Joana Gusmão studied English Literature at Porto University and holds an MA in Text and Performance Studies from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art/King’s College in London. Following her studies, Gusmão was selected for the Young Artists Program at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, undertook a film directing course at PCFE Film School and the documentary workshop at EICTV. In 2013, Gusmão was selected to take part in Emerging Producers at Jihlava IDFF and in 2015 she was part of Berlinale Talents. Active as a film producer since 2011, she co-founded the Production Company PRIMEIRA IDADE along with Pedro Fernandes Duarte, where she co-produced the feature-length documentary directed by Catarina Vasconcelos, THE METAMORPHOSIS OF BIRDS, in between other projects. She joined Doclisboa Film Festival in 2015 working as a production director and then executive director. In 2020 she was appointed as one of the directors, leaving the position in April 2022. In November 2022 she became part of Porto/Post/Doc team, working as a programmer and publications coordinator. She continues to develop her work in film, focusing on production, project development and programming.