Cleo Diára win best actress in the section A Certain Look in Cannes
Diára didn’t shy away from commenting the outcome of the recent elections in Portugal.
Cape Verdean-born, Portuguese actress Cleo Diára has won the Best Actress award in the Un Certain Regard section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, marking a historic first for a Portuguese production.
Her role in “O Riso e a Faca” (“The Laughter and the Knife”), directed by Pedro Pinho, not only earned her international acclaim but also became a milestone for Portuguese cinema.
Born in Praia, Cabo Verde, and raised in Lisbon from the age of 10, Diára, now 37, used her acceptance and subsequent interviews to address the growing anti-immigrant sentiment in Portugal.
Speaking to Portuguese media, she declared, “I want it to be absolutely clear that I am an immigrant. And I want every Black girl and woman from the outskirts to remember: utopia is the last stage before reality becomes possible.”
Her win arrives just days after Portugal’s legislative elections, which saw the far-right Chega party secure over 22% of the vote.
Diára didn’t shy away from the political context: “I’ve lived almost my whole life in Portugal, and suddenly it feels like immigrants are being blamed for everything. Where does this fear come from?”
The film O Riso e a Faca follows Sérgio, a Portuguese environmental engineer working in Guinea-Bissau, who becomes entangled in a fraught relationship with locals Diára (played by Cleo Diára) and Gui (Jonathan Guilherme).
The story explores neocolonial dynamics and cultural disconnects, themes that resonate deeply in today’s political climate.
The award-winning film is a co-production between Portugal, Brazil, France, and Romania. This marks Pedro Pinho’s fifth major festival entry, following acclaimed titles such as “Fábrica de Nada”, also previously screened at Cannes.
Diára’s performance was lauded for its emotional intensity and complexity, earning the spotlight in a competitive selection of 20 international films known for cinematic innovation.
Still processing the recognition, Diára told Público from Cannes: “I’m in shock. It’s overwhelming. I’m only now beginning to realize what this means.”
Beyond her acting, she is also launching her career as a filmmaker, with a short film in development and a series greenlit by Portugal’s Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual.
Active in both film and theatre, Diára is also co-founder of Aurora Negra, a collective amplifying Black narratives on stage.
The group’s projects, including Cosmos and A Missão da Missão, are part of an effort to reshape Portugal’s cultural landscape.
She shares her Cannes victory with the cast and crew of O Riso e a Faca, praising their collaborative spirit.
“With Pedro [Pinho], we build scenes together. There’s no blame, only collective creativity. That gave me the freedom to explore without pressure to prove myself.”
She also credits director Pedro Cabeleira, who introduced her to cinema with Verão Danado (2017), and whose new film Entroncamento also screened at Cannes this year.
In her acceptance and interviews, Diára expressed deep gratitude to the artists and mentors who paved the way: “I’m here because many opened doors for me. To the girls and boys, Black and otherwise, who will come after us: we need your courage, your innocence, your dreams.”
She concluded with a call to action, especially as public support for the arts in Portugal faces uncertainty: “Telling stories, diverse, daring stories, is resistance. We must protect the freedom to experiment, to fail, and to dream.”
The Un Certain Regard Grand Prize went to Chilean film “La Misteriosa Mirada del Flamenco” by Diego Céspedes.
The Best Director award went to Palestinian twin filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser for “Once Upon a Time in Gaza,” co-produced by Portugal’s Ukbar Filmes.
The Cannes Film Festival closed with the Palme d’Or awarded to “It Was Just an Accident: by dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi.