Rita Duque is a Portuguese actress, screenwriter, and photographer. She was born and raised in Porto, where she trained acting at ACE School of Arts, later graduating from the Institute of the Arts Barcelona.
In 2020, as an object of study for her final university thesis on narratives through images, she developed her first photo essay entitled "My Life with Rose". A year later, the project won 1st prize for Best Digital Diaporama at the 41st Autumn in Voronet International Film Festival in Romania.
In the same year, her experimental short film "Rouge", developed during the pandemic, won Best Indie Short at the Europe Film Festival UK, and Best Foreign Documentary Short at the Hollywood Women's International Film Festival in Los Angeles.
In 2022, she developed two partially biographical photo essays. The first, "Estado Próprio", was shot in Barcelona with Bulgarian actor and stuntman Hristo Bonev, and revolved around the performer's relationship with an abandoned space. The second one, "In Love with a Nymph", featured Portuguese actress Patrícia Garcez, and derived from the actress’s relationship with her own body and personal objects in a vacant space.
In the same year, Rita was member of the jury chaired by Céline Sciamma at the Venice Biennale in the Giornate degli Autori section, while being an ambassador for Cinema Trindade and the Lux Audience Award.
In 2023, she wrote the script and played the lead role for "Rubrum", directed by Pedro Nogueira as part of the 48h Film Project Lisbon, which earned her a nomination for Best Leading Performance.
Early this year, she made her acting debut at the Cinemateca Portuguesa with "Adeus, Lisboa". The short film was written and directed by Joana Pacheco and relates the issues of housing through the experience of Joana, played by Rita Duque, who says goodbye to a Lisbon that refuses to give her a place to live.
Recently, “Picture Break” written by Rita Duque and directed by Pedro Nogueira for the 2024 edition of the 48h Film Project Lisbon, earned her the awards for Best Leading Performance and Best Screenplay. The film will have its official premiere at Fantasporto Festival 2025.
The short film “Fim da Linha” by Bárbara Pedrosa, starring Rita Duque and João Mendes, recently received an Honorary Mention at the New Talents FNAC Awards 2024, and expects to enter the film festival circuit soon.