The director of more than 20 films, including “Xica da Silva” and “Bye Bye Brazil,” Diegues was a leading figure in Cinema Novo, a movement that emerged in the 1960s and used film to critique social inequality, drawing inspiration from the French New Wave and Italian neorealism.
“I received with great sorrow the news of the passing of Cacá Diegues, who throughout his life brought Brazil and Brazilian culture to the movie screens and captured the attention of the entire world,” Lula said.
Carlos Diegues, the renowned Brazilian filmmaker, died Friday in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Academy of Letters said.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Diegues’ films reflected Brazil ’s history, identity and creativity.
The filmmaker, widely known as Cacá Diegues, suffered complications after surgery, the academy said in a statement.
