João Mário Grilo (Figueira da Foz, 1958) is Full Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences at NOVA University of Lisbon, where he completed both his Master’s degree and PhD (Communication Sciences/Cinema). He teaches Film Directing (seminar) and is the coordinator of the PhD programmes in Artistic Studies and Digital Media, as well as the Master’s degree in Cinema/Television.
He has published numerous articles on cinema and contemporary art in Portugal and abroad (notably in the journal Traffic). He is author of several books: A ordem no cinema: vozes e palavras de ordem no estabelecimento do cinema em Hollywood (1997), As Lições do Cinema. Manual de Filmologia (2006), O Cinema da Não-Ilusão (2006), O Homem Imaginado (2006), O Livro das Imagens (2007), and Film & Philosophy: Mapping an Encounter (2014), a collective compendium on the subject co-edited with Irene Aparício. This volume resulted from a research project of the same name, for which he was Principal Investigator, carried out between 2009 and 2012 with funding from the FCT.
As a filmmaker he directed his first feature film, Maria, in 1978, followed by The Foreigner (1982), The King’s Trial (1989), The End of the World (1993), Saramago: Documents (1994), The Eyes of Asia (1996), Out of Sight (1998), 451 Forte (2000), The Break (2002), Proof of Contact (2004), The Flying Carpet (2008), Two Women (2010), Your Home (2012), Your Land (2016).
As a director, he has represented Portugal in the Official Selections of numerous film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Locarno, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco, Houston, Rotterdam, Biarritz, Hong Kong and Stockholm. In 1982 he received the Georges Sadoul Prize; in 1999, the Special Jury Prize in Rio de Janeiro, as well as both the Audience and Jury Prizes in Biarritz; the PROCIREP Prize in Cannes; the award for Best Documentary at the IndieLisboa Festival (2012); and, in Porto in 2012, the Paz dos Reis Prize for his career. In 1990, one of his films was submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Retrospectives of his cinematic work have been presented at the La Rochelle Film Festival, the Figueira da Foz Film Festival, and a complete retrospective at LEFFEST.