Helen Grant
Directing
Biography
Helen Grant (born January 22, 2005) is a Portuguese filmmaker and writer. Born in Lisbon, she attended the António Arroio Artistic School during High School, finishing it with a Specialization in Cinema & Video. Currently, she is taking her degree in Cinema at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema. Grant has also written a poetry book called Fantasmas, exploring many themes such as eternity, identity, etc. Helen made her first short film while in her last year of High School, with the Drama film Fatal (2023) where she decided to explore the theme of mortality and grief. She has also collaborated on other academic projects during her degree, such as Paciência (2024) as a Production Manager, Infinito Casulo (2024) as an Assistant Director of Photography, Sangue Fresco da Manada (2024) as a Gaffer, Playground (2024) as an Art Assistant, Desafinadas (2025) as an Art Assistant/Sound Assistant, Retratos no Escuro (2025) as Sound Director and Where Fireflies Sparkle (2025) as Screenwriter.
Known For
An ode to projection in cinema, from the work of the projectionist to the machines that light up the theaters.
Portraits in the Dark
A group of young teenagers gathers in a forest to camp before the school year ends, while something they don't understand seems to be circulating the place.
Where Fireflies Sparkle
Two revolutionaries arrange a clandestine meeting to convince a factory worker to join them on a strike.
Sangue Fresco da Manada
Marta, feeling estranged from Isa, her older sister, tries to get closer, but is devalued. To retaliate and get the attention she needs, she plays the cello intensely, distracting Isa to the point of ruining her photography project.
Desafinadas
In yet another day of her tiring routine, Death takes her burden of being a collector of souls, however something awakens in her essence a new vision of herself and of the people that she encounters on her day-to-day path.
Fatal
An anxious boy, waiting for a friend to play chess with, finds a girl who listens to him and tries to calm him down.