João Pedro Rodrigues interrupted his studies in ornithology to attend the ESTC Film School in Lisbon, where he earned a degree in 1989 before going on to work as an assistant director and film editor. In 1997, his short film Happy Birthday! received a Special Mention from the Jury at the Venice Festival. He returned to the Mostra in 2000 to present in competition Phantom, his much-remarked debut feature film about desire and sexuality. In 2005, the Directors’ Fortnight screened Two Drifters. With To Die Like a Man, selected at the Festival de Cannes in 2009 (Un Certain Regard), Rodrigues confirmed his position as one of the most talented directors of his generation. He has just co-directed with João Rui Guerra da Mata the short documentary Alvorada Vermelha.