Remember the trajectory of filmmaker Luiz Carlos Barreto, who died at the age of 98 Filmmaker Luiz Carlos Barreto died this Wednesday (22), at the age of 98, one of the great names in the history of Brazilian cinema. His work helped change the way films were produced, financed and distributed in the country. “Barretão” built a trajectory of more than 60 years dedicated to audiovisual, starting at Cinema Novo, with “Vidas Secas” and “Terra em Transe”. Among the more than 100 works he directed or produced are the box office champions “Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands”, “O Quatrilho” and “O Que É Isso, Companheiro” — with these last 2, he took Brazil to the Oscars. “Cinema is a useful thing, not a futile thing”, Barretão used to say. Luiz Carlos Barreto was admitted to Copa Star Hospital, in Copacabana, in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. He was treating a lung infection resulting from pneumonia. The wake will be held this Thursday (23), at 11am, at the Palácio da Cidade, in Botafogo. After the ceremony, the body will be cremated at the Caju Memorial. The filmmaker was married for 71 years to producer Lucy Barreto. He had 3 children, who followed the profession: Bruno, Fábio and Paula — Fábio died in 2019, after being in a coma for 10 years as a result of a car accident in Rio, in 2009. Luiz Carlos also leaves behind 9 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. According to Paula, her father's health had been deteriorating since 2024, when he suffered a fall during a trip to Ceará. ?Download the g1 app to see news from RJ in real time and for free Luiz Carlos Barreto Reproduction/GloboNews Before cinema, journalism Luiz Carlos Barreto was born in Sobral, Ceará, on May 20, 1928. Barreto's first contact with the world of cinema was with Orson Welles, from “Citizen Kane”, who traveled to Ceará to film a documentary about rafters who would go to Getúlio Vargas asks for regulation of the profession. "I didn't even dream, I was 12 years old. I was going to take a swim in the sea and, in a little while, that team of foreigners arrives and settles there. I watched, enchanted", said Barreto in an interview with the program "Conversa com Bial". But, before becoming one of the biggest producers in the country, he worked as a photographer for the magazine “O Cruzeiro”, an experience that helped shape his outlook on Brazilian images and stories. As a photo reporter, Barretão became the publication's correspondent in Europe, where he photographed celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Cuban president Fidel Castro and actress Marylin Monroe. Beginnings at Cinema Novo It was on a trip to Bahia for the magazine that he met Glauber Rocha, during the filming of “Barravento”. The director then invited him to work — and this was fundamental for Cinema Novo. ?Cinema Novo was a Brazilian cinematographic movement that emerged in the late 1950s and gained strength in the 1960s. Its objective was to show the social, political and economic reality of Brazil, especially the poverty, inequalities and conflicts experienced by the population. The best-known motto was “a camera in your hand and an idea in your head” — even without many financial resources, it was possible to make important and transformative films, valuing creativity and critical reflection. “Glauber was putting together ‘Barravento’ with Nelson Pereira dos Santos and he said to me: ‘You have to photograph ‘Vidas Secas’, don’t you, Nelson?’. ‘You are crazy, I don’t know how to take photographs except with my Leica”, he narrated. According to Barretão, Glauber insisted. "'You're going to take a photograph that hasn't been done in the Northeast yet. Every film, the Northeast looks like a garden.' I agreed with him. 'I want to show the intensity of the light, the light as a character that destroys the plantation, that bothers the man'", he recalled. Successful career Check out the trajectory of producer Luiz Carlos Barreto A trajectory of productions that revolutionized the country's audiovisual language began there. After “Vidas Secas”, in 1963, came “Terra em Transe”, by Glauber, a fundamental work of Cinema Novo, in 1967. But it was in production that Barretão found his great vocation. He had the ability to bring together talent, make projects viable and raise resources to transform great ideas into films that marked generations. Throughout his career, he was at the helm of historic titles such as “Garrincha, Alegria do Povo”, by Joaquim Pedro de Andrade; “Bye Bye Brasil”, by Cacá Diegues; and “Memórias do Cárcere”, an adaptation of the work by Graciliano Ramos. Her biggest public success was “Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands”, starring Sônia Braga, produced by Lucy Barreto and directed by Bruno Barreto. The film broke box office records and remained for more than 3 decades as the most watched Brazilian production in cinemas. Another phenomenon was “Menino do Rio”, which brought crowds to theaters and helped to consolidate a new film model aimed at young audiences. READ ALSO: Barretão marked generations as producer of ‘Vidas Secas’ and ‘Terra em Transe’ Artists mourn death; see repercussion Cinesta defended 'exporting Brazilian films into Brazil' Archive photo from 12/18/2019 of the director, photographer and film producer, Luiz Carlos Barreto, during a photo session given to the newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo in Botafogo, in the south zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Alex Ribeiro/Estadão Conteúdo Family dedicated to cinema Barretão, Lucy, Bruno, Fábio and Paula created a film production company, LC Barreto, and produced more than 150 films. "Cinema is a disease that, when it works, it affects the whole family. I usually say that mine is the 'Titanic Family': if it doesn't work, it goes to the bottom", he joked. Instead of the bottom came the top. The Barreto family took Brazil to the Oscars twice: with “O Quatrilho”, directed by Fábio, and “O Que É Isso, Companheiro?”, by Bruno. He was almost an Olympic athlete. The nickname “Barretão” came from the writer Nelson Rodrigues, a lifelong friend and company at the stadiums. Luiz Carlos was passionate about Flamengo — and played well. “I was cons