Born in 1976 to Angolan parents, Portuguese Filmmaker João Paulo Simões developed an interest in the visual arts from an early age, impressing teachers and artists alike with his drawing skills. The taste for painting, photography and comic book art was eventually combined with the passion for Literature – whether in the shape of ambitious novels, short stories or evocative poems. The different mediums were gradually fine-tuned to form a very personal view of the world - up to the point that music came into play and everything developed till then was entirely directed to a single form of expression.
In the early 1990’s, concept and performance come together in the shape of cult rock band Freud’s Groin. The project was to come to an end only a few years later, but the experience – which involved not just song-writing and live performance, but also very cerebral work in recording studios – would prove to be crucial in defining the direction to take.
Cinema, the source of so many emotions, that was always very much present, was to become the key-language in João Paulo Simões’ art. Its totalitarian quality appealed to him as much as the perfectionism he sees as crucial to follow an idea or subject through.
From early experimental work in his home country, he moved on to seek further education in Film, which brought him to England in the late 1990’s to enrol on the Film Studies course at Sheffield Hallam University.
Having trained mainly as an Editor, once finished the course he developed a challenging project that was to be his first official outing as a Writer/Director: the short film Imogen Meets The Merchant (2001).
It was followed by Overture (2002), which marked a clear decision to experiment with digital technology.
Soon after, João Paulo Simões embraced the opportunity of making a film in his hometown of Lisbon - when Portuguese Producer Pedro Molar agreed to collaborate on a project.
Torpor (2003), the first Portuguese-language film produced under newly formed Captüra Filmes, was made on a shoestring budget, with black & white digital cinematography embellished by a poetic narrative and a lavish score/sound design.
Once back in England, a new project entered pre-production. Duchess, Duchess (2004) is an old-fashioned tale of retrospective jealousy leading to inevitable infidelity, which was pre-selected at Cannes Film Festival 2004 and has since been bought and broadcast on Sky TV four times.
Along with the opportunity to experiment with the different language of Music Videos, came NeonMoon II (2004) for The Ultimate Architects, which was followed in 2005 by Home for singer/songwriter Anne Garner and Take This Turn, again for The Ultimate Architects.
The full-length DVD to accompany the Sieben album, High Broad Field (2006) ensued and opened a new approach to the Director’s music video making.
The highlight of the freelance work for that same year was to be the co-ordination of Media Workshops for the BBC’s Blast event.
Other work in 2007 includes the music videos Sorriso da Manhã for Prince Wadada, Dolphins In Canada for New York project The Great Churn along with the short documentary Bleak Hill. This very same year sees the foundation of a new company, Frontier Media - under which the short film Strings & Sutures and the documentary Forging A Future are produced.
Frontier Media has since completed an extended version of the documentary on Borreliosis One Tick Away (2008) for the charity BADA-UK and has opened the year of 2009 with the promotional video AstroPhilosophy for José Prudêncio and a double Music Video release for Sieben, in the shape of Lucifer On The Moor and Virgin In The Green. The Music Video Amar Salgado for Portuguese band Nanashi has the most challenging approach to date and closes the year in great style.
The year of 2010 opens with Run With The Wolves – Frontier Media’s entry to the Pr0digy Music Video Competition, Star Wood Brick Firmament, the Teaser Trailer for Sieben’s new album and proceeds with the short films Where Her Dreams End and cosmos – a microfilm.
João Paulo Simões has also made the features Ausências de Espírito (2005), Antlers of Reason (2006), an erotic mystery tale which has become the Director’s most widely seen film and Águas Furtadas & Outras Ausências, the second feature in the Absences Trilogy which was shot throughout 2007 in Italy, Portugal and England.
These films mark the beginning of two very distinct trilogies. The second and third films in the challenging Thalus Trilogy, Antlers of Reason II – Morning Interim and Antlers of Reason III – Nether Edge Temptress, are set for release in 2011.
Other work currently in either development or reaching completion includes the Web Series of Where Her Dreams End and Torpor Revisited.
