketing, often on environmental themes, and has taught Marketing and Communication at polytechnic level. Her debut novel, Viradas do Avesso, published by Clube do Autor, follows three inseparable friends whose lives change when one of them disappears, only to return twenty years later. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Janes

Performer, unreleased songs

José Geadas, who performs as Geadas, is a young fado singer, string player and composer from Rio de Moinhos, in Borba, in the Alentejo. He came to fado as a child, winning the Grande Noite do Fado de Lisboa in 2006, and later studied Portuguese guitar at the Museu do Fado. His debut album, Outros Amores, released in 2023, is rooted in traditional fado. He lends his voice to Janes, recording one of Alberto Janes' unreleased songs in the Alentejo.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Maria Bravo was born in Miramar in 1982 and studied Journalism in Coimbra, working at SIC and Rádio Renascença. A gastronomic trip around the world led to columns in Revista do Expresso and the book Comer o Mundo. She wrote two books for teenagers, Cenas de Uma Adolescente and Mais Cenas de Uma Adolescente, and the novel Conta-me Tudo Outra Vez (Oficina do Livro, 2023). She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

BOSK

Curator

Sjoerd Bootsma is a Dutch curator and artistic director based in Leeuwarden. He was creative producer and co-artistic leader of Leeuwarden-Fryslân European Capital of Culture 2018, and then artistic director of Arcadia, the cultural programme that presented the BOSK walking forest in 2022. He also co-founded the festivals Explore the North and Welcome to The Village. He brings that European Capital of Culture experience to Évora as curator of BOSK.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Rita Cruz was born in Guarda. She studied International Relations and worked in human rights missions in Colombia, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka before retraining as a physiotherapist. She now lives in Kuala Lumpur, where she writes and works with refugees. Her novels are No País do Silêncio (Página a Página, 2021), set under the Estado Novo, and A Menina Invisível (Guerra e Paz, 2022). She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Janes

Music consultant

João Filipe is a fado musician and one of the new generation of viola de fado players. Born into a family of fadistas, he began singing fado very young and taught himself classical guitar before making the viola de fado his main instrument. He accompanies leading fado singers on stages in Portugal and abroad, among them Joana Amendoeira, and plays in Lisbon's principal casas de fado. On Janes, he is the consultant on music.

A Volta do Elefante

Director and producer

David Novack is an American documentary filmmaker, producer and sound designer who lives between New York and Lisbon, where he teaches sound and cinema at Universidade Lusófona. Founder of Odessa Films, he directed Burning the Future: Coal in America, Finding Babel and All Static & Noise, on survivors of the camps in China's Uyghur region, and produced Kimjongilia, which premiered at Sundance in 2009. He began as a sound designer on films including Velvet Goldmine and Kids. On A Volta do Elefante, he is director and producer.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Catarina Rodrigues was born in Beja in 1989 and grew up in Malveira, near Lisbon. She holds a master's degree in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, works as an IT consultant, coach and trainer, and has lived and worked in five countries. She is the author of the novels 1001 Coisas Que Nunca Te Disse (2018) and Quando o Amor É para Sempre (2025), both published by Oficina do Livro. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

BOSK

Concept and artistic direction

Bruno Doedens, born in 1959, is a Dutch land artist who trained in landscape architecture at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam and won the Prix de Rome for landscape architecture in 1990. Since 2007 he has been artistic director of SLeM, creating temporary landscapes on dikes, dunes, canals and beaches, works measured in hundreds of metres. BOSK Leeuwarden, his walking forest made with Arcadia, shared the Dutch Design Award 2023 in the Habitat category. He leads the concept and artistic direction of BOSK in Évora.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Cristina Drios was born in Lisbon in 1969 and works as a jurist in intellectual property law. Her short story collection Histórias Indianas won the Cadernos do Campo Alegre prize for a first book. Her debut novel, Os Olhos de Tirésias, was a finalist for the Prémio LeYa and won the Portuguese selection at the Chambéry First Novel Festival. It was followed by Adoração, both published by Teorema. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Janes

Performer

Mafalda Arnauth was born in Lisbon in 1974 and came to fado while finishing a degree in veterinary medicine. Her self-titled debut album, released in 1999, brought her Blitz magazine's New Talent award, and with Encantamento she began writing much of her own repertoire. Admired for the freshness of her interpretations, she has performed widely across Europe. She appears in Janes, singing the songs of Alberto Janes.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Project lead

Filipa Fonseca Silva was born in Barreiro in 1979. A graduate in Communication, she worked in advertising for fifteen years before becoming a full-time writer. Since her debut novel Os 30: Nada é Como Sonhámos in 2011, she has published, with Bertrand and Penguin Random House, novels including O Elevador, E Se Eu Morrer Amanhã? and Admirável Mundo Verde, as well as humour and children's books. She leads Um Quarto Só Seu, created by the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras.

