We work at the crossroads of cultural heritage and expanded media, crafting audiovisual projects and installations that explore the porous borders between art, technology, and territory. We believe in processes that are site-specific, research-based, and emotionally attuned—proposals that activate memory, reinvent archives, and listen closely to the textures of place.
Founded by a curator-anthropologist and a filmmaker-photographer, Estúdio Crua moves between disciplines, formats, and geographies. Our projects have grown in dialogue and with the support of institutions such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Champalimaud Foundation, Portuguese Directorate-General for the Arts, Portuguese Society of Authors, Regional Directorate of Northern Culture, Lisbon National Museum of Natural History and Science, Portuguese Cultural Heritage Agency, Lisbon City Council, CRIA – Centre for Research in Anthropology of Portugal, the Museum of Image and Sound of São Paulo, and the Roberto Marinho Foundation.
Our works have unfolded across festivals such as BAFICI and Festival Biarritz Amérique Latine, and cultural spaces in Europe and the U.S., through collaborations with the Royal Anthropological Institute (UK), Documentary Educational Resources (USA), Museo Etnográfico de Castilla y León de Zamora (Spain), Museu da Casa Brasileira (São Paulo), Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge), and the American Museum of Natural History (New York), amongst many others.
SELECTED FESTIVALS
XXVI Festival Biarritz Amérique Latine (France, 2017), II Heritales - International Heritage Film Festival (Portugal, 2017), Margaret Mead Film Festival (New York, 2017), XXVII Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival (Brazil, 2017), XXIV PUBLICYSTYKA (Poland, 2017), X Athens Ethnographic Film Festival (Greece), XI Atlantidoc (Uruguay, 2017), XII MiradasDoc (Spain, 2018), VIII Art of Brooklyn Film Festival (USA, 2018), XI Oporto International Short Film Festival (Portugal, 2018), XXII BAFICI – Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente (Argentina, 2021), LXI Krakow Film Festival (Poland, 2021), XVI CINEOP – Mostra de Cinema de Ouro Preto (Brazil, 2021), XVII SANFIC 17 – Santiago International Film Festival (Chile, 2021), XII FESTin (Portugal, 2021), IV Buenos Aires International Documentary Film Festival (Argentina, 2021), XXIX San Diego Latino Film Festival (USA, 2022), VIII Arquivo em Cartaz Festival (Brazil, 2022), XXIV Pierre Verger Prize – Ethnographic Film Festival of the Brazilian Anthropology Association (Brazil, 2022), X Ethnological Documentary Film Festival Kratovo (North Macedonia, 2022), IX Peloponnisos International Documentary Festival (Greece, 2023), XIV Festival International du Film Ethnographique du Québec (Canada, North American Premiere, May 2023).
PARTNERS, SPONSORS & CLIENTS
Rumos Itaú Cultural, Department of Historical Heritage of São Paulo City Hall, Klynt, Eletrobrás Cultural, TV Cultura, Canal Brasil, Quanta Post, SESC-SP, Fundação Roberto Marinho, Museu da Imagem e do Som de São Paulo, Circuito SPCINE, Center for Research in Anthropology (Portugal), São Paulo State Department of Culture and Creative Economy (PROAC and Cultura em Casa Platform), Poiesis, Oficinas Culturais, Cultural Preservation Center of the University of São Paulo, Descoloniza Filmes, Documentary Educational Resources, Museum of the City of São Paulo, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain, Zero em Comportamento (Portugal).
SCREENINGS, TALKS & WORKSHOPS
We have presented our work at:
Itaú Cultural, Museo Etnográfico de Castilla y León de Zamora (Spain), Casa da América Latina (Spain), Museu da Casa Brasileira, Museu da Imigração, Lizières (France), Festival de Fotografia de Tiradentes, Cine Sesc, Harvard Art Museums, Résidence Les Récollets, American Museum of Natural History, University of Coimbra.
