Frequently described as “the best-kept secret of British cinema”, Joanna Hogg premiered her first feature-length film at the age of 47, after two decades directing for television.

Full of keen observation, her work brings together narratives that, while fictional, take place in a realistic world close to the director herself: the upper middle class and the personal stories of its women. Hogg crafts her films pointing the lens firmly at her own memories. Tensions among families and couples, the dynamics of shared domestic life, and the endeavour of artistic work are all themes that permeate her filmography.

Her visual style, favouring long panoramic takes filmed calmly and carefully, is the fruit of her early artistic work in painting and photography. She applies the same delicate touch to the framing of her characters, allowing them the space to succeed and fail without judgement.

It was the autobiographical The Souvenir (2019), an epic drama about the personal and creative growth of a film student, that saw Hogg finally gain legendary status. This retrospective at Batalha, the director’s first in Portugal, follows her career from her first short film through to her most recent feature.

Full programme announced in March