Red Desert was founded in 2007 and is primarily dedicated to the production of cinematic documentaries.
Its films have been presented and awarded at various film festivals, many of which are considered priority festivals by the ICA (Portuguese Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual). These include Fidmarseille, Clermont-Ferrand, CPH:DOX, Seville Festival, Doclisboa, Porto Post Doc, Cartagena Festival, Rio Festival, Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival, Indie Lisboa, Curtas Vila do Conde, Guadalajara, Documenta Madrid, Fantasporto, Caminhos do Cinema Português, and the Edinburgh Festival. Red Desert's films have also been broadcast on national and international television networks such as RTP, Canal+, France 3, Canal 180, TvCine, and are available on VOD platforms like Filmin and DocAlliance.
In 2008, Red Desert produced a series of short films for the *Expresso* newspaper (www.expresso.pt), titled "Pobreza no Porto" (Poverty in Porto) and the short documentary "Um dia o Bairro vem Abaixo" (One Day the Neighborhood Will Collapse), about the Roma community of Bacelo, also published in the same media outlet.
In 2009, produced the creative documentary "Os Esquecidos" (The Forgotten), which won the award for Best Film at the Extremadoc International Documentary Film Festival in Cáceres, Spain (2010), in the Transfrontera category. The film was also part of the National Competition at Doclisboa 2009 and Fantasporto 2010, was presented at the Portuguese Parliament, Porto Municipal Assembly, and screened in more than 30 auditoriums, schools, and universities, including the Cineclubes of Silves, Santarém, Amarante, and Porto. In 2013, Canal 180 broadcast the film six times in prime time.
In the same year, Red Desert also produced the documentary "Desencontros" (Misencounters) for the European Anti-Poverty Network, which was featured in the "Panorama do Documentário Português" (Panorama of Portuguese Documentary) and screened in more than 30 schools and auditoriums, premiering at the Portuguese Parliament auditorium.
In 2011, in addition to the documentary series "Solidão" (Loneliness) (7 episodes), published on Expresso online and "Água Fria" (Cold Water), which was shown at Curtas Vila do Conde, DocLisboa, International Competition at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival (FR), Guadalajara International Festival (MX), Shortcutz Porto, Luso-Brazilian Film Festival of Santa Maria da Feira, Panorama of Portuguese Documentary, Belo Horizonte Shorts (BR), 2ANNAS (Latvia), Mecal of Barcelona – Special Jury Mention – (ES), Regard Sur le Court Métrage (Quebec, Canada), Filmets Badalona (ES) – Europe Prize for Best European Short Film, Documenta Madrid - Special Jury Mention (ES), Martil Film Festival – Special Jury Mention (Morocco), Kinoforum (BR), Lille Festival (FR), Euro Shorts (Hungary), L'Alternativa (ES) and Extremadoc (ES), Adana Golden Ball (Turkey), Lupa (Basque Country), Extreme Shorts (KR), Curtdoc (ES), Amateur Film Festival Tunis (TUN), Corto Circuito (ES) and Leiria Film Fest (Best Documentary and Best Director Award). The film was also broadcast on RTP (Onda Curta), Canal Plus France, and Africa, reaching more than 20 countries, as well as Porto Canal and TVCINE HD 2.
In 2012, produced the documentary feature film "Ciganas" (Gypsy Women), for the European Anti-Poverty Network, about Roma women, which was screened in various auditoriums, schools, and conferences across the country.
In the same year, co-produced the 9-episode series "Residências de Design" (Design Residencies), featuring nine designers in various furniture factories in Paredes. The films were broadcast on Canal 180. He also produced eleven documentaries for the Paredes City Council's "Public Art Circuit", featuring artists such as Rui Chafes, Pedro Croft, Fernanda Fragateiro, and Alberto Carneiro, focusing on the construction of their works from start to finish.
In 2014, produced the feature-length documentary "A Raposa da Deserta" (The Deserta's Fox), screened at the Cinantrop Ethnographic Film Festival (Leiria and Lisbon) and which won the award for Best Feature Film at the festival. The film was also aired on RTP.
