Joana Caiano (Lisbon, 2000) is a young Portuguese director. Since completing her studies at Arts University Bournemouth in 2022, she has worked in narrative, documentary, commercials and music videos between Lisbon and London. 

Her first short film, 42, was selected and awarded at festivals such as the Quito International Film Festival, Four River Film Festival and Porto Femme. Her most recent short film Lives at Steak, written by the award-winning Julia Grogan, will soon begin its festival run. Joana's feature documentary A Cabeça não é um Sítio Seguro, produced by Sopro Filmes with funding from the Portuguese Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual and Rádio e Televisão de Portugal is currently in post-production.

Joana believes uncomfortability reveals a somewhat raw and deeply human side to someone, and there’s just something funny in seeing that unfold.

With an inexorable passion for comedy, Joana loves playing with different characters' traits and placing them in uncomfortable situations. She is interested in exploring social, economic or political dilemmas in her films.

Awards:
Festival International de Cine de Quito; NAHEMI Extraordinary Times - Canon Competition; Sunderland Shorts Film Festival; Four River Film Festival; Zoom.13 Festival; Ufa Youth Short Film Festival; The BeBop Channel Dance and Theatre Film Festival; GaztefilmFest; NanoCon International Film Festival; Script Shop; Under the Radar.