Januário Afonso is a film director from São Tomé. In the 90's, he participated in foreign films production in São Tomé and in 2002 he directed his first film, about AIDS. In 2009, he directed  Vosso Amor, o Meu Sorriso (Your Love, My Smile) about domestic violence and its influence on children and, in 2012, O Avesso de Vida (The Other Side of Life) about the abandonment of the elders. In both his documentary and fictional work, one can notice strong concern about social issues. In 2006, he participated in CinePort Festival in Portugal and, in 2007, in AfricaDoc.