Januário Afonso is a filmmaker from São Tomé and Príncipe born in 1963. His first experience in cinema was working with Austrian filmmaker Herbert Brödl on Brödl's movie Little Fruit from the Equator (1998) which was shot in São Tomé. Afonso graduated in documentary film studies in Portugal (2006) and Scotland (2007), and obtained a law degree at São Tomé in 2016. He made feature films and documentaries on current social themes such as AIDS and domestic violence. Afonso collaborated with Angolan film director Orlando Fortunato de Oliveira on Fortunato's drama movie Batepá (2010).
Filmography Afonso's films include: Year Film Genre Role Duration2001 Imprudência, Fogo do Apagar da Vida(translated title: Recklessness, life quenching fire) Drama, tragedy about AIDS Director 75 min.2006 O Vosso Amor, o Meu Sorriso(translated title: Your love, my smile) Drama on domestic violence against women Director 55 min.2007 Os que têm sida são iguais aos que não têm(translated title: Those who have AIDS are the same as those who don't) Six-episode miniseries about AIDS Director 2008 Transportador de sonhos(translated title: Conveyor of dreams) Documentary Director 27 min.2012,2013 O Avesso do Vida (translated title: The wrong side of life) Drama on the social exclusion of elderly people Director 46 min.
Competition In 2015 Afonso won the Unesco Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) Audiovisual competition in the television fiction (FICTV) category with his adaptation project for the story Rosa do Riboque (Riboque Rose) by Santomean writer Albertino Bragança.
References