We meet the internationally acclaimed Algarvian-born film director André Badalo.
André Badalo has won awards the world over and worked with the biggest names in Hollywood. He is currently working on a prime-time RTP production. An accomplished screenwriter, director, producer, and film aficionado, André’s story started here in the Algarve, in the beautiful fishing village of Fuzeta in the municipality of Olhão.
“My parents love films and so does my uncle. The video store in Fuzeta was a popular destination for us all and so was the cinema. When I was sixteen, I remember ‘stealing’ my father’s video camera and making a short film with my friends. It all felt very natural to me. When I left school, I studied aerospace engineering, but I soon realised that wasn’t the path for me and so I changed to film studies. My parents supported me throughout. We are a very connected family and they have always been very supportive.”
André graduated from the esteemed Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema de Lisboa before heading to the UK where he studied scriptwriting at the University of Westminster, in London. Keen to further his education, André then headed for the USA to study directing at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Working in Los Angeles also gave André the opportunity to work with famed director Bryan Singer (X-men, Valkyrie, The Usual Suspects), who praised André’s talent and dedication to his craft.
On returning to Portugal, André made the short films Shoot Me, Cachecol Vermelho (Red Scarf), Mulher Não Tem Querer (Women Don’t Want To), and Catarina and the Others, all of which won numerous awards at international festivals and secured him a ‘first option’ contract with Warner Brothers – a clear indication of their faith in his abilities.
In 2019, André wrote and directed Portugal is Not for Sale, a thought-provoking film which told of one man’s mission to stop the government’s plan to sell off parts of Portugal’s infrastructure to other nations. It was screened in Portuguese cinemas and Amazon Prime. André then went on to participate in an international cast of nine directors, co-directing the film Baku I Love You.
André has led advertising campaigns for some of the most high-profile brands in Portugal, including BPI, Casal Garcia and Expresso. One of his most notable achievements has not been without controversy. In 2018, André was commissioned by the Ministério da Saúde to produce an anti-smoking campaign. Opte por Amar Mais (Choose to Love More) is a hard-hitting and emotional short film telling of the perils of smoking and its impact on children.
In addition to developing the forthcoming RTP series, André currently works as coordinator and professor at the Escola Profissional de Artes, Tecnologias e Desporto, the largest professional school in Lisbon, and as a visiting professor at Academia Mundo das Artes de Lisboa.
As for the RTP series, André is understandably keen not to divulge too much detail as the script is still under development and it will be next year before it hits our screens. Suffice it to say, for fans of film noir and crime fiction then the prospect of a Portuguese version of something similar to the True Detective series will hold tremendous appeal.
We wish André all the very best with his future endeavours and look forward to catching up with him again when his eagerly anticipated RTP series hits our screens.
Main photo © Daniel Pina, Algarve Informativo
Opte por Amar Mais / Choose to Love More
Maria is 40 years old and is dying of lung cancer, yet she smokes as she always has. Melancholic on the day which is to be her last birthday, she sees her eight-year-old daughter, Beatriz, mimicking her by pretending to smoke one of her cigarettes. Maria is now burdened with the guilt that her actions have presented this idea to her daughter so she tries desperately to convince her not to smoke, “Promise me you will always be a princess! And remember. A princess does not smoke!”
Choose to Love More pulled no punches and challenged many conventions. It earned André the National Merit Distinction presented by the Minister of Health and the President of the Republic. Since then, André has gone on to serve as a consultant for government working groups on a variety of topics, including mental health, an issue which is close to his heart. As he told me, “As a director and screenwriter, I’m committed to developing and creating content that challenges, inspires and provokes reflection.”
