Laura Carreira

(She/Her)

Laura’s breakthrough project is the feature film On Falling.

There must be something in the water in Portugal with the Porto-born Laura all set to join the country’s potent filmmaking talent list, from relative newcomers Catarina Mourão and João Rosas to such legends as Pedro Costa and Manoel de Oliveira. Her breakthrough feature, On Falling (2024), is a stunning, contemplative social realist work, encompassing such themes as exploitation, isolation, and the loss of human connection in, all experienced through the life of a picker at an Amazon-style fulfilment centre.

Laura’s debut film’s layered exploration of how work impacts mental health has deeper meaning for the writer-director, who experienced her own crisis of direction when trying to balance working life with studying film at Edinburgh University. It was that conflict that informed her decision to make films about work and working, starting with On Falling, which won two BAFTA Scotland awards, and carrying over into her next film, which she is currently busy writing.

In their own words…

“I think BAFTA Breakthrough is going to be really good for my next project. People say it’s hard making your first feature, but I think it’s even harder to make your second. I feel like I’m going to need all the help I can get. Even when you break into the industry, it’s not easy to stay in it if you don’t have a passive income. When you look at the statistics, how many women get to direct their second, third or fourth film? I am very aware that I still need to work hard to continue to make films, because it really is my passion.”