Rui Pedro Sousa was born on August 24, 1986 in Aveiro, Portugal, to Fátima Sousa and Fernando Sousa, a construction worker. After finishing Highschool, he worked as a waiter at his uncle's restaurant in his hometown. Aiming to become a Film Director, he soon moved to the city of Oporto, in Portugal, to study cinema at the Escola Superior Artística do Porto (ESAP), i.e., the Superior Studies School of Arts of Oporto.