We have presented our work at:
Itaú Cultural, Museo Etnográfico de Castilla y León de Zamora (Spain), Casa da América Latina (Spain), Museu da Casa Brasileira, Museu da Imigração, Lizières (France), Festival de Fotografia de Tiradentes, Cine Sesc, Harvard Art Museums, Résidence Les Récollets, American Museum of Natural History, University of Coimbra.
SELECTED AWARDS
— Best Medium-Length Film at Arquivo em Cartaz Festival (2022)
— Best Documentary at In-Edit Brazil Festival (2021)
— Special Jury Prize at Golden Tree International Documentary Film Festival (Frankfurt, Germany, 2018)
— Special Mention for Best Transmedia Documentary Project and Special Mention for Best Anthropological Documentary | V Muestra de Antropología Audiovisual de Madrid (Spain, 2018)
— Best Documentary at Florianópolis Audiovisual Mercosul (2017)
— WSA Mobile Brazil Award, in the Culture & Tourism category – part of the UN’s World Summit on the Information Society (Geneva, 2016)
— Rodrigo Melo Franco de Andrade Award – Brazil’s highest honor for cultural heritage promotion and preservation, granted by IPHAN (2016)
— Best Medium-Length Film at Arquivo em Cartaz Festival (2022)
— Best Documentary at In-Edit Brazil Festival (2021)
— Special Jury Prize at Golden Tree International Documentary Film Festival (Frankfurt, Germany, 2018)
— Special Mention for Best Transmedia Documentary Project and Special Mention for Best Anthropological Documentary | V Muestra de Antropología Audiovisual de Madrid (Spain, 2018)
— Best Documentary at Florianópolis Audiovisual Mercosul (2017)
— WSA Mobile Brazil Award, in the Culture & Tourism category – part of the UN’s World Summit on the Information Society (Geneva, 2016)
— Rodrigo Melo Franco de Andrade Award – Brazil’s highest honor for cultural heritage promotion and preservation, granted by IPHAN (2016)
FOUNDING ARTISTIC & EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Marcia Mansur
With a Master's in Creative Documentary (UAB, Barcelona) and in Communication, Art and Technology (UBA, Brazil), Marina is a director and producer with 15 years of experience in leading cultural and artistic projects. Marina develops documentary projects for multimedia platforms and works as a consultant in audiovisual communication, specializing in digital planning and strategic brand content. Since 2023, she has been working at Doclisboa, currently serving as the Director of Industry and Development. Her films have been showcased at prestigious festivals across France, the USA, Portugal, Spain, and beyond, including the Margaret Mead Film Festival (NY), Festival Biarritz Latin America (FR), BAFICI (AR), and MiradasDoc (ESP).
The directors are members of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE), APORDOC – Portuguese Documentary Association, and MUTIM – Women Workers in Moving Images (Portugal).
Visual anthropologist, cultural strategist, and film producer based in Lisbon. Her work bridges cinema, archives, and cultural heritage through transmedia and documentary practices. She directed Doc’s Kingdom – International Seminar on Documentary Film from 2023 to February 2025, where she helped shape new partnerships and curatorial strategies. Her films have been distributed internationally by Documentary Educational Resources and the Royal Anthropological Institute. She has produced award-winning films and installations, raised substantial support for international cultural initiatives, served on juries such as the Royal Anthropological Film Festival (RAFF), and will be a Visiting Scholar at Instituto Universitário de Lisboa in 2025.
Marina ThoméWith a Master's in Creative Documentary (UAB, Barcelona) and in Communication, Art and Technology (UBA, Brazil), Marina is a director and producer with 15 years of experience in leading cultural and artistic projects. Marina develops documentary projects for multimedia platforms and works as a consultant in audiovisual communication, specializing in digital planning and strategic brand content. Since 2023, she has been working at Doclisboa, currently serving as the Director of Industry and Development. Her films have been showcased at prestigious festivals across France, the USA, Portugal, Spain, and beyond, including the Margaret Mead Film Festival (NY), Festival Biarritz Latin America (FR), BAFICI (AR), and MiradasDoc (ESP).
The directors are members of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE), APORDOC – Portuguese Documentary Association, and MUTIM – Women Workers in Moving Images (Portugal).