RYOTA KOTANI GRAÇA CASTANHEIRA, Filmmaker / Teacher of Documentary Cinema and Direction, Portugal

Graça Castanheira, director and cinematographer, was born in Angola in 1962. She graduated in cinema in 1989 from the Superior School of Theatre and Cinema of the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon where currently she is a Professor of Documentary Film and Performing Practices. She is also in charge of the education in Documentary Restart Creativity Institute, Arts and New Technologies. Graca also continues to be a documentary director. As a documentary filmmaker, she has been honored with numerous awards throughout her career. She was awarded at DocLisboa with an honorable mention for the film “Logo Existo”. Some of her noted films include – “Angst” (2010), “Maria De Lourdes Pintasilgo” (2010), “A Catedral” (2008), “Fernando Lopez Graça” (2007), “Laura” (2006), “Outubro” (2001). She is part of the group that founded Apordoc – The Portuguese Documentary Association for promoting the festival DocLisboa . In 2008, she also started her own company of production and post-production - Pop Filmes. Graca also works regularly as a colorist.