A standard introduction to Brazilian cinema cannot begin without mentioning the important role that women have played in the industry, not only as actresses, but as writers, directors, and producers. Gilda de Abreu?s contributions include producing, writing, directing, screenwriting, acting, songwriting, and singing.
The clich? ?better late than never? perfectly describes the career of Suzana Amaral. She had been married to a physician for 12 years and had eight of her nine children when she decided that she also wanted an education, and a vocation. She enrolled at the University of S?o
<
Brazilian Ana Carolina arrived at filmmaking after first pursuing a career in medicine and then in journalism and photography. Her ultimate career choice did not reflect a childhood of moviegoing, in fact her family rarely went to the movies. A medical student in the turbulent sixties, Carolina found herself more attracted to the university?s cultural activities and academics than to her medical courses. She fell in love with a film student and began to make films with him. He wanted to make documentaries and that led Carolina first to the production of documentary films. As Carolina commen
A Brazilian-born daughter of Japanese immigrants, Tizuka Yamasaki embodies one of Brazil?s most complicated identity matrices. Negotiating her own identity means juggling her gender, race, and nationality to arrive at a ?Brazilian? balance. Not surprisingly, many of Yamasaki?s films deal with gender and racial identity, immigration, the hybridity of Brazilian culture, and democracy. In questioning country, patria, and culture, Yamasaki asks repeatedly, ?What is it to be Brazilian??
Yamasaki was born in Porto Alegre and grew up S?o Paulo. Her parents lived from the land and tried to ma