In 2014, with the support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, produced the documentary short film "Hospedaria" (Inn), which premiered in the National Competition at the Vila do Conde International Film Festival. The film also competed internationally at the Filmets International Short Film Festival (Spain) and Martil Festival (Morocco), where it won the Grand Prize City of Martil for Best Documentary, and at Extremadoc (Spain), where it also won the award for Best Documentary. "Hospedaria" was further featured in the international competition of FIC Lanterna (Mexico), Tabor Festival (Croatia), Prvi kadar Film Festival (Sarajevo, Bosnia) - Best Documentary Award, Camerimage International Film Festival (Poland), Girona International Film Festival (Spain), Panorama of Portuguese Documentary, and Videoteca de Lisboa. The film was also exhibited at the Altes Finanzamt gallery in Berlin and Espaço Mira in Porto.
In 2015, the co-production with Brazil "Love Film Festival" was finished, a fiction feature film that began in 2009 and was shot in countries such as the USA, Brazil, Greece, Colombia, Portugal, and Mexico, starring Manolo Cardona and Leandra Leal. It had its World Premiere at the Rio Festival 2014, was part of the official competition at the Guadalajara Festival (MX), Ventana Sur (AR), Chicago Festival (USA), Latam (USA), Edinburgh (Scotland), among others. That same year, he produced three documentaries for the Center for Social Studies in Coimbra, as part of the "Alice Project", coordinated by Boaventura de Sousa Santos. One of them, titled "Conversas do Mundo" (Conversations of the World), co-produced with the Center for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra and directed by Boaventura de Sousa Santos and Pedro Neves, was selected for the Caminhos do Cinema Português festival and has been screened in various municipal and university auditoriums.
Also in 2014, produced the documentary "Acima das Nossas Possibilidades" (Beyond Our Means), directed by Pedro Neves, which is part of the *Projecto Troika* (www.projectotroika.com). The film had its World Premiere at the first edition of Porto Post Doc and was shown during the "Há Filmes na Baixa" session at the Passos Manuel cinema in Porto. It was later released on DVD.
In 2015, produced several videos about tangible and intangible heritage for the São João da Pesqueira Wine Museum (Honorable Mention for Best National Museum 2015) and a video installation – "Retratos da Cidade Líquida" (Portraits of the Liquid City) – which is part of the permanent exhibition at Casa do Infante, in Porto, alongside works by Albuquerque Mendes, João Onofre, Julião Sarmento, and Pedro Tudela (APOM 2016 Award for Best Multimedia Installation).
In the same year, produced the fiction short *A Vinha* (The Vineyard), a short film by Ricardo Leite, shot in 16mm, starring Ana Bustorff and Maria João Pinho, which began its journey through national and international festivals. He also produced the documentary *Bairrismos* (61’), commissioned by Porto City Council – Domus Social, which was exhibited in August and September at the former Porto Municipal Slaughterhouse and premiered in theaters at Porto Post Doc.
In 2016, Red Desert produced "Home – El pays de la Ilusión", by Josephine Landertinger – a co-production between Colombia and Portugal, was completed, screening in the Official Competition of the prestigious Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival (Colombia) and on RTP2. The film "Le Choix Impossible", by Patrick Séraudie, a co-production between Red Desert (PT) and Pyramide Films (FR), with the support of France 3 and RTP, premiered at the "Filmes do Homem IFF" in Melgaço, in addition to its television broadcasts. Ricardo Leite’s new film "Mãos Cortadas" (Hands Cut), a look at serious refugees on the Serbian-Hungarian border, also a Red Desert production, won the Special Jury Prize at the International Festival of Martil (Morocco) in 2016.
Also in 2016, produced the documentary short "A Praia" (The Beach), featured in the Short Film Corner at Cannes Festival, with its world premiere in the Competition at Doclisboa 2016, also present at MiradasDoc (ES), the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece, and the competition at the São Paulo International Short Film Festival (Brazil). In December 2016, Pedro Neves' documentary "Tarrafal had its World Premiere in the International Competition at Porto Post Doc and its International Premiere at the prestigious CPH DOX in Copenhagen, winning the Best Film Award at the Filmes do Homem International Documentary Film Festival. The film was also in competition at the Seville International Festival and was supported by Porto City Council and RTP.
In 2018, co-produced the feature-length documentary "Bostofrio", by Paulo Carneiro, with its World Premiere at Indie Lisboa 2018, where it won a Special Jury Mention, and its theatrical release in several cities (Porto, Cascais, Setúbal, Lisbon, Faro, Leiria) starting on November 7, 2019, with distribution already secured by RTP. Alongside Curtas-Metragens CRL, he co-produced the short documentary "Náufragos" (Shipwrecked), directed by Pedro Neves, which premiered at the Curtas Vila do Conde 2018 Festival. That same year, he produced "Geni", by Luís Vieira Campos, with its World Premiere at Porto Post Doc 2018, and *Aos meus pais* (To My Parents), by Melanie Pereira (Doc's Kingdom Award for Best Directing at Verdes Anos at Doclisboa).
