Studied in Paris, at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) in 1962 and, in the next year, at the London Film School.
Brandos Costumes, his first feature-film, shot between 1972 and 1975 and written together with the writers Luísa Neto Jorge and Nuno Júdice, draws a line between everyday life of a medium bourgeoisie family and the path of the regime of the military coup of the 28 May 1926.
He was one of the founders of Grupo Zero, an organization which had illustrious members such as João César Monteiro, Jorge Silva Melo, Ricardo Costa, Margarida Gil, Solveig Nordlund and the cinematographer Acácio de Almeida.
Gestos e Fragmentos (1982), approaches the relation between the military forces and power in Portugal, based in the experiences of Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, in the point of view of the philosopher and writer Eduardo Lourenço and the American director Robert Kramer.
From 1980 to 2002 he was professor at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School (Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema) and, since 1985, for some years, head of programs of RTP.