Leon Hirszman

Leon Hirszman was a Brazilian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter, and one of the main figures of Cinema Novo.
A member of the Brazilian Communist Party, his work was marked by the influence of Marxist ideas, representation of the working class, and the political turmoil of Latin America during the military dictatorship in Brazil.

Career

He is best known for directing the 1981 film They Don't Wear Black Tie which won the Special Jury Prize at the 38th Venice International Film Festival.
His other films include Fernanda Montenegro's 1965 film debut The Deceased, the 1972 adaptation of Graciliano Ramos's S. Bernardo and the documentary ABC da Greve.

Personal life

Hirszman died from complications of HIV/AIDS in 1987. He was married with Cláudia Fares Menhem, and had three children: Irma, Maria and João Pedro.

Filmography

Feature films

Other credits

Year	Original title	Language	Notes
1962	Pedreira de São Diogo	Portuguese	Segment of Cinco Vezes Favela.
1964	Maioria Absoluta	Portuguese	Short documentary on illiteracy and unequal land distribution in Brazil's countryside.
1969	Nelson Cavaquinho	Portuguese	Short documentary on Nelson Cavaquinho.
1969	Sexta-Feira da Paixão, Sábado de Aleluia	Portuguese	Segment of América do Sexo .
1973	Megalópolis	Portuguese	Short documentary on urbanization in Brazil, especially in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
1973	Ecologia	Portuguese	Short documentary denouncing the exploitation of natural resources in Brazil.
1974	Cantos de Trabalho: Mutirão	Portuguese	Short documentary on corn agriculture in Chã Preta, Alagoas. First of three "Cantos de Trabalho" short documentaries.
1976	Cantos de Trabalho: Cana-de-Açúcar	Portuguese	Short documentary on sugarcane agriculture in Feira de Santana, Bahia. Second of three "Cantos de Trabalho" short documentaries.
1976	Cantos de Trabalho: Cacau	Portuguese	Short documentary on cacao agriculture in Itabuna, Bahia. Third of three "Cantos de Trabalho" short documentaries.
1976	Que País É Este?	Portuguese	Brazilian-Italian co-production. Documentary on the history of Brazil.
1978	Rio, Carnaval da Vida	Portuguese	Also known as Carnaval do Povo. Short documentary on carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
1982	Partido Alto	Portuguese	Filmed in 1976. Short documentary on the partido alto samba subgenre.
1988	Imagens do Inconsciente	Portuguese	Filmed between 1983 and 1986. Trilogy, documentary on Nise da Silveira's cases.
1990	ABC da Greve	Portuguese	Filmed in 1979. Documentary on the 1978-1980 workers' strike in the ABC Region.
1995	Cinema Brasileiro: Mercado Ocupado	Portuguese	Filmed in 1975. Short documentary on the contemporary Brazilian film production conditions.
1996	Bahia de Todos os Sambas	Portuguese	Co-directed with Paulo César Saraceni. Concert film filmed in Rome, Italy, between 23 and 31 August, 1983, documenting the Bahia de Todos os Sambas festival.
2014	Posfácio: Imagens do Inconsciente	Portuguese	Filmed in 1986. Interview with Nise da Silveira.