Caca Diegues, Brazilian filmmaker and leading Cinema Novo figure, dies aged 84
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Diegues’ films reflected Brazil ’s history, identity and creativity.
Carlos Diegues, the renowned Brazilian filmmaker, has died aged 84 in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Academy of Letters said.
The director of more than 20 films, including Xica da Silva and Bye Bye Brazil, Diegues was a leading figure in Cinema Novo, a movement that emerged in the 1960s and used film to critique social inequality, drawing inspiration from the French New Wave and Italian neo-realism.
The filmmaker, widely known as Caca Diegues, suffered complications after surgery, the academy said in a statement.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Diegues’ films reflected Brazil ’s history, identity and creativity.
“I received with great sorrow the news of the passing of Caca Diegues, who throughout his life brought Brazil and Brazilian culture to the movie screens and captured the attention of the entire world,” Mr Lula said.
Bye Bye Brazil, a road movie about a country in transition, competed for the Palme d’Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.
In 2010, Diegues produced 5x Favela, a film entirely conceived, written and directed by young filmmakers from Rio de Janeiro’s impoverished communities.
