Aoaní (1984) is an actress, playwright, screenwriter, director, producer and journalist. Born in São Tomé and Príncipe, she is based in Lisbon. She holds a degree in Social Communication and Journalism from FANOR, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, a Master’s degree in Theatre – Performing Arts from the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema – IPL, in Lisbon, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Film Studies at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra.

She lived in Angola, where she worked in the media and communications field for almost a decade and published the book *Miopia Crónica* with Chá de Caxinde in 2012. Since 2017, she has worked as an actress in theatre, film and audiovisual projects, collaborating with artists including Zia Soares, Xie Xiaodong and Jeremy Meier. Her work has been presented in Portugal, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Australia, São Tomé and Príncipe, the United States, Guinea-Bissau, Argentina, Romania and China.

In 2023, she co-directed the video performance *Kabeça* with Joyce Souza, a short film that received awards at several festivals. That same year, also in collaboration with Joyce Souza, she was one of the recipients of the 4th edition of the O Espaço do Tempo, BPI and Fundação “la Caixa” Creation Grants, with *Kabeça – Ori*, a project funded by the Portuguese Republic – Culture | DGARTES – Directorate-General for the Arts.

In 2026, she produced and directed the short documentary *Abismo*, selected for the Kafuka African Film Festival, as well as a proof of concept for a series currently in development. She was selected for the EFM Market Badge Inclusion Initiative to attend the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival – Berlinale, with the support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Also in 2026, she is working with Keli Freitas as assistant director on the pro