Dídio Pestana
Lisbon, 1978.

Filmmaker, Sound Engineer, Sound Designer, Composer, and Mixer.
 Has a degree in Portuguese Language and Culture from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon and a Master's in Sound Studies from the University of Fine Arts in Berlin (UDK).

Studied jazz and classical guitar, piano, and attended numerous workshops and master classes in instrument, composition, recording, and programming, including, among others, the Jazz School of the Hot Club de Portugal. He founded several rock, folk, and experimental bands, such as Lupanar, Desdobrável, Tochapestana, and Shorthand for Distance. Since 2000, he has worked as a composer for theatre, dance, films, radio plays, installations, and video art, having worked, among others, with Jana Matejkova, Mário Gomes, Marta Leite, Reynold Reynolds, Jonas Römming, Antonia Gronau, Maynou & Steele, João Dias Studio, and Pedro André.

He lived in Berlin from 2006 to 2021, where he was a founding member of the Gneisenau64 film project (2008/2009) together with Jan Peuckert and Mário Gomes - a simple idea: make 64-second films, every weekend (on a 64 hours time slot) for 64 weekends in a row, all shot within the boundaries of Gneisenaustr. where all film roles where played by every member.

He co-founded the collective run cultural space Altes Finanzamt (Berlin, 2010-2015 / Berlin Senate Prize for Independent Spaces 2013). Altes Finanzamt was formed by members with different artistic practices, such as photography, music, poetry, performance, and theater. It hosted weekly events, such as readings, parties, exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, performances, dinners, debates and other unique event formats like Philosophical Football and Das Poesiebüro (the poetry office). Altes Finanzamt had a decision-making process, that operated on a consensus basis, despite the varied interest of the members and their objectives. It worked based on non egoic ethics.

As a composer, sound-designer, and sound engineer, he has worked with several filmmakers, namely with Susana de Sousa Dias and Ansgar Schaefer in Journey To The Sun, with Catarina Laranjeiro and Daniel Barroca in Fire in the Mud, with Gonçalo Tocha in Balaou, É na Terra é na Lua, Torres & Cometas, and Filipa César in Regulado, Uma Cabana, Conakry, Cuba, Transmission from the Liberated Zones and Spell Reel.

In 2018, he made his first feature film Sobre Tudo Sobre Nada, which premiered in Locarno, in the competitive section Signs of Life.

Currently, he is working on his second feature film project. A film that tells a story of a change during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s in the Portuguese society, through the accounts and biographies of 12 women, in a story that intersects geographical paths between the former colonies and Portugal, the evolution of women's status and bodily liberation, sports, friendships and the role of African women and returnees in the development of society in Portugal.

CV

2025

  • Additional sound, sound-designer and mixer for the film Infinito Infinito, Na Imaginação Da Matéria by Mariana Caló & Francisco Queimadela.

  • Sound Editor, sound-designer and Music for the film Yrupe by Candela Sotos.

  • Sound Engineer, Sound-designer and Sound Editor for the film Sabura by Falcão Nhaga.

  • Sound Editor, Sound-designer and Mixing for the film A Casa é a Ruína de uma Casa by Inês Sapeta (in prodution).

  • Sound Editor and Sound-designer for the film Pra que vivam by Carlos Lima (in prodution).

2024

  • Sound Editor, Sound-designer and Music for the film Variações sobre como cultivar uma cidade by Mónica Martins Nunes.

  • Sound Designer, Music and Mixing for the video installation Victor Bor (1943(?) - 2023) by Daniel Barroca.

  • Sound Editor and Mixing for the film Aventuras no Império: uma história mal contada by Rui Lopes.

  • Sound Engineer, Sound Designer, Music and Mixing for the documentary Os Pastores do Triângulo Vicentino by Patrícia Leal & Vera Abreu.

2023

  • Sound-engineer for the film Nha Força by Paulo Carneiro (in prodution).

2022

  • Sound Engineer, Sound Designer, Music and Mixing for the film Fogo no Lodo by Catarina Laranjeiro & Daniel Barroca.

2021 - 2026

  • Sound-engineer, sound-designer and Music for the film Mistérios by Gonçalo Tocha (in prodution).

2021

2020

2018 - 2022

  • Sound engineer for the film Homens Sem Coração by Gonçalo Tocha (in development).

