FILM DIRECTORS from Brazil

Top 8

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Brazilian Film Directors of all time. This list of famous Brazilian Film Directors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Glauber Rocha (1939 - 1981)

With an HPI of 55.04, Glauber Rocha is the most famous Brazilian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages on wikipedia.

Glauber de Andrade Rocha (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɡlawbeʁ dʒi ɐ̃ˈdɾadʒi ˈʁɔʃɐ]; 14 March 1939 – 22 August 1981) was a Brazilian film director, actor and screenwriter. He was one of the most influential moviemakers of Brazilian cinema and a key figure of Cinema Novo. His films Black God, White Devil and Entranced Earth are often considered to be two of the greatest achievements in Brazilian cinematic history, being selected by Abraccine as, respectively, the second and fifth best Brazilian films of all-time. Rocha also the distinction of having the most films on Abraccine's list: 5 films. Rocha's film possess a staunch avant-garde and experimental nature, making of him a seminal figure of the new wave. His works are noted for their many political overtones, often addressing the passive-aggressive situation of the Third World, which Rocha referred to both metaphorically and objectively as "hunger" in his essay Estética da Fome (The Aesthetics of Hunger). Rocha won the Prix de la mise en scène at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival for Antonio das Mortes and the 1977 Special Jury Prize for Best Short Film for Di. Three of Rocha's films were nominated for the Palme d'Or, including Entranced Earth, which was awarded the FIPRESCI at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prix of the Locarno Film Festival of the same year.

2. Fernando Meirelles (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 54.73, Fernando Meirelles is the 2nd most famous Brazilian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (Brazilian Portuguese: [feʁˈnɐ̃du mejˈɾɛlis]; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film City of God, released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films, which received international critical acclaim. For his work in the film, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director in 2005 for The Constant Gardener, which garnered the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Rachel Weisz. He also directed the 2008 adaptation of José Saramago's novel Blindness, and the 2011 film 360. In 2019, Meirelles directed The Two Popes for Netflix. In television, Meirelles directed and produced in Brazil the HBO original series Joint Venture. In 2024, he led directing work for the crime series Sugar and the historical miniseries The Sympathizer.

3. Alberto Cavalcanti (1897 - 1982)

With an HPI of 52.43, Alberto Cavalcanti is the 3rd most famous Brazilian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti (February 6, 1897 – August 23, 1982) was a Brazilian-born film director and producer. He was often credited under the single name "Cavalcanti".

4. Walter Salles (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 51.72, Walter Salles is the 4th most famous Brazilian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Walter Moreira Salles Júnior (; born 12 April 1956) is a Brazilian filmmaker, most known for his Golden Bear-winning film Central Station.

5. Nelson Pereira dos Santos (1928 - 2018)

With an HPI of 49.25, Nelson Pereira dos Santos is the 5th most famous Brazilian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Nelson Pereira dos Santos (22 October 1928 – 21 April 2018) was a Brazilian film director. He directed films such as Vidas Secas (Barren Lives), based on the book with the same name by Brazilian writer Graciliano Ramos.

6. José Padilha (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 46.19, José Padilha is the 6th most famous Brazilian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

José Bastos Padilha Neto (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʒuˈzɛ paˈdʒiʎɐ]; born 1 August 1967) is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the Brazilian critical and financial successes Elite Squad and Elite Squad: The Enemy Within and the 2014 remake of RoboCop. He has won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Elite Squad in 2008. He is also the producer of the Netflix original series Narcos, starring frequent collaborator Wagner Moura, and directed the first two episodes in the series.

7. Bruno Barreto (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 45.05, Bruno Barreto is the 7th most famous Brazilian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Bruno Villela Barreto Borges (born 16 March 1955) is a Brazilian film director.

8. Carlos Saldanha (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 44.35, Carlos Saldanha is the 8th most famous Brazilian Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Carlos Saldanha (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈkaʁluz sawˈdɐɲɐ]; born 24 January 1965) is a Brazilian animator, director, producer, and voice actor of animated films who worked with Blue Sky Studios until its closure in 2021. He was the director of Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Rio (2011), Rio 2 (2014), Ferdinand (2017), and Harold and the Purple Crayon (2024), and the co-director of Ice Age (2002) and Robots (2005). Saldanha was nominated in 2003 for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Gone Nutty and in 2018 for Best Animated Feature for Ferdinand.