Janes

Original idea and creative direction

José Quintela is a Lisbon copywriter and creative director with some twenty years in Portuguese advertising, at agencies including Leo Burnett, Bates Red Cell, Young & Rubicam and VMLY&R, where he was creative director. He has created campaigns for brands such as Compal, BMW and Leroy Merlin. Alongside advertising he writes fado lyrics, and storytelling is the thread through all of his work. On Janes, he originated the idea and leads the film's creative direction.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Gabriela Ruivo was born in Lisbon in 1970 and has lived in London since 2004. She trained as a psychologist. Her first novel, Uma Outra Voz, won the LeYa Prize in 2013 and the PEN Clube Português first-book award in 2015. She has since published poetry, short stories and the novel Lei da Gravidade (Porto Editora, 2023), Portugal's nominee for the European Union Prize for Literature. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

A Volta do Elefante

Producer, Seara Filmes

Frederico Mesquita is a Portuguese filmmaker and producer, born in 1991 and based in Lisbon. Trained in painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts and in cinema at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School, he worked as assistant to Gabriel Abrantes on Diamantino, winner of the Cannes Critics' Week Grand Prize, and has managed production on films by Miguel Gomes and Marco Martins. He directed the short films A Barriga de Mariana and Francisco Perdido, and founded Seara Filmes in 2024. On A Volta do Elefante, he is the producer.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Margarida Damião Ferreira was born in Lisbon in 1979 and lived for ten years in Mozambique. Trained in Law and in Political Science and International Relations, she practised as a lawyer before becoming a company director. She began with the children's book A Pulga Salta-Pocinhas e os Grãos de Areia, then poetry, and published her first novel, À Noite os Pés são Frios, with Livros Horizonte in 2025. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Janes

Lyrics consultant

Tiago Torres da Silva is a Lisbon-born writer, poet, lyricist, stage director and producer. He made his debut as a playwright in 1997 at the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, and has since written and directed for theatres in Portugal and Brazil. A prolific fado lyricist, he has written for Celeste Rodrigues, Carminho, Ricardo Ribeiro, Gisela João and Mafalda Arnauth, as well as Brazilian voices such as Maria Bethânia and Ney Matogrosso. On Janes, he is the consultant on lyrics.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Rita Canas Mendes was born in Lisbon and grew up in Estoril. She studied Philosophy at the University of Lisbon and worked in publishing before founding the editorial services company Com Texto in 2011. Her books include the non-fiction titles Como Publicar o seu Livro, Viver da Morte and A Volta ao Mundo em 80 Corridas, and the novel Teoria das Catástrofes Elementares (Elsinore, 2024). She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.

Janes

Performer

Jorge Fernando is a Lisbon-born guitarist, composer and singer. He came to fado as a teenager, joined Amália Rodrigues' group while still young and toured the world with her. He is the author of widely sung fados such as Quem Vai ao Fado, Boa Noite Solidão and Chuva, and was made Commander of the Order of Infante D. Henrique in 2016. He appears in Janes, bringing to the screen the songs of Alberto Janes that Amália made famous.

Um Quarto Só Seu

Member, Clube das Mulheres Escritoras

Stephanie Vasconcelos was born in Krasnodar, Russia, in 1989, to a Russian mother and a Luso-Angolan father, and grew up in Cascais. She studied Communication and French in England and holds a master's in Multimedia Journalism. She lives in Luanda, where she works in communications. Her debut novel, A Tua Melanina (Suma de Letras, 2024), is a family saga about love, racism and identity. She is a member of the Clube das Mulheres Escritoras, which created Um Quarto Só Seu.