Miguel Gomes

Miguel Gomes (born 1972) is a Portuguese film director, screenwriter and editor. He studied cinema at Lisbon Theatre and Film School. His films include The Face You Deserve, Our Beloved Month of August (2008) and Tabu (2012), Arabian Nights (2015) and Grand Tour (2024). For the last, he won Best Director at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Career Trained at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema, Gomes began his career as a film critic and author of theoretical writings on cinema. His early filmography includes The Face You Deserve (2004) and Our Beloved Month of August (2008).

His 2012 film, Tabu, was selected in the Competition programme at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Alfred Bauer Prize for Artistic Innovation and the FIPRESCI Jury Prize. It also won the Grand Prix for Best Film at the 39th Film Fest Gent.

His 2015 film, Arabian Nights, premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 68th Cannes Film Festival.

In 2024, Gomes was honored with a 'Special Program in Focus' at the 29th Busan International Film Festival, titled Miguel Gomes, a filmmaker of Joyful Melancholy. The program showcased the complete catalog of his eight feature films, from his 2004 debut The Face You Deserve to his latest work, Grand Tour, which won him Best Director at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. He was the first Portuguese director to ever win that award. He also conducted a masterclass, sharing insights into his creative process and cinematic vision.

In June 2025, Gomes was invited to join the Directors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In February 2026, Gomes started shooting Savagery, co-written by Maureen Fazendeiro, Mariana Ricardo and Telmo Churro, it's based on the Brazilian 1902 non-fiction book Os Sertões by Euclides da Cunha. Set shortly after the abolition of slavery in Brazil and the overthrow of the Portuguese monarchy from Brazil, it follows the War of Canudos, a popular revolt started by the impoverished residents of Canudos against the First Brazilian Republic. The project had been postponed several times, due to then-far-right Jair Bolsonaro government in Brazil, COVID-19 and budget difficulties. It stars Grace Passô.

Filmography

Feature films

Short films 1999: Entretanto 2000: Christmas Inventory (Inventário De Natal) 2001: 31 Means Trouble (31) 2002: Kalkitos 2006: Canticle Of All Creatures (Cântico Das Criaturas) 2013: Redemption

Awards and nominations Award Year Category Work Result Berlin International Film Festival 2012 Alfred Bauer Award Tabu FIPRESCI Prize Cahiers du Cinéma 2012 Annual Top 10 Tabu 2015 Arabian Nights Cannes Film Festival 2024 Best Director Grand Tour Chicago International Film Festival 2024 Silver Hugo – Best Director Film Fest Gent 2012 Grand Prix Tabu Gijón International Film Festival 2023 Honorary Award Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2021 Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Direction (shared with Maureen Fazendeiro) Diários de Otsoga Sydney Film Festival 2015 Sydney Film Prize Arabian Nights