Héctor Babenco

Héctor Eduardo Babenco (February 7, 1946 – July 13, 2016)[1] was an Argentine-Brazilian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor who worked in several countries including Brazil, Argentina, and the United 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 include Pixote (1980), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Ironweed (1987), At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1990) and Carandiru (2003).

"Babenco" redirects here. For people with a similar name, see Babenko.
Héctor Babenco
Babenco in São Paulo, Brazil (2008)
Born
Héctor Eduardo Babenco

(1946-02-07)February 7, 1946
Buenos Aires, Argentina
DiedJuly 13, 2016(2016-07-13) (aged 70)
São Paulo, Brazil
Nationality
  • Argentina
  • Brazil
Occupation(s)Film director and producer, screenwriter
Years active1973–2015
Notable work

Babenco's films brought him several accolades. He was nominated three times for the Palme d'Or of the Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for Kiss of the Spider Woman. He won the Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro twice, and the Prêmio ACIE de Cinema once.

Early life

Babenco was born in Buenos Aires and raised in Mar del Plata. His mother, Janka Haberberg, was a Polish Jewish immigrant, and his father, Jaime Babenco, was an Argentine gaucho of Ukrainian Jewish origin.[3][4][5] Babenco lived in Europe from 1964 to 1968. In 1969, he decided to stay in São Paulo, Brazil, permanently.

Career

His first solo feature film as a director was O Rei da Noite (King of the Night) (1975), starring Paulo José and Marília Pêra.[6]

Babenco had an international success with Pixote – 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 actor Fernando 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 the 1982 Golden Globes Awards.[8]

For Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Babenco was nominated for the Academy 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, including William Hurt, John Lithgow, Raul Julia, Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Tom Berenger, Daryl Hannah, Aidan Quinn and Kathy Bates.

In 2012 Babenco was part of the jury in the 34th Moscow International Film Festival.[11]

His last film was My Hindu Friend (2016), which stars Willem Dafoe. It recounts the story of a film director close to death.[12]

Personal life

In 2010, Barbenco married actress Bárbara 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.

Health issues and death

In 1994, Babenco fell ill and had to undergo a bone marrow transplant to treat a lymphatic cancer,[13] a diagnosis which he had since he was 38 years old.[8]

On July 12, 2016, Babenco was admitted to Hospital Sírio-Libanês to treat sinusitis. The following night, he suffered a cardiac arrest, and died shortly thereafter.[14]

Filmography
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 with Jean-Claude Carrière & Vincent Patrick
1998 Corazón Iluminado Foolish Heart Yes Yes Yes  Brazil
 Argentina
 France		 Co-writer with Ricardo 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

Documentaries
Year Original title English release title Functioned as Country Notes
Director Writer Producer
1973 O Fabuloso Fittipaldi - Yes Yes Yes  Brazil Co-directed with Roberto Farias
1984 A Terra É Redonda como Uma Laranja - Yes No No  Brazil
 Argentina

Television
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"

Acting roles
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

Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Héctor Babenco

References
  1. Globo: "Hector Babenco morre aos 70 anos" July 14, 2016
  2. Bergan, Ronald (2016-07-18). "Héctor Babenco obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  3. "Alex Bellos talks to Brazilian director Hector Babenco". The Guardian. 2003-11-02. Archived from the original on 2022-03-01.
  4. Hector Babenco's Carandiru
  5. The Lavender Screen: The Gay and Lesbian Films
  6. Babenco, Hector, O Rei da Noite (Drama), HB Filmes, José Pinto Produçoes, retrieved 2022-03-03
  7. Rich, E. Ruby (2013). New Queer Cinema: The Director's Cut. Durham, N.C & London: Duke University Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-0822354284.
  8. D'Alessandro, Anthony (2021-01-24). "'Babenco: Tell Me When I Die': How Bárbara Paz Made A Cinematic Ode To Her Late Filmmaker Husband". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  9. "Memorable Films: Hectór Babenco and 'The Kiss of the Spider Woman' | Latinolife". www.latinolife.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  10. "Kiss of the Spider Woman | film by Babenco [1985] | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  11. Darmaros, Marina (2012-06-25). "Moscow International Film Festival has a Latin focus". Russia Beyond The Headlines. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  12. ""Kiss of the Spider Woman" director Hector Babenco dead at 70". CBS News. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  13. Héctor Babenco Archived 2004-12-16 at the Wayback Machine official web site.
  14. "Morre, aos 70 anos, o cineasta Hector Babenco". cinema.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-02-13.
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