The Porta dos Fundos Festival is returning to Portugal from December 13 to 18, featuring Gregório Duvivier, Fábio Porchat, and João Vicente de Castro bringing “great people” to the stages of Cinema São Jorge and the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon.
Duvivier and Porchat, in conversation, share insights about the upcoming days and reveal who they couldn’t bring along this time. However, they express satisfaction with the Portuguese artists invited to the performances, ranging from the improvisational show “Portátil” to the live podcast debut “Não Importa” and the screening of Christmas specials.
The full program can be accessed here.
From Porchat’s Debut to the Live Podcast Premiere (and Who Are They Bringing? And Who Do They Want to Bring?)
The festival will kick off with the improvisational show “Portátil,” scheduled for December 13 and 14 at the Centro Cultural de Belém. This marks the first time Fábio Porchat joins the cast alongside Gregório Duvivier, João Vicente de Castro, and Gustavo Miranda.
The trio heading the production company for months has been “friends since before Porta,” but Duvivier admits having Porchat involved makes him “more anxious than nervous.” “Fábio is a great improviser. I met Fábio through improvisation. It was 20 years ago when he joined an improv play I had, and he excelled. He was a stand-up comedian then and hadn’t done much improv, but he was phenomenal. We kept pushing him to do ‘Portátil,’ so I’m eager about this new development,” he explains.
It is also new for them to perform the podcast “Não Importa” live, a format they “arrived at a bit late,” but now “is delightful.” “And Portugal loves it. Plenty of live podcasts happen here. It’s new for us, and I’m thrilled to explore it,” revealed Duvivier. The podcast will occur over three days: December 16 with Bruno Nogueira, December 17 with Valter Hugo Mãe, and December 18 with César Mourão.
I’m even jealous. When I introduced them, João instantly clicked with Bruno Nogueira. They’re like brothers now
Regarding Valter Hugo Mãe, Duvivier expresses excitement about his presence, noting how he’s “a real writer,” and beyond being “great” in that realm, he’s “very funny”: “I’ve talked to Valter many times, and he’s hilarious, quite surprising.”
However, Valter Hugo Mãe isn’t the only writer planned. Another name will have to wait until the next edition: “There was someone who couldn’t make the dates, but we’ll return – he must join us. It’s Miguel Esteves Cardoso; he’s very much Porta’s likeness. We couldn’t do it this time. We’ll try again.”
João Vicente is reportedly “obsessed” with Bruno Nogueira, Duvivier notes: “I’m even jealous. When I introduced them, João instantly clicked with Bruno Nogueira. They’re like brothers now.”
Aside from César Mourão, one of the names both had previously said they were eager to work with, there are other names, as Duvivier explains: “I love Bumba [Mariana Cabral], and I’m thrilled she’s doing ‘Que História É Essa, Porchat?’ with Fábio. I adore her; she’s a delightful, wonderful, very funny and spontaneous comedian.” This format is scheduled for December 16 and 17 and includes other names like Joaquim de Almeida, Gilmário Vemba, Fafá de Belém, and Cândido Costa.
Salvador Martinha was also in the trio’s plans but ultimately couldn’t participate. Porchat recounts, “He said, ‘I can’t believe it, what a pity'” and remarks, “We aim to bring Portuguese people close. Ricardo Araújo Pereira and all these wonderful people we’ve been able to gather.”
“Stand Up e Anda” and the Timing: “The Old Testament Hasn’t Changed in Two Years”
Ricardo Araújo Pereira, a “luxurious” participant, will chat with Fábio Porchat after the screening of “Stand Up e Anda,” officially being launched in Portugal now and among the production’s Christmas films. The show was set to debut in 2023 but wasn’t released when the Israel-Hamas conflict had been ongoing for two months. “When it was written and filmed, the world wasn’t facing what’s happening today. Humor is about timing, and the timing for this release is inappropriate. The current situation may alter the comedic perspective of the Christmas Special,” the company previously explained.
Asked about whether now was the right time and if anything had been rewritten, Porchat explains, “There was no change whatsoever.”
“It’s about the Old Testament. In the last two years, the Old Testament hasn’t changed much. In the past two thousand years, it hasn’t changed significantly. These are remarks on lesser-known Old Testament stories. In that sense, it’s timeless. This Christmas special doesn’t particularly address any recent event. It’s set in the year 30 after Christ, in Galilee, filmed two years ago. I rewatched it to understand if anything seemed odd; there was nothing unusual. It doesn’t reference anything current. It hasn’t become outdated. It’s among the best we’ve made,” he considers.
The comedian admits that watching it again, he enjoyed it a lot, despite “it being bad to say you’re very funny”: “I’d forgotten how it was, and when I rewatched it, I had a great time. I’m pleased we’re experimenting with another kind of humor format. We’ve done humor, animation, sketch, parody, and now we’re doing a biblical stand-up special, which is unique worldwide.”
Comedian Fábio Porchat is this week’s guest on Vozes ao Minuto.
Ana Teresa Banha | 07:29 – 26/09/2024
Other Christmas Specials and “Life Goes On” (Now as a Trio)
Besides this premiere, other Christmas specials will be screened: “Se Beber Não Ceie” on December 16 and “A Primeira Tentação de Cristo” on December 17. This last special depicted Jesus as homosexual, prompting criticism from religious groups. That year, in 2019, the production company’s headquarters were attacked with Molotov cocktails, an incendiary weapon. Asked if that episode raised any creative concerns, Porchat replied: “There’s something peculiar about our videos. We never know which video will touch a nerve. We know religious videos might, but we’ve had numerous religious videos no one ever mentioned, sketches thought to be ‘heavy’… and nothing. We released ‘Se Beber Não Ceie,’ which won an Emmy for Best Comedy, depicting Jesus as a malevolent, nasty character. No issues arose at all. No one mentioned it. For us, it’s about seeing the audience’s sensitivities, seeing what they think.”
People come and go all the time. It seems related to it being a doorway
This March, Porta dos Fundos saw the exit of two founders, António Tabet and Ian SBF, and the withdrawal of Paramount from the project. At the time, the production company issued a statement indicating potential future partnerships and keeping the “doors wide open” for them. Nine months later, there’s “nothing on the horizon,” mainly because “it’s still very recent.”
“We followed different paths, but we hold great affection for both. Without them, there would be no Porta dos Fundos. It was essential for them to exist and unite efforts to be together. Life goes on. Paramount also left, which was part of it. Now it’s in our hands, making it more intimate,” Porchat states.
Reflecting on this new leadership, Duvivier also highlights that this festival serves as “a celebration of this Porta formation.” “The three of us were great friends before Porta, and I think it also celebrates this trio. It’s quite curious because it’s a wordplay: people come and go all the time. It seems related to it being a doorway,” he mentions, exemplifying with Ed Gama or Letícia Lima. Porchat adds Julia Rabello’s name, saying: “The good thing is they’re friends, and we love having them together.”
The Brazilian comedian and actor Gregório Duvivier is this week’s guest on Vozes ao Minuto.
Ana Teresa Banha | 08:40 – 17/06/2025
