claudiatomaz.com

resume

Claudia starts making FILMS in 1995. She directed 2 full-length features [NIGHTS won ‘The critic’s week award’ in 2000 at the Venice Film Festival, and US was awarded in Locarno]. Claudia also directed shorts, documentaries and experimental films. Her films were shown internationally in film festivals and her feature films were screened in cinemas and TV. Claudia collaborated with film directors, actors, producers, film crews, musicians, dancers, djs and other artists.

Having an extensive experience in professional film (as a director, camera-woman, editor, scriptwriter, director's assistant and producer) Claudia started to work mainly on digital after 2004. She has been exploring independent low budget methods of film making with the aim of creating a holistic, organic and quotidian art. Claudia explores the limits between documentary and narrative blending genres and arts. To explore those areas she founded HOLON film LAB in 2006 which is an umbrella to produce low budget films / projects and for collaborations, research and creative education.

In 2009 Claudia set up MICRO FILMS web tv to show her films online. She has been showing shorts and excerpts / scenes / remixes of her features. Currently in showcase at the web tv is LONDON GROUND - a web series of short films about / with independent artists in London 2010 which is being funded using online platforms based on DIWO (do-it-with-others).

education

Claudia graduated in Communication and Film in 1995 in Lisbon, Portugal. Since then she has been doing professional courses such as Script&Pitch Workshops - European advanced script-writing course, supported by MEDIA Plus Program (2005), Media Arts studies as an informal student during the period of artist-in-residence at Temple University, Philadelphia, USA (2006), Interdisciplinary and Technological Performance Arts Course at Gulbenkian Creativity and Artistic Creation Programme (in Lisbon with tutors from Brooklyn College, NY, 2008). Claudia received grants from Calouste Gulbenkian and FLAD. She also won several awards in film festival for their films.

HIGHLIGHTS of past work

After finish college in 1995, Claudia immediately starts to work on film when film director Paulo Rocha (a pioneer of the portuguese nouvelle vague of the 60's) saw her film school Memory, a remake of a sequence of his film Verdes Anos.

Cláudia works with Paulo Rocha for about 4 years as a creative assistant, scriptwriter, editor and director’s assistant. Paulo Rocha invites her to be part of a visionary program with Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation which resulted in a series of low-budget films; Clear Eyes and Detour were produced in that context. She co-scripted with director Paulo Rocha his film O Rio do Ouro (River of gold), was director of photography on Camões - Tanta guerra, tanto engano, another Paulo Rocha's film. Cláudia also worked as a director’s assistant with Portuguese directors Pedro Costa (The room of Vanda) and José Alvaro Morais (Peixe-Lua).

It was with her film Detour, in 1998, that she started to get attention from festivals and the film community. Her first film festival was the 16º Torino film festival - Cinema Giovanni, then she won the YOUNG CREATORS AWARD (Clube de Artes e Ideias), and in 1999 the BIG AWARD OF THE JURY at VideoLisboa Film Festival.

Her radical first feature film Nights won ‘THE CRITIC'S WEEK AWARD' at the VENICE Film Festival in 2000. Acclaimed by the critic the film had immediate release in portuguese cinemas (producer / distributor Paulo Branco), it was sold in Italy and cable TV. The film was shown internationally in film festivals. In Gijon Film Festival (Spain) the film was nominated for Best film. A VHS edition was in the stores the same year. Claudia starts the script for a new film and they get financial support from ICA (institute of cinema and audiovisual).

In 2003 Claudia finishes her second feature film Us, with good support by the critic, it is shown internationally in film festivals and screened on cinemas and on TV. It won the Boccalino Award in Locarno Film Festival (an independent award by critic's association).

Between 2004 and 2007 Claudia wrote a monthly article called Cinema Atelier for Premiere Magazine Portuguese edition about digital film and interactive arts, where she explored different techniques and creative processes from the point of view of who makes films. A book including the articles will be published soon.

Claudia also teaches intensive WORKSHOPS since 2004. Her approach is to stimulate students to find their own perspective through film / visual expression using low budget methods, digital video and new media technologies. More recently Claudia has been teaching film to children, youth and workshops for artists (Uk, 207-2010)

In 2005 Claudia - with her new feature script Mobile - was one of the 16th projects selected for Script&Pitch Workshops - European advanced script-writing course, supported by MEDIA Plus Program which happened over 8 months with intensive workshops located in 3 different countries (Italy, Finland and France).

Through an invitation from her scriptwriter teacher Jeff Rush (author of the book 'Alternative Script writing' ), she moved to Philadelphia, USA, to develop her script. She gets a grant by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation / FLAD and Claudia stays as an artist in residence at Temple University for 14 months; There she also studies Media Arts and starts working on several low-budget films such as Ballad of Technological Dependency and Subliminal – meditative video pieces (films for installation); her creative blog Mobile Narratives resulted in a self-published book and it is available to buy online. Claudia starts to be interested in the connections between film, media arts, interactivity and site-specific. Since then Claudia tunes her attention into quotidian art.

In 2007 she returns to Lisbon to show her recent work and makes her first installation ‘Changes’ in Casa dos Dias da Agua. She is commissioned by Festival Pedras d'Agua to make a site-specific project: Trajectos a psycho-active-geographic documentary made on the streets and online where personal walks mix with street actions. 'Walking with flowers' and 'Improving the bus stop' were 2 of the most successful street Actions of the project.

In 2007 she moves to London where she has been working as a freelancer (filmmaking, editor, camera). As a freelancer Claudia works for Sustainable Energy Academy making videos for a campaign in green architecture; she edits feature documentary Changing the world on vacations by german director Daniela Kon about a NGO/social venture organization operating in Cambodia; she works with Nick Diezel in Fairtunes, a charity project providing music studios for people in impoverished communities; Claudia also made videos for dance artist Jiska Morgenthal and choreographer Pedro Pires for his project Edge. Claudia collaborates (as filmmaker) with Caroline Mueller in her piece Frau an interdisciplinary performance that integrates movement, live cameras and video screens on stage.

In 2008 she re-visits Lisbon to attend a 10 week course in Interactive Performance - the Interdisciplinary and Technological Performance Arts Course at Gulbenkian Foundation, Creativity and Artistic Creation Program, with tutors from Brooklyn College, NYC.

Also in 2008 Claudia and musician/dj Kevin Walsh founded THE TIME TRAVELLERS, a duet project for live shows and installation, exploring soundscapes and live cinema. Unfortunately Kevin passed away in December 2008 and they didn't make it live. Anyway the relationship and projects with Kevin made great impact on her life and work.

Recent film projects in 2009 include: Timeless land | One love | The time travelers meet The light surgeons | Travelogue. Claudia is preparing new workshops and live performance/ installation Transient Forms

MICRO FILMS web tv is a screening room to show claudia's films: so far it's showing old and new films (1995-2010) in a short format. Her current project in 2010 is LONDON GROUND a web series of short films about independent artists in London.