Biography
Mário Patrocínio is a Portuguese writer-director whose films delve into themes of identity, memory, and belonging, telling stories that highlight the connections that transcend cultures, borders, and time. Working in both fiction and documentary, he merges emotional narratives with a profound interest in the human experience.
Born in Lisbon, Patrocínio spent part of his childhood in Japan, attending a local public school as its only Western student. At eight years old, he began recording his family's daily life with a Hi8 camera and capturing photographs to share those moments with his grandparents in Portugal. What started as a child's effort to bridge distance through images and develop a visual language later evolved into a cinematic style centered on memory, identity, and living between cultures.
He pursued filmmaking studies in Los Angeles and further trained in script analysis with Michael Margotta and actor directing with Jack Waltzer. His career has since spanned Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
Patrocínio's documentary work earned international acclaim with Complexo: Universo Paralelo (2011), Portugal’s highest-grossing documentary that year, followed by I Love Kuduro (2014), a celebrated portrayal of Angola’s dynamic urban music scene. These projects led to his selection for Berlinale Talents in 2017 and European Film Promotion’s Producers on the Move in 2020.
Transitioning to fiction, he created the award-winning shorts The Tuner of Silences and Before the Moon Rises, and made his feature debut with Maria Vitória, which premiered in the Official Competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival and received nominations for the Tokyo Grand Prix and Best Director.
In addition to writing and directing, Patrocínio has produced internationally recognized films such as On Falling, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Silver Shell for Best Director at San Sebastián, and Color Out of Space, featuring Nicolas Cage. Outside of cinema, he has directed globally acclaimed campaigns, including a Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning project, with further honors from the Clio Awards and The One Show.
His upcoming feature as writer-director is My Father's Wives, a multilingual road movie set across Southern Africa, adapted from José Eduardo Agualusa’s novel and starring Taís Araújo. He is also adapting Mia Couto’s novel The Tuner of Silences into a feature film.
For Patrocínio, cinema serves as a space where people can connect without judgment. Rather than providing definitive answers, his films encourage viewers to complete each narrative through their own memories, experiences, and emotions.
