João Rui Guerra da Mata was born in Lourenço Marques, Mozambique. He teached Art Direction at the Lisbon Film School from 2004 to 2011. In 1997 he co-starred in the short PARABÉNS!, directed by João Pedro Rodrigues, that won the Special Jury Mention at the 54th Mostra di Venezia. As an Art Director, he worked in several features and shorts, notably the ones directed by João Pedro Rodrigues, whose films