Hector Babenco
A blend of two nationalities, a master of the moving image, Hector was in life a little of everything - from a tomb salesman to spaghetti western extra, from a photographer of steakhouses to an Oscar nominated movie director. Polemical, controversial, demanding and genial, he won in Locarno, competed in Cannes, shone in Hollywood and directed titans like Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and Willem Dafoe. . The film is a black and white poetic immersion in the filmmaker's recollections and dreams.
Diego is a film director very close to death, surrounded by people who are having trouble dealing with his current tempestuous mood. Chances are he won't survive, but if he does, that means he needs to relearn how to live. live.
An abandoned tumbledown theater in the outback of Paraíba state is the initial setting of a film about cinema, which explores the testimonials of the novelist and playwright Ariano Suassuna and other filmmakers such as Ruy Guerra, Julio Bressane, Ken Loach, Andrzej Wajda, Karim Ainouz, José Padilha, Hector Babenco, Vilmos Zsigmond, Béla Tarr, Gus Van Sant and Jia Zhangke. They all respond to two basic questions: why do they make movies and why do they serve the seventh art. The filmmakers share their thoughts about time, narrative, rhythm, light, movement, the meaning of tragedy, the audience‘s desires and the boundaries with other forms of art.
The first of four installments in the groundbreaking Heartbeat of the World anthology film series. Comprised of several short films by some of the world's most exciting directors, Words with Gods follows the theme of religion - specifically as it relates to an individual's relationship with his/her god or gods...or the lack thereof. In Words with Gods, each director recounts a narrative centered around human fragility, as well as environmental and cultural crises involving specific religions with which each has a personal relationship; including early Aboriginal Spirituality, Umbanda, Buddhism, the Abrahamic faiths, Hinduism, and Atheism. An animated sequence by Mexican animator Maribel Martinez is woven through each of the film segments, with each segment narratively connected as a feature-length film.
Seventy critics and filmmakers discuss cinema around the conflict between the artist and the observer, the creator and the critic. Between 1998 and 2007, Kléber Mendonça Filho recorded testimonies about this relationship in Brazil, the United States and Europe, based on his experience as a critic.
Rare documents and details of the film's story. From its initial option to its critical reception and legacy. Director David Weisman, who also produced "Kiss of the Spider Woman", comes off as rightful creative force behind the production, as it was his true passion. Very detailed comments from all the participants, from the author of the book to the lawyer for the production company, the actors, director, writers, producer, and crew members.
This revealing documentary about the Brazilian sex symbol goes deep into her career as she pivoted from dancer to singer to adult film star.
A tribute documentary on Fernando Ramos da Silva, the famous child star of the acclaimed film by Hector Babenco, "Pixote, a Lei do Mais Fraco" (1981). 20 years after his assassination by the police, his co-stars and Babenco talk about Fernando's contributions to the film, his troubled life when his acting works didn't took off as expected (since he was typecast) and which made him turn back to his past life of poverty and crimes. The project also presents that film's influence to many directors and artists around the world.
When a doctor decides to carry out an AIDS prevention program inside Latin America’s largest prison: the Casa de Detenção de São Paulo - Carandiru, he discovers the victim of one of the darkest days in Brazilian History when the State of São Paulo’s Military Police, with the excuse for law enforcement, shot to death 111 people. Based on real facts and on the book written by Dráuzio Varella.
Spanning several decades, this powerful biopic offers a glimpse into the life of famed Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, an artist who was vilified for his homosexuality in Fidel Castro's Cuba.
In this witty drama, the future of art is examined from two vantage points: the years 1699 and 1999. Roland (Dennis Hopper) is an avant-garde artist in Venice, California whose sister, Countess Camilla Volta (Lauren Bacall), lives on their family's estate in Venice, Italy. Their father, The Viscount (John Wood), is near death, and he announces, to the disappointment of both his offspring, that his home and priceless collection of art have been bequeathed to the Italian government.
Hector Babenco injected autobiographical details into this tale of an Argentine teen's first romance. Living with his parents, 17-year-old Juan (Walter Quiroz) hangs out with several intellectuals who would like to photograph the human soul. The girlfriend of the group's financier is Ana (Maria Luisa Mendonca), and Juan is attracted to her, despite the knowledge that she spent two years at a clinic because she was "crazy." Juan sees Ana when he can and trains as a door-to-door salesman, but when the German photographer on the soul project gives him a viewfinder, it changes his life, putting him on the path to his later success as a Hollywood director. Shown in competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
Martin and Hazel Quarrier are small-town fundamentalist missionaries sent to the jungles of South America to convert the Indians. Their remote mission was previously run by the Catholics, before the natives murdered them all. They are sent by the pompous Leslie Huben, who runs the missionary effort in the area but who seems more concerned about competing with his Catholic 'rivals' than in the Indians themselves. Hazel is terrified of the Indians while Martin is fascinated. Soon American pilot Lewis Moon joins the Indian tribe but is attracted by Leslie's young wife, Andy. Can the interaction of these characters and cultures, and the advancing bulldozers of civilization, avoid disaster?
Albany, New York, Halloween, 1938. Francis Phelan and Helen Archer are bums, back in their birth city. She was a singer on the radio, he a major league pitcher. Death surrounds them: she's sick, a pal has cancer, he digs graves at the cemetery and visits the grave of his infant son whom he dropped; visions of his past haunt him, including ghosts of two men he killed. That night, out drinking, Helen tries to sing at a bar. Next day, Fran visits his wife and children and meets a grandson. He could stay, but decides it's not for him. Helen gets their things out of storage and finds a hotel. Amidst their mistakes and dereliction, the film explores their code of fairness and loyalty.
Luis Molina and Valentin Arregui are cell mates in a South American prison. Luis, a gay man, is found guilty of immoral behaviour and Valentin is a political prisoner. To escape reality Luis invents romantic movies, while Valentin tries to keep his mind on the situation he's in. During the time they spend together, the two men come to understand and respect one another.
Pixote, a 10-year-old runaway boy, is arrested on the streets of São Paulo during a police round-up homeless people. Pixote endures torture, degradation, and corruption at a local youth detention center where two of the runaways are murdered by policemen who frame Lilica, a 17-year-old trans hustler. Pixote helps Lilica and three other boys escape where they make their living by the life of crime which only escalates to more violence and death.
History of a famous Brazilian bandit of the early seventies and his fight against a death squad.
Sought after by several reputable women, a bohemian becomes obsessed with a prostitute.
In a tragic example of life imitating art, Babenco returned to São Paolo to shoot this prologue to “Pixote” which examines the true story of Fernando Ramos da Silva, the lead actor from “Pixote,” and the circumstances of his death at the age of 19, killed by the police under dubious circumstances. - from Yahoo
