Silvio Tendler (1950 – September 5, 2025) was a Brazilian filmmaker. With more than 40 films released by 2014, including feature and short films,[1] Tendler was one of the most respected Brazilian documentarists.[2] Due to his focus on people likeJuscelino Kubitschek,João Goulart, andCarlos Marighella, he was known as "the filmmaker of the defeated" or "the filmmaker of interrupted dreams".[1][3]
He returned from France to Brazil, and decided to make a film about Juscelino Kubitschek. It resulted inOs Anos JK – Uma Trajetória Política (1980), a box office success with 800,000 viewers.[9][10] In 1981, he directed a film aboutOs Trapalhões,O Mundo Mágico dos Trapalhões, which became the most watched Brazilian documentary of all time with over 1.8 million viewers.[5][11] In that same year, he created Caliban Produções Cinematográficas, a production company focused on historical biographies.[5]
Tendler died in Rio de Janeiro on September 5, 2025, at the age of 75.[12]
