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Walter Salles

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In this Portuguese name, "Júnior" is a generational suffix used for someone whose name is the same as their father, like "Jr." in English.

Walter Salles
Salles at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024
Born
Walter Moreira Salles Júnior

(1956-04-12) 12 April 1956 (age 68)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Film director, producer, editor
Spouse
Maria Klabin
​
​
(m. 2004; div. 2021)​
Children2
FatherWalter Moreira Salles
RelativesJoão Moreira Salles (brother)
Pedro Moreira Salles (brother)

Walter Moreira Salles Júnior (/ˈsɑːlɪs/;[1] born 12 April 1956) is a Brazilian filmmaker, most known for his Golden Bear-winning film Central Station (1998). He is also directed the films, Foreign Land (1995), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), On the Road (2012), and I'm Still Here (2024).

Early life and education

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Salles was born on 12 April 1956, in Rio de Janeiro,[2] and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.[3] He is the son of Brazilian banker, politician and philanthropist Walter Moreira Salles.

Career

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Salles's first notable film was Terra Estrangeira ("Foreign Land"), released in Brazil in 1995. Locally, it was widely acclaimed by film critics and a minor box-office hit, and it was selected by over 40 film festivals worldwide. In 1998, he released Central Station to widespread international acclaim and two Academy Awards nominations, for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Foreign Language Film. Salles won a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, becoming the first Brazilian to win a Golden Globe.

In 2001, Abril Despedaçado ("Behind the Sun"), based on a novel by Albanian author Ismail Kadare and starring Rodrigo Santoro, was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Golden Globes.[4] Salles said: "... there was one book that resonated to the point where I couldn't forget it. And that was Broken April by Ismail Kadare. The book was handed to me by my younger brother, who said: 'If I know you well, this will touch you.' ... What really struck me was the opposition between the atavistic violence described in the book and the possibility for that violence to be overpowered by the discovery of poetry and literature and ultimately by brotherly love."[5] Both films were produced by veteran Arthur Cohn, and had worldwide distribution.

In 2003, Salles was voted one of the 40 Best Directors in the World by The Guardian.[6] His biggest international success has been Diarios de Motocicleta ("The Motorcycle Diaries"), a 2004 film about the life of young Ernesto Guevara, who later became known as Che Guevara. It was Salles's first foray as director of a film in a language other than his native Portuguese (Spanish, in this case) and quickly became a box-office hit in Latin America and Europe. In 2005, Salles released his first Hollywood film, Dark Water, an adaptation of the 2002 Japanese film of the same name. He also helped to produce the Argentine picture Hermanas, which was a major success.

Salles in 2005

In 2006, Salles wrote and directed a segment in the French film Paris, je t'aime (French for "Paris, I love you") with Daniela Thomas. The film is a collection of 18 shorter segments made by different 21 directors and set in different arrondissements of Paris. Salles' segment called Loin du 16e (literally: Far from the 16th) and took place in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. In 2007, Salles took part in a similar project called To Each His Own Cinema (French: Chacun son cinéma) in the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival. He made a three-minute segment called A 8.944 km de Cannes (English: 5,557 miles from Cannes). In 2008, Salles wrote and directed the film Linha de Passe also with Daniela Thomas.[7] It is a story about four brothers from a poor family who need to fight to follow their dreams. He was nominated for the Golden Palm and Sandra Corveloni won the Best Actress award for her role in this film in Cannes Film Festival in 2008.

In 2012, Salles released José Rivera's screenplay adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, with Francis Ford Coppola producing. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[8][9] In 2024, twelve years after his last feature film, Salles released I'm Still Here ("Ainda Estou Aqui"), based on the book of the same name by Marcelo Rubens Paiva; the film tackles the arrest and disappearance of Rubens Paiva in 1971, Marcelo's father, during the military dictatorship in Brazil.[10][11] The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

Views and beliefs

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In 2009, Salles signed a petition in support of film director Roman Polanski, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.[12]

In December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Salles signed an open letter published in Libération demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages.[13][14][15]

