Born in 1950 in Peraboa, near Covilhã (Portugal).

He studied Journalism in the Faculty of Philosophy at Bruxelles ULB, Psychology at Lisbon’s Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada – ISPA, and Cinema at the Film School of Portuguese National Conservatory, where he graduated in 1978.

He started working in cinema in the Equipa TV/Cinema of the Secretariat of State for Emigration as production manager and director of several films.

He then had a grant to carry out a research on Italian neo-realism at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome (1979-81).

He was production manager and founding partner of the company Trópico Filmes, that produced among others films Uma Rapariga no Verão, directed by Vitor Gonçalves; O Sangue, directed by Pedro Costa; Nuvem directed by Ana Luísa Guimarães.

He taught Film and TV production in the Department of Social Communication at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences at Lisbon’s Universidade Nova.

Since 1981 he is professor at the Film School of the Portuguese National Conservatory, then Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema – ESTC .

He was member of the Commission that established ESTC, then he was Chair of its Scientific Council and, since 1995, Vice Chair of the Executive Council and Director of Film Department.

Since 1993 till 1997 he is Board Member of Groupement Européen des Écoles de Cinéma et de Télévision – GEECT.

He acted often as lecturer regarding film training and industry.

Drawing on film and psychoanalysis he leads a research about empathy and alterity in filmic depiction.