Walter Salles

Walter Salles
Born	Walter Moreira Salles Jr. April 12, 1956 (1956-04-12) (age 53) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Other name(s)	Waltinho
Occupation	film director, producer and editor
Spouse(s)	Maria Klabin

Walter Moreira Salles Jr. (born April 12, 1956, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian filmmaker and film producer of international prominence. He is the son of Walter Moreira Salles, a Brazilian banker and ambassador, and the brother of João Moreira Salles, also a filmmaker. Both, along with two other brothers are heirs to the bank Unibanco, one of the largest and richest in South America.

Career

Salles attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.^[1]

Salles's first notable film was Terra Estrangeira (Foreign Land), released in Brazil in 1995. Locally, it was widely acclaimed by film critics and a minor box-office hit, and it was selected by over 40 film festivals worldwide. In 1998 he released Central do Brasil (Central Station) to widespread international acclaim and two Academy Awards nominations, for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Foreign Language Film. In 2001, Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun), starring Rodrigo Santoro, was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Golden Globes. Both films were produced by veteran Arthur Cohn and had worldwide distribution.

In 2003, Salles was voted one of the 40 Best Directors in the World by The Guardian.

His biggest international success has been Diarios de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries), a 2004 film about the life of young Ernesto Guevara, who later became known as Che Guevara. It was Salles's first foray as director of a film in a language other than his native Portuguese (Spanish, in this case) and quickly became a box-office hit in Latin America and Europe.

HIn 2005, Salles released his first English-language feature film, which is also his first Hollywood film, Dark Water, an adaptation of the 2002 Japanese film of the same name. He also helped to produce the Argentine picture Hermanas which was a major success.

Salles has reportedly signed on to direct José Rivera's screenplay adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, with Francis Ford Coppola producing. See also: On the Road (2007).^[2]

Awards

Terra Estrangeira

Won 8 international awards, including

• Rencontres Internationales de Cinéma de Paris, Audience Grand Prize
• Film Festival of Bergamo
• Film Festival of Belfort.

Central do Brasil

55 international awards, including:

• Academy Awards nomination:
  • Academy Award for Best Foreign Film
  • Academy Award for Best Actress (Fernanda Montenegro)
• Berlin International Film Festival
  • Golden Bear
• Golden Globe Awards
  • Best Foreign Film
• National Board of Review
  • Best Foreign Film
• British Academy Film Award
  • Best Foreign Film.

Abril Despedaçado

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association
  • Best Foreign Film (nominated)
• National Board of Review
  • Best Foreign Film (nominated)
• British Academy of Film and Television Arts
  • Best Foreign Film (nominated)
• Venice International Film Festival
  • Audience Award (Leoncino d'Oro)

The Motorcycle Diaries

• Hollywood Film Festival
  • Hollywood World Award
• Cannes Film Festival
  • Prize of the Ecumenical Jury^[3]
  • European Film Award (nominated)
• Academy Awards
  • Best Original Song (Al Otro Lado del Río), composed by Uruguayan Jorge Drexler.
  • Best Adapted Screenplay (nominated)

Main filmography

• On the Road (2009)
• Linha de Passe (2008)
• Paris, je t'aime (segment "Loin du 16e") (2006)
• Dark Water (2005)
• Diários de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries, 2004)
• Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun, 2001)
• O Primeiro Dia (Midnight, 1999)
• Central do Brasil (Central Station, 1998)
• Terra Estrangeira (Foreign Land, 1995)
• Socorro Nobre (Life Somewhere Else, 1995)
• A Grande Arte (Exposure, 1991)

References

External links

• Video interview with Walter Salles opening Cambridge Film Festival 2008 with "Linha de Passe" ITV Anglia
• Walter Salles at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Walter Salles at Cannes 2008 on "Linha de Passe" at IFC.com

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