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Duas vezes João Liberada

Two Times João Liberada
Perspectives 2025
© Fresco Mafalda | Cristiana Cruz Forte, Paula Tomás Marques
João, an actress from Lisbon, is starring in a biopic about the gender-nonconforming Liberada, who was persecuted by the Inquisition in 18th-century Portugal. Although the director of the biopic seems to have a penchant for portraying violence and suffering onscreen, Liberada’s story is ultimately one of strength, resilience and rebellion against established gender roles. The production becomes a battleground as João clashes with the director over how Liberada’s legacy should be portrayed. These tensions deepen as the ghost of Liberada starts to haunt João in her dreams and the boundaries between past and present become blurred. When the director suffers a mysterious paralysis and is unable to finish the film, João must navigate her way through the unfolding chaos of the shoot, tormented by unanswerable questions not only about the future of the film but also about her own connection to Liberada’s spirit and story.
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by Paula Tomás Marques (Director, Screenplay), June João (Screenplay)
with June João, André Tecedeiro, Jenny Larrue, Caio Amado, Eloísa d'Ascensão, Tiago Aires Lêdo, Alice Azevedo Portugal 2025 Portuguese 70' Colour & Black/White World premiere | Debut film

With

  • June João (João / Liberada)
  • André Tecedeiro (Director)
  • Jenny Larrue (Diana / Sister Engrácia)
  • Caio Amado (Caio / Franco)
  • Eloísa d'Ascensão (Peasant Woman)
  • Tiago Aires Lêdo (Peasant Man)
  • Alice Azevedo (Alice / Sister Beatriz)

Crew

Director Paula Tomás Marques
Screenplay June João, Paula Tomás Marques
Cinematography Fresco Mafalda
Editing Jorge Jácome
Music Maria João Petrucci, Rodrigo Vaiapraia
Sound Design Marcelo Tavares
Production Design Eloísa d’Ascensão
Producers Paula Tomás Marques, Cristiana Cruz Forte
Executive Producers Cristiana Cruz Forte, Paula Tomás Marques

Produced by

Paula Tomás Marques

Cristiana Cruz Forte

Fúria de Boi

Casa Estrela

Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola

World Sales

Portugal Film – Portuguese Film Agency

Photos

Paula Tomás Marques

© Helena Estrela

The Portuguese filmmaker and teacher is based in Lisbon and Porto. She studied directing and cinematography at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema in Lisbon and then took postgraduate degrees in sociology followed by filmmaking at the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola in San Sebastián. She has directed several short films exploring themes of gender, sexuality and historiography. She also works as a cinematographer, editor and script supervisor.

Filmography

2016 Sem Armas (Barehanded); short film 2019 Em Caso de Fogo (In Case of Fire); short film 2021 Cabra Cega (Blindman’s Buff); short film 2022 When We Dead Awaken; short film 2023 Dildotectónica (Dildotectonics); short film 2025 Duas vezes João Liberada (Two Times João Liberada)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025