A native of the Northeast, Carlos Diegues studied law in Rio de Janeiro, whilst also running film clubs. He became a film critic and directed short films imbued with social realism. A pioneer of Cinéma Novo, in particular with Glauber Rocha, he sought to imprint Brazilian filmmaking on the national consciousness. His first feature films Ganga Zumba (1964) and The Big City (1966), spoke of his dream of a fairer world. He then went on to direct The Heirs (1969), Joanna Francesca (1973) with Jeanne Moreau and Xica da Silva (1976) which ushered in a period of great popularity for Brazilian cinema, reinforced by the success of Summer Showers (1978) an Official Selection at Cannes, as were Bye Bye Brasil (1980), Quilombo (1984) and Subway to the Stars (1987). His exploration of popular culture continued with Rio’s Love Song (1994) and Orfeu (1999). In 2006, he won the Best Film Award at the Montreal Festival, with The Greatest Love of All.
Jury attendance
- President Caméra d'Or, 2012
- Member Cinéfondation & Short Films, 2010
- Member Feature films, 1981
