Marking the 90th anniversary of the birth of Paulo Rocha, celebrated last December, Cinemateca Portuguesa – Museu do Cinema will present, throughout 2026, a series of events paying tribute to one of the fundamental figures of Portuguese cinema.
A central figure of the Novo Cinema Português, Paulo Rocha built, over more than five decades, a singular body of work marked by a constant openness to the world and a profound artistic restlessness. From portraits of Lisbon’s changing youth to the traces left by the colonial war, from an attention to Portuguese traditions to a fascination with Japanese history and culture, and including a deep engagement with literature and theatre, his work reveals a gaze that is profoundly attentive and endlessly curious about the people, places and stories that traverse them.
From March 28 onwards, his films – presented in digitised copies by Cinemateca – will begin a journey through several cinemas across the country. The starting point will be Casa do Cinema de Coimbra, with a screening of OS VERDES ANOS (1963), Rocha’s first feature film and one of the founding works of modern Portuguese cinema.
The programme in Coimbra will continue at the rhythm of one screening per month, following the director’s evolution chronologically and allowing audiences to revisit key titles from his filmography. The programme will conclude in December with SE EU FOSSE LADRÃO… ROUBAVA (2013), the final film he completed near the end of his life, revisiting central themes and figures from his cinematic imagination.
In the coming months, new stops in this programme will be announced, extending the retrospective to several cities and cinemas across the country. The programme will culminate at the end of the year with sessions at Batalha Centro de Cinema, in Porto, the director’s hometown.
Towards the end of the year, Cinemateca Portuguesa – Museu do Cinema will also launch, in Lisbon and Porto, a home video edition of the complete works of Paulo Rocha, bringing together his entire filmography in restored editions for the first time.
Alongside this national programme, the Cinemateca is also developing international programming partnerships dedicated to Paulo Rocha’s work. The first moment of this celebration will take place on March 13 with a special screening of A Ilha dos Amores at the Japan Society in New York City. Additional screenings and international collaborations will be announced soon.