Biography
Born in Mozambique and raised in Portugal, director Miguel Gaudencio had created over two hundred music videos by age 30. He has received numerous awards; for instance, Try Again won the SOL TV Music Video Award for Best Music Video of 2000. By 2001, advertising agencies sought Miguel's expertise, leading him to direct commercials for major multinational clients such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Mercedes. By 2003, Miguel was working throughout Europe, directing commercials for agencies across the continent and beyond, including Poland, Germany, Russia, Croatia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, and North Africa (Morocco and Tunisia). In 2004, Miguel directed his first short feature, The Hole, a 30-minute film that stood out in a ten-part Christmas story special broadcast on Portuguese television. As his commercial work flourished, Miguel directed his second 30-minute feature, a tense psycho-sexual thriller titled Same Room Same Time, in 2006. In 2008, Miguel directed his first full-length feature film, Second Life. Featuring an international all-star cast (Piotr Adamczyk, Liliana Santos, Claudia Vieira), the film held the largest production budget in Portuguese cinema history, with an eight-week shoot on location in Portugal and Italy. It became the most commercially successful Portuguese film during the first half of 2009. In 2010, Miguel directed the first Polish feature documentary, Desire for Beauty, exploring themes of beauty and self-perception. The production attracted prominent figures from the Polish social scene (Piotr Najsztub, Zbigniew Lew-Starowicz, Maria Czubaszek) and garnered strong support from leading experts in fields ranging from psychology to fashion. Starring Agata Kulesza, the film was released in cinemas in spring 2013. In 2014, Desire for Beauty was distributed worldwide by Kinonation, a leader in VOD distribution, and became available on platforms including Hulu, Amazon Prime, and IndieFlix. Miguel also directed two documentaries shot simultaneously in summer 2014: Down, But Not Out! and No Excuses, both offering personal perspectives on women's sports. Down, But Not Out! follows four amateur female boxers as they enter the ring for the first time, while No Excuses captures CrossFit scenes accompanied by diverse commentary on gender equality. Both films were scheduled for release in selected cinemas and VOD outlets starting spring 2015.
