SAO PAULO (AP) 鈥 Carlos Diegues, the renowned Brazilian filmmaker, died Friday in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Academy of Letters said. He was 84.
The director of more than 20 films, including 鈥淴ica da Silva鈥 and 鈥淏ye Bye Brazil,鈥 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 neorealism.
The filmmaker, widely known as Cac谩 Diegues, suffered complications after surgery, the academy said in a statement.
President said Diegues鈥 films reflected 鈥檚 history, identity and creativity.
鈥淚 received with great sorrow the news of the passing of Cac谩 Diegues, who throughout his life brought Brazil and Brazilian culture to the movie screens and captured the attention of the entire world,鈥 Lula said.
鈥淏ye Bye Brazil,鈥 a road movie about a country in transition, competed for the Palme d鈥橭r at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, Diegues produced 鈥5x Favela,鈥 a film entirely conceived, written and directed by young filmmakers from Rio de Janeiro鈥檚 impoverished communities.
