Leon Hirszman

Leon Hirszman was a Brazilian filmmaker one of the main figures of the Brazilian Cinema Novo movement His first short film Pedreira de São Diogo was one of the five segments of Cinco Vezes Favela an important film for New Cinema released in 1962 His first fulllenght motion picture was an adaptation of playwright Nelson Rodrigues A Falecida The Deceased The film already spoke on a subject dear to Leon the social alienation of the working class Working both with documentaries and fictional narratives among Leons body of work are the documentaries Nelson Cavaquinho Megalópolis Ecologia and Sextafeira da Paixão Sábado de aleluia In 1971 he releases São Bernardo a work of fiction based off Graciliano Ramos eponymous book He was also responsible for films such as Cantos do Trabalho no Campo Que País É Esse Rio Carnaval da Vida and ABC da Greve For his 1981 film Eles Não Usam Black Tie They Dont Wear Black Tie the 1981 Venice Film Festival gave him three awards it was also nominated for the Golden Lion The film was also nominated for the Great Prize Coral Negro on the 3rd Festival Internacional do Novo Cinema LatinoAmericano Great Prize on the Festival dos Três Continentes and the Espiga de Oro on the Festival Internacional de Vallodolid At last it was also nominated for the Air France Prize in 1982 Leon Hirszman had an extremely important role on Brazilian cinema and left behind a great number of articles in which he proposes a number of reflections on the conditions for filmmaking in Brazil its market and legislation Embrafilme then an Federal institution responsible for aiding filmmaking in Brazil and politic cinema Leon died from complications of HIV after a year of treatment He got the virus from a blood transfusion and left behind three children Irma Maria and João Pedro and his spouse Cláudia Fares Menhem