Cucha Carvalheiro - Jury President

Cucha Carvalheiro, was born in Lisbon in 1948 of a Portuguese father and a Mozambican mother. She spent part of her childhood in Angola . She received a BA in Philosophy from Lisbon University , and while still a student became a member of the Theatre Group of the Law School of Lisbon University. As a professional actress, she has been part of several theatre companies and the co-founder of Escola de Mulheres - Oficina de Teatro. She has performed the work of a large variety of playwrights and genres; her performance in Edward Albee's The Goat stands out , and earned her the 2004 Portuguese Golden Globe for Best Theatre Actress. As a director, she most recently supervised the production of Hôtel des deux mondes , by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, at the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, in 2006. Among her cinema and TV roles as an actress, her most notable projects include the series Uma Mulher Livre , by Luís Filpe Costa and Contas do Morto , by Rita Nunes; the film Viúva Rica, Solteira Não Fica by José Fonseca e Costa, and the telenovela Vingança (currently on SIC). She was the artistic director of the production house NBP between 2002 and 2004, and has worked as an actor's coach. She is the author of the book Aventuras e Desventuras de Deuses, Gigantes e Heróis , co-written with Gabriela Morais and published by Edições ASA , and of the play Está aí alguém? , published by Edições Cotovia. She has also led several theatre courses, and participated as an author in the Civitas Foundation project, África, Conhecer, Tolerar , a collection of teaching material for the appreciation of African culture.