Experiencing Interruptions?

The Portrait

Lisbon, 1940s. An accountant works in his office. Behind the desk, a large painting with the old portrait of a woman seems to upset the man.

  • Paulo Araújo
    Director
  • Paulo Araújo
    Writer
  • Paulo Araújo
    Producer
  • Jorge Rodrigues
    Key Cast
  • Isabel Feliciano
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    O Quadro
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Horror, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 14, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    500 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Portugal
  • Country of Filming:
    Portugal
  • Shooting Format:
    Difital
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • MOTELX - Lisbon International Horror Film Festival 2018
    Lisbon
    Portugal
    September 8, 2018
    Worldwide Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Mostra de Cinema CINE HORROR 2018
    Salvador da Bahia
    Brazil
    October 20, 2018
    South America Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Caminhos do Cinema Português 2018
    Coimbra
    Portugal
    November 24, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Mostra de Cinema Português
    Barreiro, Setúbal
    Portugal
    April 23, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Madeira Fantastic Film Fest
    Funchal, Madeira
    Portugal
    March 12, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Azores Fringe Festival
    Azores
    Portugal
    May 31, 2019
  • Summer Scream Fest
    Marietta, OH
    United States
    July 27, 2019
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Cinema em Portugal
    Online
    Portugal
    May 19, 2020
    Finalist
  • Shortcutz Viseu
    Viseu
    Portugal
    September 4, 2020
    Winner of Edition #151
Director Biography - Paulo Araújo

Paulo Araújo is a portuguese filmmaker. He is also a musician, graphic designer and illustrator.
As an illustrator, he collaborated with leading Portuguese newspapers such as “Diário de Notícias”, “Dinheiro Vivo”, and the magazines “Visão” and “Lux Woman”. He has published in the renowned international digital art magazine “Exotique”.
He directed and produced the short films “Nico” (2013); “The Treasure” (2015); “The Portrait” (2018), winner of Shortcutz Viseu #151 (Portugal, 2020); “Philosophy of a Crime” (2020), Best Film Noir at The Indie For You Film Festival (2020) and Honorable Mention at Gravedigger Dave's Anthology Festival, USA, 2021; and the latest “A Quarter to Eleven” and “Mother” (2021).
He owns the Youtube channel “Artista de Plástico”, about illustration, photography and video tutorials.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The pioneers of horror movies have always fascinated me. Movies such as 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' and 'Nosferatu' are important aesthetic references and are, still today, extremely influent. The french Georges Méliès, known as the cinema magician, is also a great inspiration. Who hasn’t seen 'A Trip To The Moon'? However, Méliès has also made horror movies, where he used all his special effects techniques.

It is from this pot of influences that this short film is born.
The Portrait was made as if we were in the early 20th Century. The technology is obviously digital, but the used process was similar. It is almost a silent movie, the shots are mostly steady and with the camera facing the set, and it is, naturally, a black & white movie.

For a more portuguese touch, the story takes place in Lisbon in the 40's, in a clear analogy with the portuguese movies of the golden era, in which the main character could easily be António Silva or Ribeirinho.