 For two years following, he worked as assistant director to João Canijo, a fellow Portuguese director.During this period, his short films "Mergulho no Ano Novo" and "No Caminho Para a Escola" received critical acclaim, the former winning Best Short Film Award at the International Short Films Festival of Vila do Conde, and the latter taking Best Short Film and Best Director Awards at the VII Festival Ibérico de Cinema de Badajoz as well as the Eixo Atlântico Award at the Festival de Ourense.He began shooting advertisements in the late 1990s and in 2002 started his own production company, Ministério dos Filmes, which has received multiple international awards.