2018 - 2021

2018

2017

2016

2015 - 2017

  • Editor of the magazine ÇØÜ, Berlin.

2015

  • Composer, musician and sound technician for Crisis What Crisis by director Jonas Römming.

  • Production of the video art piece The Four Corners of Our Endings (Super 8, 10mk) for the 3D art magazine ÇØÜ.

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010 - 2022

  • Founding member of the duo Whimper & Boycott, soundtracks for routines.

  • Founding member of the Shorthand for Distance duo.

2010 - 2015

  • Founding and active member of the cultural space Altes Finanzamt. Altes Finanzamt won a prize for independent project spaces given by the Berlin Senate in 2013.

2010

2009

, 2008 - 09

  • Founding member, composer, sound-designer, sound engineer and director for the video art project Gneisenau64.

  • Sound engineer for the video art Burn, Run & Hide by Maynou & Steele.

  • Sound-design for the animation Ein Zahn its ein Zahn its ein Zahn by Yasmim Assade.

  • Concert series and recording of Anémona with Francisco Janes.

  • Voice recording for Wake Up a song by Raúl Bastida.

2008

2007

  • Sound designer and composer for the film Balaou by Gonçalo Tocha.

  • Participating musician in the improvised music and dance performances CUE organized by Daniela Lemmahn..

  • Participating in Doc’s Kingdom in the context of the film Balaou by Gonçalo Tocha.

  • Performer for Flukt choreographed by Anne Kathrine Fallmyr at Balhaus Ost.

  • Voice for the radio drama Die zerbrochenen Hände der Engel from Regina Griebel and directed by Úrsula Weck.

  • Sound designer for the video art piece Schmetterling by Marta Leite.

  • Composer and sound designer for As forças do Atlântico numa Couve-Flor a video art piece by Marta Leite.

2007 - 2018

2006

  • Sound engineer, composer and sound-designer for the film Bye, Bye my Blackbird by Gonçalo Tocha at MediWave Festival, Hungary.

  • Composer and sound designer for sculpture/installation Heart Labyrinth by Jana Matejkova, integrated in the LuzBoa Bienal .

  • Musician and composer for the in a Research Improvisation Residency on Music/Dance Relations directed by the choreographer Heidi Wilm, invited by the production of the Alkantara Festival.

  • Musician in IMPRESSÕES: LUZ E SOMBRA integrated in the concert cycle in Museu do Chiado - Der Gelbe Klang - organized by Granular.

  • Musician in IMPROVISÍVEL integrated in the concert cycle A Granular na Trem Azul Jazz Store.

  • Work for Centro de Avaliação Português Língua Estrangeira (CAPLE) at University of Lisbon.

  • Workshop of Sound Recording for Musical Instruments (advanced) with José Fortes.

  • Musician with Francisco Janes in a project dedicated to improvised electronic music.

  • Musician with Chiara Picotto for Do espaço do medo e do amor a project of sonic exploration.

  • Music critic for DIF magazine.

2005

  • Composer, musician, recording and producer together with Carlos Alves Pereira of the album Black Point (author's edition).

  • Composer, in collaboration with Gonçalo Tocha, of the soundtrack for Da Pele à Pedra by Pedro Sena Nunes.

  • Founding member of the experimental music project Desdobrável (colectivo de música improvisada).

  • Composer for the play Preparadise sorry now, from Rainer Werner Fassbinder, staged by Grupo de Teatro de Letras.

  • Founding member of the music and/for comics project Evablasting. Performance with Evablasting at Amadora International Comic Festival.

  • Performance and soundtrack live composition with Desdobrável for video art Crossing by João Fernandes and Balam Bartolomé, part of Arte Nonstop.

  • Participation in the 2nd Artistic Residency in Minas da Panasqueira, Vila Cabeço do Pião – Vo’Arte prodution.

  • Composer of the soundtrack for Projecto... AZ by the choreographer Catarina Assunção.

  • Composer of the soundtrack for Mente Dividida by the choreographer Catarina Assunção.

  • Release of the album Abertura with Lupanar.

  • Year long course of Max/Msp and Jitter at Aula do Risco with the professor André Sier.

  • Masterclass in Composition dark&lightZone, visible and invisible with Marek Choloniewsky, part of Festival Música Viva.

  • Masterclass in Composition Composition Acousmatique with Annette Vande Gorne part of Festival Música Viva.

  • Workshop of Musical Creation for Short-films with Francisco Rebelo.

