Héctor Babenco | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Héctor Eduardo Babenco (1946-02-07)February 7, 1946 |
| Died | July 13, 2016(2016-07-13) (aged 70) |
| Nationality |
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| Occupation(s) | Film director and producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1973–2015 |
| Notable work | |
Héctor Eduardo Babenco (February 7, 1946 – July 13, 2016)[1] was anArgentine-Brazilianfilm director,screenwriter,producer andactor who worked in several countries includingBrazil,Argentina, and theUnited States. He was one of the first Brazilian filmmakers to gain international critical acclaim, through his films which often dealt with social outcasts on the fringes of society.[2] His best-known works includePixote (1980),Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985),Ironweed (1987),At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1990) andCarandiru (2003).
Babenco's films brought him several accolades. He was nominated three times for thePalme d'Or of theCannes Film Festival, and was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Director forKiss of the Spider Woman. He won theGrande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro twice, and thePrêmio ACIE de Cinema once.
Babenco was born inBuenos Aires and raised inMar del Plata. His mother, Janka Haberberg, was aPolish Jewish immigrant, and his father, Jaime Babenco, was an Argentinegaucho ofUkrainian Jewish origin.[3][4][5] Babenco lived inEurope from 1964 to 1968. In 1969, he decided to stay inSão Paulo,Brazil, permanently.
His first solo feature film as a director wasO Rei da Noite (King of the Night) (1975), starringPaulo José andMarília Pêra.[6]
Babenco had an international success withPixote – A lei do mais fraco (1981).[7] It concerns Brazil's abandoned children. In the words of E. Ruby Rich while it concerns "a pair of boys who form a symbiotic sexual union", the film cannot "be held up as an example of how gay desire can be depicted, given its sensationalistic and sordid treatment of gay sex as accommodation, substitution, and punishment".[7] The film featured impressive work of young actorFernando Ramos da Silva, 10 years old at the time, who was discovered in the suburbs of São Paulo. The film received numerous prizes, including nomination for Best Foreign Film at the1982 Golden Globes Awards.[8]
ForKiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Babenco was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Director,[9][10] the first Latin American to be nominated in this category.
He directed some of the most respected American actors of his time, includingWilliam Hurt,John Lithgow,Raul Julia,Jack Nicholson,Meryl Streep,Tom Berenger,Daryl Hannah,Aidan Quinn andKathy Bates.
In 2012 Babenco was part of the jury in the 34th Moscow International Film Festival.[11]
His last film wasMy Hindu Friend (2016), which starsWillem Dafoe. It recounts the story of a film director close to death.[12]
In 2010, Barbenco married actressBárbara Paz.[8] He was previously married to Xuxa Lopes and Raquel Arnaud. He was the father of two daughters, Janka Babenco and Myra Arnaud Babenco, from his previous marriages, and also had two grandchildren.
In 1994, Babenco fell ill and had to undergo abone marrow transplant to treat alymphatic cancer,[13] a diagnosis which he had since he was 38 years old.[8]
On July 12, 2016, Babenco was admitted toHospital Sírio-Libanês to treatsinusitis. The following night, he suffered acardiac arrest, and died shortly thereafter.[14]
| Year | Original title | English release title | Functioned as | Country | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | |||||
| 1975 | O Rei da Noite | King of the Night | Yes | Yes | Yes |  Brazil | Directorial Debut Co-writer with Orlando Senna |
| 1977 | Lúcio Flávio: O Passageiro da Agonia | Lúcio Flávio | Yes | Yes | No | Co-writer with José Louzeiro & Jorge Durán | |
| 1980 | Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco | Pixote | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-writer with Jorge Durán | |
| 1985 | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Yes | No | No | Brazil United States | ||
| 1987 | Ironweed | Yes | No | No | United States | ||
| 1991 | At Play in the Fields of the Lord | Yes | Yes | No | Brazil United States | Co-writer withJean-Claude Carrière &Vincent Patrick | |
| 1998 | Corazón Iluminado | Foolish Heart | Yes | Yes | Yes | Brazil Argentina France | Co-writer withRicardo Piglia |
| 2003 | Carandiru | Yes | Yes | Yes | Brazil Argentina Italy | Co-writer with Fernando Bonassi & Victor Navas | |
| 2007 | El Pasado | The Past | Yes | Yes | Yes | Brazil Argentina | Co-writer with Marta Goes |
| 2014 | Words with Gods | Yes | Yes | No |  Mexico United States | Segment: "The Man That Stole a Duck" | |
| 2015 | Meu Amigo Hindu | My Hindu Friend | Yes | Yes | Yes | Brazil | |
| Year | Original title | English release title | Functioned as | Country | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | |||||
| 1973 | O Fabuloso Fittipaldi | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Brazil | Co-directed withRoberto Farias |
| 1984 | A Terra É Redonda como Uma Laranja | - | Yes | No | No | Brazil Argentina | |
| Year | Original title | English release title | Functioned as | Country | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | |||||
| 2005 | Carandiru: Outras Histórias | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Brazil | Episodes: "Love Story I" & "Love Story II" |
| Year | Original title | English release title | Role | Director | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Venice Project | Danilo Danuzzi | Robert Dornhelm | United States | ||
| 2000 | Before Night Falls | Virgilio Piñera | Julian Schnabel | |||
| 2007 | El Pasado | The Past | Projectionist | Himself | Brazil Argentina | Cameo |
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