Filmography

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Feature Films

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Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes Ref.
1991 A Grande Arte Yes No No
1995 Life Somewhere Else Yes Yes No Short film
Foreign Land Yes Yes No Co-directed with Daniela Thomas
1998 Central Station Yes Yes Yes
Midnight Yes Yes No Co-directed with Daniela Thomas
2001 Behind the Sun Yes Yes No
2002 City of God No No Yes
2004 The Motorcycle Diaries Yes No No
2005 Dark Water Yes No No
2006 Paris, je t'aime Yes Yes No Segment: "Loin du 16e"
2007 To Each His Own Cinema Yes No No Segment: "5,557 Miles From Cannes"
2008 Linha de Passe Yes No Yes Co-directed with Daniela Thomas
2010 In Search of the World Yes No No Short essay [16]
2012 On the Road Yes No Uncredited
2017 Where Has the Time Gone? Yes No No Segment: "When the Earth Trembles"
2023 The Movie Teller No Yes No
2024 I'm Still Here Yes No No

Television

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Year Title Director Writer Notes Ref.
1986 Japão: Uma Viagem No Tempo Yes No 4 episodes
1995 Un Siécle d'Écrivains Yes No Episode: "Jorge Armando"
2019 Irmãos Freitas No Yes 8 episodes

Documentaries

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Year Title Subject Notes
1987 Krajcberg: O Poeta Dos Vestígios Frans Krajcberg
1988 Marisa Monte Marisa Monte Co-directed with Nelson Motta
1989 Chico, ou O País Da Delicadeza Perdida Chico Buarque Co-directed with Nelson Motta
1995 Antônio Carlos Jobim: An All-Star Tribute Antônio Carlos Jobim
1999 Somos Todos Filhos Da Terra Adão Dãxalebaradã Co-directed with Kátia Lund, João Moreira Salles and Daniela Thomas
2002 Castanha E Caju Contra O Encouraçado Titanic Co-directed with Daniela Thomas and George Moura.
2013 Venice 70: Future Reloaded ‡ Venice Film Festival Segment director
2016 Jia Zhang-ke by Walter Salles Jia Zhangke

Awards and nominations

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Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Walter Salles

In July 2022 Salles was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of letters by the University of Reading.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Say How: S". National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  2. ^ Schneider, Steven Jay, ed. (2007). 501 Movie Directors. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 569. ISBN 9781844035731. OCLC 1347156402.
  3. ^ "USC Cinematic Arts – Notable Alumni". Cinema.usc.edu. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  4. ^ Rohter, Larry (6 March 2001). "ARTS ABROAD; Brazilians Love Their Wild West (in the Northeast)". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Kehr, Dave (21 December 2001). "AT THE MOVIES". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Bradshaw, Peter; Brooks, Xan; Haskell, Molly; Malcolm, Derek; Pulver, Andrew; Rich, B Ruby; Rose, Steve (14 November 2003). "The world's 40 best directors". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Linha de Passe". IMDb.com. 5 September 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  8. ^ "2012 Official Selection". Festival-cannes.fr. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Cannes Film Festival 2012 line-up announced". Timeout.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  10. ^ Amando, Rodrigo (18 June 2023). "Começam as filmagens do longa "Ainda Estou Aqui", dirigido por Walter Salles". Site RG – Moda, Estilo, Festa, Beleza e mais (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  11. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (28 May 2024). "Walter Salles' Directorial Comeback 'I'm Still Here' Sells To Sony Classics For North America & Raft Of International Territories Out Of Cannes Market". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  12. ^ Shoard, Catherine; agencies (29 September 2009). "Release Polanski, demands petition by film industry luminaries". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Gaza : des cinéastes du monde entier demandent un cessez-le-feu immédiat". Libération (in French). 28 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  14. ^ Newman, Nick (29 December 2023). "Claire Denis, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Christian Petzold, Apichatpong Weerasethakul & More Sign Demand for Ceasefire in Gaza". The Film Stage. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Directors of cinema sign petition for immediate ceasefire". The Jerusalem Post. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  16. ^ "In Search of the World". MUBI. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  17. ^ "Director Walter Salles gets Honorary degree from Reading". 6 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
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