  • Workshop of Theater, Sound and Movement with Cie L'Éléphant Vert.

  • Composer and musician for Infiltrações, contact improvisation series of workshops conducted by the choreographer Ana Borges.

  • Composer and musician for Interferências, choreographic creation workshops conducted by the choreographer Ana Borges.

  • Organisation and musician for the Exhibition 3.4.1 at Interpress (Lisbon, Portugal) with Desdobrável.

2004 - 2022

2004 - 2005

  • Literary critic for Jornal de Angola.

2004

  • Musician and sound designer for Red House, a performance by Jana Matejkova.

  • Participation in the artist residency and multi-disciplinary project Casa Gorila in Alcobaça, Portugal

  • Participation in the urban artistic squatting project YanGel, improvised music sessions.

  • Participation in the international showcase Arte Non Stop.

  • Soundtrack composer for the play Feuergesicht by Marius von Mayenburg, staged by Grupo de Teatro de Letras.

  • Soundtrack composer for the dance /performance piece Sabes, às vezes é difícil by the choreographer Ana Borges.

  • Workshop of Improvised Music with Carlos Zíngaro and Nuno Rebelo, integrated in NOMAD festival.

  • Participation as musician in two improvised concerts with, amongst others, Carlos Zíngaro and Nuno Rebelo, integrated in NOMAD festival.

  • Musician for two Contact Improvisation workshops by the choreographer Ana Borges.

  • Soundtrack composer and participant for the children's theatre play Panda Pá staged by the Argentinian company Panda Pá.

2003

  • Composer of the soundtrack for Compartimento 12 a collective dance piece by students from Escola Superior de Dança de Lisboa.

  • Musician in the experimental music company DOOLE.

  • Composer of the soundtrack for the short film Uma Mesa Para Dois directed by Nelson Cravo.

  • Participation with Lupanar in the tribute album to Carlos Paredes, Movimentos Perpétuos edited by Universal Music Group.

  • Composer and musician of the soundtrack for the theatre play Água Moura by Utopia Teatro.

  • Soundtrack recreation for Fallen Nuns commissioned by Film and Video Nucleus (Nucivo) of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon.

  • Argument for the comic Yuwen Kai edited by Os Fazedores de Letras, curated by Álvaro Áspera.

  • Attendance of the Classical Guitar Course in Juventude Musical Portuguesa.

  • Jazz Workshop with the Guitarist Mário Delgado at Fonoteca de Lisboa.

  • Image Workshop oriented by Open Space Studio.

2003

  • Completion of the degree in Portuguese Language and Culture (Portuguese as a foreign language) at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Lisbon.

2002 - 2004

  • Private teacher of Portuguese as a Foreign Language.

2002 - 2003

  • Internship as Assistant in Portuguese Language (Foreign Language) in Escola Patricio Prazeres in Lisbon.

2002

  • Participation as musician in the multidisciplinary and residency project dostoprimetchajlnosti, Berlin, Germany.

  • Argument for Recortes, comic edited by Os Fazedores de Letras, curated by Álvaro Áspera.

  • Professional training course Press Workshop at CENJOR (Protocol Training Center for Journalists) with professors Daniel Ricardo, Orlando Raimundo and Óscar Mascarenhas, with a total duration of 120 hours.

  • Collaboration with the newspaper of the Students' Association of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Lisbon, Os Fazedores de Letras, in the launch of the books Queres crescer e depois não cabes na banheira from Miguel Castro Caldas, edited by Âmbar and De uma África a que não posso chamar minha de Conceição Ramos Lopes, edited by Do Impensável.

2001 - 2006

  • Founding member, musician and production of the musical and artistic project Lupanar .

2000 - 2002

  • Coordinator and speaker of the Radio of the Students' Association of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon.

  • Member of Os Fazedores de Letras, newspaper of the Students’ Association of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon.

2000

  • Soundtrack recreation for One Million Years B.C commissioned by Film and Video Nucleus (Nucivo) of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon.

  • Private Classical Piano Lessons with Mercêdes Veiga.

  • Soundtrack for Fragmentos de Lisboa by Gonçalo Tocha.

1999

1998 - 2004

1998 até 2001

  • Member of the music project Malina.

1997 - 1999 / 2004 - 2005

1997

1996

  • Attendance of the Guitar and Music Theory Course at Senofila school of Music.