Tata Amaral (born 1960, in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

) is a Brazilian director, writer, producer and actress. She has won various awards across

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

, including 'Best director' and 'Best film'. At a young age, Tata lost the father of her daughter. As a mother and widow, she struggled financially to pursue a career in filmmaking. Under the military dictatorship (a time that saw a rise to censorship of the arts), she participated in rallies orchestrated by the leftist, student movement. Tata received help from Brazilian state programs that financed films throughout the 1980s. She has remained sided with the Worker's Party, as is evident in her work. She became associated with other

directors Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of the 1990s known for restoring

Brazilian cinema Brazilian cinema was introduced early in the 20th century but took some time to consolidate itself as a popular form of entertainment. The film industry of Brazil has gone through periods of ups and downs, a reflection of its dependency on state ...

to a level of commercial and critical success. Her trilogy (''Um Céu de Estrelas, Através de Janela, Antônia)'' portrays three different stages in a woman's life: birth, maturity, and death. ''Antônia'' was picked up by

TV Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Gr ...

and made into a television series, just as '' City of God'' had been adapted for television in ''

City of Men ''Cidade dos Homens'' (English title: ''City of Men'') is a Brazilian television show created by Kátia Lund and Fernando Meirelles, the directors of the film '' City of God''. The series was watched by 35 million viewers in Brazil and was relea ...

.'' Tata's films are often politically and/or socially charged. Several themes that are recurring in her films include the Brazilian dictatorship, poverty in the

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...

s, women's role in society and the contemporary urban culture of Brazil.

Filmography

* 2014 - ''Psi'' (TV series) * 2013 - ''Trago Comigo'' * 2011 - '' Hoje'' * 2010 - ''Carnaval dos Deuses'' (short) * 2009 - ''Trago Comigo'' (TV series) * 2009 - ''O Rei do Carimã'' (TV documentary) * 2007 - ''Antônia'' (TV series) * 2006 - '' Antônia'' * 2000 - ''Através da Janela'' * 1996 - ''Um Céu de Estrelas'' * 1991 - ''Viver a Vida'' (short) * 1988 - ''História Familiar'' (short) * 1986 - ''Poema: Cidade'' (documentary short)

External links

Tata Amaral: interview with TimeOut Sào Paulo

Antonia

indieWIRE Interview

References

3. Bayman, Louis, and Natália Pinazza. ''Directory of World Cinema: Brazil''. Bristol: Intellect, 2013. Web. 4. Marsh, Leslie Louise. ''Embodying Citizenship in Brazilian Women's Film, Video, and Literature, 1971 To 1988''. Diss. U of Michigan, 2008. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Microform, 2009. Print. 5. Marsh, Leslie L. ''Brazilian Women's Filmmaking: From Dictatorship to Democracy''. Urbana: U of Illinois, 2013. Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Web. 1961 births Living people Brazilian film directors {{Brazil-film-director-stub