Luiz Carlos Barreto, exponent of Brazilian cinema, dies in Rio at age 98 Brazilian cinema lost one of its biggest names in the early hours of Wednesday (22). From Ceará de Sobral, Luiz Carlos Barreto built a career marked by different talents: before becoming one of the country's main producers, he was a photographer of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Fidel Castro, worked as a journalist, played amateur football for Flamengo and helped transform national cinema into an international reference. Producer, director, photographer and screenwriter, Barretão, as he became known, was one of the protagonists of Cinema Novo, a movement marked by realism and social criticism during the military dictatorship. ?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. Before arriving at films, he stood out in journalism. He wrote for the Communist Party newspaper, which was illegal at the time. Worried about political persecution, his mother encouraged him to leave Ceará and move to Rio de Janeiro. In the then federal capital, he became a reporter and photographer for O Cruzeiro magazine. He became the publication's correspondent in Europe and photographed personalities such as Frank Sinatra, Cuban president Fidel Castro and actress Marilyn Monroe. ?Download the g1 app to see news from RJ in real time and for free Luiz Carlos Barreto Reproduction/GloboNews It was on a trip to Bahia for the magazine that he met Glauber Rocha, during the filming of Barravento. The encounter would change his trajectory. "Glauber came to me: you have to photograph Vidas Secas. Let's do it because you're going to take a photograph that hasn't yet been taken in the Northeast", said the filmmaker in an interview. "Every film in the Northeast, the Northeast looks like a garden. I said, I agree with you. I want to show the intensity of the light, the light as a character that destroys the landscape, destroys the plantation, that bothers the man." Luiz Carlos Barreto directed photography for Vidas Secas, by Nelson Pereira dos Santos, in 1963, and Terra em Transe, by Glauber Rocha, in 1967. Alongside his wife, Lucy Barreto, to whom he was married for 71 years, he built one of the most important production companies in the history of Brazilian cinema: LC Barreto. The couple had three filmmaker children: Bruno, Fábio and Paula Barreto. “Cinema is a disease that when it happens, it affects the whole family”, he once declared. “Lucy was the one who put science into the spell, as Glauber said.” LC Barreto produced more than 150 films and helped bring Brazilian cinema to millions of viewers. Among the main hits are "Bye Bye Brasil," by Carlos Diegues; "The Kiss on the Asphalt"; and "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands", directed by Bruno Barreto. The film brought more than 10 million people to cinemas, became one of the highest grossing films in the history of Brazilian cinema and was shown in 80 countries. "The films were always those films that we wanted to make, in the best way with the people we wanted to make, with the freedom that we wanted, even during the dictatorship, we managed to keep our production alive. Brazilian cinema, despite the declines and crises, has always emerged better and stronger", said Luiz Carlos. Check out the trajectory of producer Luiz Carlos Barreto 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 The Barreto family also took Brazil to the Oscars twice, with "O Que É Isso, Companheiro?", directed by Bruno Barreto, and "O Quatrilho", directed by Fábio Barreto. Known as "The Godfather" of national cinema, Luiz Carlos Barreto received the nickname Barretão from writer Nelson Rodrigues. The two used to attend football stadiums together. Passion for football Passionate about football since he was young, Barreto played in the youth teams and was also part of Flamengo's main squad in the 1940s, before definitively pursuing a career in journalism and cinema. “I'm a guy who likes the two most popular things there are, football and cinema.” "I was considered a star. I was a Flamengo youth player and I was called up to the team that was going to compete in the London Olympics in 1948. We were 30 athletes." At the time, it was the government that financed the delegation, and it didn't have the money to send everyone. “So we got cut, and I lost my opportunity to be an Olympic champion.” Despite his passion for sport, he only directed one film about football: "Isto É Pelé". In cinema, he also worked as a screenwriter and wrote the hit "Assalto ao Trem Pagador". But he used to say that his greatest calling was production and photography. Luiz Carlos Barreto was 98 years old. Since 2024, he had faced health problems after suffering a fall during a visit to Ceará, the state where he was born, to receive a tribute. A filmmaker who was proud to be Brazilian and dedicated his life to strengthening national cinema has died. "Not only our films, Brazilian cinema is full of good films that were not made by us. At most we are sure that we leave important references for those who make cinema in Brazil, this is a great reward." Luiz Carlos Barreto had been hospitalized since Monday (20) at Copa Star Hospital, in Copacaba