In 2019, produced the short documentary "Set Hares Running", by Rui Pinheiro, which started its festival circuit, and "A Fábrica" (The Factory), by Pedro Neves (Competition at Curtas Vila do Conde 2019). In 2020, he co-produced the film *A Herança de Aristides* (The Legacy of Aristides), by Patrick Seraudie (with the support of France 3 in a France-Portugal co-production).
In 2022, produced the film "As Maçãs Azuis" (The Blue Apples), by Ricardo Leite (Doclisboa, Porto Post Doc, Caminhos do Cinema Português, Mdoc). In 2023, he produced the short documentary "Sonhos de uma Revolução" (Dreams of a Revolution), which had its world premiere in the International and National Competition at Curtas Vila do Conde and was selected for Caminhos do Cinema Português.
In 2023, produced "Lucefece – where there is no vision, the people will perish", by Ricardo Leite, with its world premiere in the official competition at Doclisboa 2023, winning the award for Best Film in the Spoken Cinema Competition at Porto Post Doc 2023 and selected for Caminhos do Cinema Português. In addition, "As Melusinas à Margem do Rio" (The Melusines at the Edge of the River"on the Riverbank), by Melanie Pereira, had its world premiere in the official competition at Doclisboa, where it won three awards: Best Portuguese Film, Best First Work, and Schools Prize for Best Film of the Festival. It was also selected for Porto Post Doc 2023 and won the award for Best Documentary at Porto Femme 2024. The film was chosen by Doclisboa for the 2024 Docalliance Prize, had its international premiere at Docudays (Kiev), and premiered in France at Fidmarseille 2024.
Also in 2023, produced the film *Time Takes a Cigarette*, by Aya Koretzky, which was the closing film of Post Doc 2023 and had its world premiere at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece. Currently, he is producing the documentary *Os Continuadores da Revolução* (The Followers of the Revolution) (selected for the international Eurodoc program and supported by ICA for Audiovisual Project Development and ICA support for the production of cinematic documentaries), a co-production with JBA Production (France) by Jacques Bidou and Marianne Dumoulin.
Currently, Red Desert is developing several projects: The Followers of the Revolution, by Pedro Neves (developed at Eurodoc 2020, with the support of RTP and ICA and co-produced with JBA Production (France) and Incomati Films (Mozambique); The Land of the Widows of the Living by Melanie Pereira and Paredes de Coura: 30 anos, by Pedro Neves (with the support of ICA Audiovisual development fund).
The Followers of the Revolution, photography by Manuel Roberto.
Pedro Neves
Founder
His filmography includes films like Gazing Out to Sea (2007), En la Barberia (2007) , The Forgotten (2009), Disagreements (2010), Cold Water (2011), The Deserta’s Fox (2013), Inn (2014), Beyond our Means (2015), Localism (2015). In 2016 he directed The Beach and Tarrafal (CPH:DOX, Sevilla IFF, Porto Post Doc). In the same year, he produced Home - El pays de la Ilusion, de Josephine Landertinger, premiered in festival Internacional de Cartagena. In 2018 he produced Bostofrio, directed by Paulo Carneiro, premiered in Indie Lisboa and awarded with a Special Mention of the Jury, and directed and co-produced Shipwrecked (premiere in Curtas Vila do Conde), In 2019, he prodded and directed The Factory, world premiere in Curtas Vila do Conde. In 2020 he graduated as an Eurodoc Alumni, with the project The Followers of the Revolution.
Pedro Neves was born in Leiria in 1977. He studied in Porto, post graduated at Faculdade de Letras, Porto University, writing a dissertation for his Master’s degree on Documentary during the April’s Revolution in Portugal. He has been a documentary filmmaker since 2006. In 2008 he founded the production company Red Desert Films.
His documentaries were presented in more than 40 festivals around the world, including CPH:DOX, Clermont-Ferrand, Guadalajara, Doclisboa, Porto Post Doc, Documenta Madrid, Curtas Vila do Conde, Curtas de São Paulo, Mecal, Extremadoc, Adana, L’Alternativa, Regard, Curtas Belo Horizonte, among others. His films have been exhibited in RTP, Canal Plus France and Afrique.