Helena Ignez


Helena Ignez is a Brazilian actress and filmmaker who participated in the Cinema Marginal movement during the 1960s and 70s alongside Rogério Sganzerla and Glauber Rocha.

Biography

Helena was born in Salvador, Bahia and was attending her second year of law school when she fell in love with theater and decided to study the Dramatic Arts at the Federal University of Bahia. At the time, the Bahian theater scene was breaking with traditional Brazilian theater and experiencing strong influence from the young vanguard. She first appeared on the screen in Glauber Rocha's film Pátio.

Cinema Marginal

Helena acted in a few more films, such as A Grande Feira, Assalto ao Trem Pagador, and O Padre e a Moça before playing Janete Jane in O Bandido da Luz Vermelha by Rogério Sganzerla. After this film, she would perform in some most significant films in the Cinema Marginal movement, the most noted being her role as Ângela Carne e Osso in A Mulher de Todos. She also was a financial partner in Rogério Sganzerla and Júlio Bressane Belair production company. Between 1968 and 1970, Sganzerla and Ignez made almost a dozen films together and were also married and had two children. In 1972 she took a turn in her career and decided to film in Europe, the United States and Africa, making an untitled super-8 film.

Filmography

Film

Acting

Directing

YearOriginal titleEnglish release titleLanguageNotes
2005A Miss e o Dinossauro PortugueseShort documentary on the Bel-Air film production company.
2007Canção de BaalCanção de BaalPortugueseCo-directed with Michele Matalon. Based on Baal, by Bertolt Brecht.
2010Luz nas Trevas: A Volta do Bandido da Luz VermelhaLight in Darkness: The Return of the Red Light BanditPortugueseCo-directed with Ícaro Martins.
2013Poder dos Afetos Power of AffectionsPortuguese
2013Feio, Eu? PortugueseBrazilian-indian-french co-production.
2016RaléRaléPortuguese
2018A Moça do CalendárioMy Calendar GirlPortuguese

Television

On stage