Manoel de Oliveira was a film director and a screenwriter born in Porto in 1908.

He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about World War I.

He made his feature film about his home city Porto in 1942 with “Aniki-bóbó” and continued to make shorts and documentaries for the next 30 years, gaining a minimal amount of recognition without being considered a major world film director. Among the numerous factors that prevented Oliveira from making more films during this time period were the political situation in Portugal and money.

He continued making films of growing ambition throughout the 1970s and 1980s, gaining critical acclaim and numerous awards. Beginning in the late 1980s he was one of the most prolific working film directors and made an average of one film per year past the age of 100.

The story of “Aniki-bóbó” takes place in the old streets of Porto and by the banks of the Douro River. A gang of very young kids has just accepted a new member, Carlitos, a shy boy. The film’s main heroes are children, but the plot and the moral lessons lie in the adult world.