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Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira, GCSE (pron. IPA /mɐ.nu.'ɛɫ do.li.'vɐj.ɾɐ/) is a Portuguese film director born in Oporto on December 12, 1908. Since 2001, he is the oldest director in the world who is still active, and remains one of the most influential film-makers in Europe.

Manuel de Oliveira was born in Oporto on December 12, 1908 to a family of wealthy industrialists.

Oliveira attended school in Galicia, Spain and his goal as a teenager was to become an actor. He enrolled in Italian film-maker Rino Lupo's acting school at age 20, but later changed his mind when he saw Walther Ruttmann's documentary Berlin: Symphony of a City. This prompted him to direct his first film, also a documentary, titled Douro, faina fluvial (1931).

He also has the distinction of having acted in the second Portuguese sound film, A Canção de Lisboa (1933).

His first feature film only came much later, in 1942. Aniki-Bóbó, a portrait of Oporto's street children, was a commercial failure when it opened, and its merit only came to be recognised over time. This drawback forced Oliveira to abandon other film projects he was involved in, and to dedicate himself to running the family business. In spite of that, he didn't lose any of his passion for the medium, and re-emerged in 1956 with The Artist and the City.

In 1963, O Acto de Primavera (The Rite of Spring), a documentary depicting an annual passion play enacted by peasants, marked a turning point for his career. This was shortly followed by A caça (The Hunt), a grim feature film that contrasted with the happy tones of his previous documentary. Despite the widespread acclaim garnered by both films, he would not return to the director's seat until the 1970s.

Manoel de Oliveira claims to direct movies for the sheer pleasure of doing it, regardless of critical reaction. He maintains a quiet life away from the spotlights, despite multiple honours in festivals such as those of Cannes, Venice and Montreal.

• Douro, faina fluvial (documentary, 1931)
• Estátuas de Lisboa (documentary, 1932)
• Miramar, praia das rosas (documentary, 1938)
• Já se fabricam automóveis em Portugal (documentary, 1938)
• Famalicão (documentary, 1941)
• Aniki-Bóbó (1942)
• The Artist and the City (documentary, 1956)
• The Rite of Spring (1964)
• A caça (1964)
• As pinturas do meu irmão Júlio (documentary, 1965)
• O pão (documentary, 1966)
• Past and Present (1972)
• Benilde or the Virgin Mother (1975)
• Ill-Fated Love (1979)
• Francisca (1981)
• Memories and Confessions (1982)
• Nice: À propos de Jean Vigo (documentary, 1983)
• Lisboa cultural (documentary, 1983)
• The Satin Slipper (1985)
• My Case (1987)
• The Cannibals (1988)
• No, or the Vain Glory of Command (1990)
• The Divine Comedy (1991)
• The Day of Despair (1992)
• Abraham Valley (1993)
• Blind Man's Bluff (1994)
• The Convent (1995)
• Party (1996)
• Voyage to the Beginning of the World (1997)
• Anxiety (1998)
• The Letter (1999)
• Word and Utopia (2000)
• I'm Going Home (2001)
• Porto of My Childhood (2001)
• The Uncertainty Principle (2002)
• A Talking Picture (2003)
• O Quinto Império: Ontem Como Hoje (2004)
• Espelho Mágico (2005)
• Belle Toujours (2006)
• Christopher Columbus - The Enigma (2007)

• All Movie Guide
• Manoel de Oliveira at the Internet Movie Database
• Against the Grain: On the Cinematic Vision of Manoel de Oliveira, by Randal Johnson