Marta Mateus

Marta Mateus
Marta Mateus in 2016
Born1984 (1984)
Estremoz, Portugal
Occupations
  • Film Director
  • Producer
Known forFire of Wind (Fogo do Vento)

Marta Mateus (born 1984) is a Portuguese film director. She is known for her first film Fogo do Vento (Fire of Wind). Her work has been compared to that of Straub-Huillet.

Education and early life

Mateus grew up in the Alentejo region of Portugual, specifically in Estremoz. She did not study cinema in school and instead studied philosophy, music, photography, and theater.

Career

She began her directing career with the 2017 short film Farpões Baldios [Barbs, Wastelands]. In 2018, she joined the Casa de Velázquez, Académie de France à Madrid. In 2018 she also founded the production company Clarão Companhia.

This led to her directing and producing her first feature length film Fogo do Vento (Fire of Wind) released in 2024. The film took four years to complete and was set in the Alentejo region where Mateus grew up. It premiered in the main competition at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Fire of Wind: Marta Mateus on her moonlit vigil in Portuguese wine country". BFI. 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  2. 1 2 "A Terra! The Cinema of Marta Mateus". Harvard Film Archive. 2025-10-03. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Silva, Lurdes C. da. "Brown University to host free film screening and Q&A with Portuguese filmmaker Marta Mateus". Fall River Herald News. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Morozov, Lucía Requejo,Victor (2024-08-14). "Director Marta Mateus Wanted to Disrupt the 'Banal Image of War' Presented by Mass Media With Her Locarno Player 'Fogo do Vento'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Brody, Richard (2025-10-30). ""Fire of Wind" Is a Bold and Inspired Début". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2025-11-19.