João Canijo

Director

Born: December 10, 1957 (68 years old)

Died: January 29, 2026

Place of birth: Porto, Portugal

Biography

João Canijo (born 10 December, 1957; Porto) is a Portuguese filmmaker. His film Get a Life was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. His 2011 film Blood of My Blood was selected as the Portuguese entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist. His 2023 film Bad Living won the Silver Bear Jury Prize at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival. Before his directorial debut, Canijo worked as assistant director for Wim Wenders in The State of Things (1982) and for Werner Schroeter in Der Rosenkönig (1986).

Filmography (17)

• Step by Step (1990, ★ 6.3)
• Lisbon Story (1994, ★ 7.1)
• Blood of My Blood (2011, ★ 7.1)
• Lusitanian Illusion (2010, ★ 6.4)
• Tarde Demais (2000, ★ 6.1)
• Get a Life (2001, ★ 7)
• In the Darkness of the Night (2004, ★ 5.7)
• No one Twice (1985, ★ 6)
• In the White City (1983, ★ 6.9)
• Black Shoes (1998, ★ 4.7)
• Living Bad (2023, ★ 5.2)
• Fátima (2017, ★ 5.9)
• Blind Man's Bluff (1994, ★ 6.8)
• The Rose King (1986, ★ 6.4)
• The State of Things (1982, ★ 6.4)
• The Satin Slipper (1986, ★ 7.2)
• The Convent (1995, ★ 5.2)