Draft:Hugo de Almeida

Hugo de Almeida ( Santa Maria da Feira, April 27, 1980) is a Portuguese director and producer. Among his most recent projects are the documentaries UBI: A Path to Freedom about the possible implementation of an Unconditional Basic Income in Portugal and Continuity, which portrays the experience lived by the band Hercules and Love Affair during the production of their fifth album. Carne: The Unsustainable Footprint, the first portuguese documentary about the ecological footprint of meat, won the award for the best documentary at the Frankfurt Indie Stars Film Festival 2024.

Early life
Hugo de Almeida was born on April 27, 1980, in Santa Maria da Feira. He started composing and performing on stage with the garage band Neptune Falls at the age of 14. In 2001, he released his EP titled "Free to Rise"..

During his time at university studying Public and Local Administration Management, producing documentaries served as both an escape from a course that didn't ignite his passion and a way to reconnect with his creative side.

In 2006, Hugo de Almeida directed the film "Academia de Submissos" (Academy of Submissives), a documentary that delved into the realm of academic hazing rituals over a period of two months.

To expand his knowledge in the audiovisual field, Hugo de Almeida actively engaged in two courses offered by the Observatório da Imprensa (Press Observatory) and pursued a master's degree in Education and Multimedia Communication.

Hugo de Almeida directed the mini-documentary "Os Templários em Almourol" (The Templars in Almourol), which garnered recognition from the multinational company Divx Inc. as one of the most notable works within the video community.

Career
In 2007, Hugo de Almeida became the first machinima director in Second Life in Portugal. In 2008, he directed and produced the first Portuguese television program that used machinima techniques and was entirely filmed in Second Life. His production "Beyond Magic" received the award for Best Film of 2008 made in Second Life at the Rezzable Machinima Festival. In the same year, the short film "The Labyrinth " was nominated for Best Digital Short Film of the Year at the Festroia International Film Festival.

In 2021, Hugo de Almeida directed the documentary series "UBI: A Path to Freedom" produced by the Member of the European Parliament, Francisco Guerreiro. The series explores the implementation of an Unconditional Basic Income in Portugal and features the participation of over 50 national and international figures

In 2022, Hugo de Almeida directed a short documentary titled "Continuity" The film offers an intimate glimpse into the world of the band Hercules and Love Affair as they spend a week in Ponta do Sol. "Continuity" focuses on the band's creative process during the development of their fifth studio album, "In Amber."

In 2023, Hugo de Almeida directed the documentary Carne: The Unsustainable Footprint produced by Member of the European Parliament Francisco Guerreiro. It is the first Portuguese documentary about the ecological footprint of meat and features testimonies from over 20 experts. The filming took place not only in Portugal but also in Lebanon, the United Kingdom, France and Belgium    Various events were organized across the country for the screening of the documentary, particularly in schools.

Almeida said in an interview with magazine Spend In in March 2024 that "people are coming together not only to watch the documentary but also to discuss the topic. This is where the closeness of both the director and the producer to the audience becomes important".

In an interview with Renascença, Hugo de Almeida recognized the artistic interest in portraying an "ultracomplex" subject; however, he recognized that, within the film's 75 minutes, many topics were still left out. In an interview with SAPO, the director admitted that "it's never easy to make social documentaries and approach divisive topics in society."

Carne: The Unsustainable Footprint earned Almeida many accolades, including nominations for Best Portuguese Film at the Fantasporto 2024 International Festival and for Italia Green Film Festival. It also won the award for the best documentary at the Frankfurt Indie Stars Film Festival 2024. The documentary was well received by critics who labelled Almeida an emerging name in documentary cinema. Hugo de Almeida credited Michael Moore as his major influence.