‘Duarte & C.ª’, the 1980s crime comedy shown on RTP, remains one of the most celebrated projects by Rogério Ceitil, who played a pivotal role in its production, direction, and editing. Rogério Ceitil’s professional debut, however, dates back to the early 1970s.
Born in 1937 in Vila Franca de Xira, Ceitil initially made a mark in amateur cinema as part of the Cineclube Vilafranquense. His professional career began in 1971 with ‘Grande Grande Era a Cidade’, which he co-directed with Lauro António, although it faced censorship, as stated by the Memoriale do Cinema Português portal, managed by film critic Jorge Leitão Ramos.
Prior to the 1974 revolution, Ceitil joined the Centro Português de Cinema cooperative, through which he directed ‘Cartas na Mesa’ (1975) and ‘Antes do Adeus’ (1977).
Ceitil’s collaboration with RTP extended over several decades, where he directed and edited ‘Cantigamente n.º 4’, featuring text by Alexandre O’Neill and appearances by prominent figures such as Amália Rodrigues, Max, and Fernando Lopes-Graça.
In 1979, he created the television series ‘Zé Gato’, written by Dinis Machado and João Miguel Paulino, starring Orlando Costa as a fearless crime-fighting police officer.
Six years later, with João Miguel Paulino’s script, Ceitil delivered the series ‘Duarte & C.ª’, starring Rui Mendes, António Assunção, and Paula Mora. Broadcasted between 1985 and 1989, it was dubbed by RTP as ‘one of the great successes of Portuguese television’.
Beyond this, Ceitil ran an audiovisual production company and developed several children-targeted programs for RTP, including ‘O Bando dos Quatro’ and ‘O Beijo de Judas’.
In the 1990s, Ceitil also produced the documentary ‘Lissabon/Wuppertal/Lisboa’, directed by Fernando Lopes, which explored Pina Bausch’s performance ‘Masurca Fogo’.
