Paula Tomás Marques
DUAS VEZES JOÃO LIBERADA / TWO TIMES JOÃO LIBERADA
Portugal, 2025, 70'
A biopic about Liberada, a gender non-conforming figure persecuted by the Inquisition. After the director is mysteriously paralyzed, João faces haunting dreams and struggles to honour Liberada’s story. “The film aims to grasp the complexity of representing bodies that never had agency throughout History. The character João Liberada, though fictional, is inspired by an assemblage of Inquisition trials from the 17th and 18th centuries involving gender dissidents who, according to the records, could possibly identify today as gender non-conforming people. We also propose a reflection on the dynamics of production in the performing arts and cinema, especially in the Portuguese socio-cultural context. For this reason, our team members are also actors in the film, playing exactly those roles on the meta layer of the narrative.” (Paula Tomás Marques)
Paula Tomás Marques (she/they, b. 1994) is a Portuguese film-maker and teacher living between Porto and Lisbon. With degrees in Film-making, Sociology, and Directing and Cinematography, in her films Marques explores themes of gender, sexuality, and historiography. Her first feature film, Two Times João Liberada premiered at the Berlinale. Marques has also worked as a cinematographer, editor, and script supervisor.
script: June João, Paula Tomás Marques
cinematography: Fresco Mafalda
sound: Marcelo Tavares
editing: Jorge Jácome
music: Maria João Petrucci e Rodrigo Vaiapraia
art direction and Costumes: Eloísa d'Ascensão
production: Cristiana Cruz Forte, Paula Tomás Marques
co-production: Fúria de Boi
associated producers: Casa Estrela, Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola
cast: June João, André Tecedeiro, Jenny Larrue, Alice Azevedo, Caio Amado, Eloísa d'Ascensão e Tiago Aires Lêdo
ALL SCREENINGS ARE FREE
