| Birth Name: | Edgar Miguel Diogo de Morais |
| Birth Date: | 25 June 1989 |
| Birth Place: | Coimbra, Portugal |
| Occupation: | Actor, writer, director |
| Yearsactive: | 2003–present |
Edgar Morais (born 25 June 1989) is a Portuguese actor, film director, screenwriter, and film editor. He has received a number of accolades and worked with filmmakers such as Larry Clark, Victoria Mahoney, Teresa Sutherland, Craig Viveiros and Tiago Guedes.
Morais was born in Portugal, to an antique restorer mother and a contractor father. He graduated in acting from Portugal's EPTC. Edgar was also a student of Ivana Chubbuck in LA and Susan Batson in NYC. He divides his time between the USA and Portugal.
Morais made his stage debut in William Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Mirita Casimiro Theater in Lisbon in 2006. He then appeared in many theater productions including Moliere's A Rehearsal at Versailles, Brian Friel's Lovers, Jean Genet's Deathwatch, Arnold Wesker's The Kitchen and in the Golden Globes (Portugal) winning adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, directed by Luís Miguel Cintra, at the Teatro São Luiz in Lisbon.
In 2007, while still in theater school, Morais made his acting film debut in From Now On (winner of the Audience Award at Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival), directed by Locarno Film Festival alumna Catarina Ruivo.
Edgar appeared in the NBC series CTRL, directed by Robert Kirbyson, in Q'orianka Kilcher's (Terrence Malick's The New World) directional debut short-film, Saudade, in Chasing Eagle Rock directed by Erick Avari, alongside Beth Behrs and Michael Welch, in The Monogamy Experiment directed by Amy Rider alongside Shailene Woodley and in Oh Gallow Lay directed by Julian Wayser which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2015 in the Horizons section. Morais can also be seen in Rome Film Festival Best Picture Winner Marfa Girls 2018 sequel Marfa Girl 2, directed by Larry Clark.
In 2019, Edgar was one of 10 actors selected to take part in "Passaporte", an initiative created by the Portuguese Academy of Cinema (Academia Portuguesa de Cinema) to present and promote Portuguese cinema talents to influential international casting directors.[1]
Edgar Morais can also be seen in Restos do Vento (Remains of the Wind) directed by Tiago Guedes (2022 Cannes Film Festival official selection); Lovely, Dark and Deep directed by Teresa Sutherland (2023 Fantasia Film Festival), in the forthcoming film Chalk directed by Victoria Mahoney alongside Shiloh Fernandez and Mirrah Folks and in A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On directed by Gentian Koçi.
A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On had its world premiere in competition at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and has screened at many festivals worldwide including 2023's Gothenburg Film Festival and Thessaloniki Film Festival where it won the Fischer Audience Award.
Edgar Morais was awarded with the Best Actor Award[2] at the Prishtina International Film Festival for his performance in A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On where he plays the deaf-mute Gezim and has been lauded by the international press including Variety (magazine) and Screen International[3] [4] as "one of the best performances of the year". The film was Albania's official submission to The Oscars.
Edgar portrayed the controversial British artist Simeon Solomon in 2024's The Worst Man In London directed by Rodrigo Areias and produced by Paulo Branco which screened as an official selection in the Big Screen Competition at 2024 International Film Festival Rotterdam with a cast that also includes Albano Jerónimo, Edward Ashley, Simon Paisley Day, Scott Coffey and Carmen Chaplin.
In March 2024 he starred in Craig Viveiros' stage adaptation of Lulu Raczka's play Nothing at ZDB Marvila alongside Samuel Adewunmi.
After directing multiple music videos for bands such as Grammy Awards nominated Shiny Toy Guns and MOTHXR, 2019's Heatstroke starring Leah Pipes, Michael Welch and Paul James Jordan marked Morais' narrative directorial debut. The short film had its world premiere as an official selection at IndieLisboa International Film Festival on May 4, 2019, where it competed for the Short Film Grand Prize.[5] Heatstroke went on to screen in competition at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Beverly Hills Film Festival, FEST New Directors New Films Festival and Method Fest Independent Film Festival among others. The film won CinEuphoria Awards for "Best Screenplay" and "Top Short Film of the Year" and was subsequently broadcast nationally on RTP.
