Glauber Rocha

Glauber Rocha’s avant-garde films depict Brazil’s history and upheavals in its social and political scene in a stylized, often violent manner. He began his career as a journalist and film critic, and his first short film, Pátio (1959), caught the attention of critics and prompted his rise to fame. He studied Law. He also directed theatre pieces, wrote movie critics and took part in the creation and development of the Cinema Novo (New Cinema) movement in Rio de Janeiro, becoming its theoretical leader and first embassador in Europe. After Barravento (1962), Black God, White Devil (1964), Entranced Earth (1967) and Antonio das Mortes (1969), he won various international prizes. As he symbolized the feelings of the ideology of May 1968, he became very popular in Europe and America. Rocha was at odds politically with Brazil’s rulers, and his conflicts with Brazilian authorities led to his leaving the country in 1970. He filmed in Africa, Spain and Portugal, and returned to Brazil in the late 1970s, where he also hosted the popular politics TV show Abertura. His last film was the controversial The Age of the Earth (1980).

Born: March 14, 1939 in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil

Died: August 22, 1981 (Age 42)