Edgar Morais
Morais at the 2022 Sophia Awards
Born	Edgar Miguel Diogo de Morais (1989-06-25) 25 June 1989 (age 34) Coimbra, Portugal
Occupation(s)	Actor, Writer, Director
Years active	2003–present

Edgar Morais is an actor and filmmaker. He studied theater in Lisbon, Portugal and was a student of Ivana Chubbuck in LA and Susan Batson in NYC and has worked with globally celebrated filmmakers such as Larry Clark, Victoria Mahoney, Teresa Sutherland, Tiago Guedes and Rodrigo Areias.

Personal life

Morais was born in Portugal, to an antique restorer mother and a contractor father. He was raised in Lisbon and graduated from EPTC, one of Portugal's oldest and most prestigious acting schools. Edgar studied acting with Ivana Chubbuck at her studio in Los Angeles and with Susan Batson in NYC.

Edgar Morais divides his time between the USA and Portugal.

Acting career

Morais made his stage debut in William Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Mirita Casimiro Theater in Lisbon in 2006. He 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 Portuguese Golden Globe winning adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, directed by Luís Miguel Cintra, at the São Luiz Municipal Theater 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 was cast 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 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 Girl's 2018 sequel Marfa Girl 2, directed by Larry Clark.

In 2019, Edgar was one of only 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's Cannes Film Festival official selection); Lovely, Dark and Deep directed by Teresa Sutherland (2023's 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 ^{[3] [4]} as "one of the best performances of the year". The film was Albania's official submission to The Oscars.

Edgar Morais will portray the controversial British artist Simeon Solomon in the upcoming film The Worst Man In London directed by Rodrigo Areias and produced by Paulo Branco which will screen as an official selection in the Big Screen Competition at 2024's International Film Festival Rotterdam. Edward Ashley, Simon Paisley Day, Scott Coffey and Carmen Chaplin round up the cast of the film.

Directing career

Heatstroke starring Leah Pipes, Michael Welch and Paul James Jordan marks Morais' narrative directorial debut. The short film had its world premiere as an official selection at IndieLisboa International Film Festival on May 4th 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 a CinEuphoria Award for "Best Screenplay" and "Top Short Film of the Year" and was subsequently broadcast nationally on RTP.

On June 25th 2021, We Won't Forget, the short film directed by Edgar Morais and Lucas Elliot Eberl, had its world premiere in competition at 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] We Won't Forget was nominated for Best 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.

Filmography