On June 25, 2021, We Won't Forget, the short film directed by Edgar Morais and Lucas Elliot Eberl, had its world premiere in competition at the Academy Awards qualifying Palm Springs International ShortFest.[6] The film was co-written by the directors and Whitney Able, who stars in the film as a woman whose frustrations boil to the surface while hosting a party for her friends, culminating in a public freakout that turns into collective hysteria. Edgar Morais also stars in the film alongside John Patrick Amedori, Paul James, Davida Williams and Caitlyn Folley, among others. The film screened in competition at the Hamptons International Film Festival,[7] Tirana International Film Festival,[8] Woodstock Film Festival, Rooftop Films[9] and IndieLisboa International Film Festival, among many others and was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick[10] and Short of the Week[11]
We Won't Forget won the Grand Jury Prize, as well as the award for Best Editing at Castrovillari Film Festival and the Jury's Honorable Mention at FEST New Directors New Films Festival.[12] and was nominated for Best Fiction Short Film at the 2022 Sophia Awards (Portuguese Academy Award).
Edgar is currently in production on his feature film directorial debut, the USA/Portugal production You Above All, which he also wrote and stars in, co-directing with Lucas Elliot Eberl.
| Year | Title | Director/s | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | From Now On | Catarina Ruivo | Winner of the Audience Award at Rio de Janeiro Film Festival |
| 2008 | Coach Shane | Drew Renaud | |
| 2009 | CTRL | Robert Kirbyson | |
| 2010 | Greece | Sarah Deakins | |
| Saudade | |||
| Miss Nothing (music video) | Meiert Avis | Single - The Pretty Reckless | |
| 2011 | Chasing Eagle Rock | Erick Avari | |
| You Are The Blood | Rafael Morais | ||
| 2012 | |||
| 2015 | The Monogamy Experiment | Amy Rider | |
| Oh Gallow Lay | Julian Wayser | Venice Film Festival Horizons section 2015 | |
| 2018 | Marfa Girl 2 | Larry Clark | |
| You See the Moon | Miguel Nunes | (Next:Wave) 2019, IndieLisboa International Film Festival 2018 (in competition - Short Film Grand Prize) 2018 | |
| 2019 | Heatstroke | Edgar Morais | IndieLisboa International Film Festival 2019 (in competition - Short Film Grand Prize), FEST New Directors New Films Festival 2019 (in competition - Portuguese Grand Prix), Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Beverly Hills Film Festival, Method Fest Independent Film Festival. Nominated for 5 CinEuphoria Awards, winner for "Best Screenplay" and "Top Short Film of the Year" |
| 2021 | We Won't Forget | Palm Springs International ShortFest, Hamptons International Film Festival, Tirana International Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Rooftop Films, Mammoth Lakes Film Festival, Shnit Worldwide, Bushwick Film Festival, Caminhos do Cinema Português, Castrovillari Film Festival (Grand Jury Prize winner, Best Editing winner), FEST New Directors New Films Festival (Jury's Honorable Mention), Sophia Awards (nominated, Best Short Film). | |
| 2022 | Restos | Cannes Film Festival Official Selection | |
| A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On | World premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Official Competition on November 21, 2022; Gothenburg Film Festival selection; Fischer Audience Award winner at 2023's Thessaloniki Film Festival. Best Actor Award winner (Edgar Morais) at 2023's Prishtina International Film Festival. | ||
| 2023 | Lovely, Dark and Depp | Teresa Sutherland | World Premiere in competition at Fantasia Film Festival.[13] |
| 2024 | The Worst Man In London | World premiere in the Big Screen Competition at International Film Festival Rotterdam. | |
| Chalk | Filming | ||
| 2025 | You Above All | Edgar Morais, Lucas Elliot Eberl | Post-Production |