09/10/2014 - João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata’s film has been named Best Film at a ceremony marked by José Fonseca e Costa’s criticisms of the ICA

The Last Time I Saw Macao [+see also:
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film profile] made a splash at the third edition of the Sophia Awards, for which the ceremony was held in Lisbon last night. The voters of the Portuguese Film Academy honoured the film with the most coveted trophy of the night – the Sophia for Best Film. The feature by duo João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata also earned its two filmmakers the Sophia for Best Original Script, and the movie’s DoP, Rui Poças, won the top prize in the Best Photography category.

Joaquim Leitão, who was a double nominee in the Direction category (see the news), won the Sophia for Best Director for his TV-series-turned-film Até Amanhã Camaradas. The title was also honoured with the Sophias for Best Supporting Actor (Adriano Luz), Best Costumes and Best Sound.

Catarina Ruivo’s Second Hand saw its leads – Rita Durão and the late Pedro Hestnes – awarded with the trophies for Best Actress and Actor. Beatriz Batarda was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Bille August’s Night Train to Lisbon [+see also:
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making of
film profile]. The Swiss-German-Portuguese co-production also won in the Best Art Direction and Best Make-up categories.

Other winners included João Viana’s A Batalha de Tabotô (Best Documentary) and musician Rodrigo Leão, who won the Sophia for Best Score for O Frágil Som do Meu Motor.

Achievement Awards were bestowed upon producer Henrique Espírito Santo, DoP Eduardo Serra and director José Fonseca e Costa, who fiercely criticised the ICA during his speech, describing Portugal’s film and audiovisual institute as a “kingdom of bureaucracies”. “Bureaucracy kills creativeness. Creativeness must kill bureaucracy. We are creativeness!” declared the 81-year-old director, lending a more radical tone to the ceremony.

The fourth edition of the Sophia Awards is scheduled for 2 April 2015.