Helena Ignez

Helena Ignez born May 23 1942 is a Brazilian actress and filmmaker Helena was born in Salvador Bahia and was attending her second year of law school when she fell in love with theater and decided to study the Dramatic Arts at the Federal University of Bahia At the time the Bahian theater scene was breaking with traditional Brazilian theater and experiencing strong influence from the young vanguard She first appeared on the screen in Glauber Rochas short film Pátio Helena acted in a few films associated with the Cinema Novo movement such as A Grande Feira 1961 Assalto ao Trem Pagador 1962 and O Padre e a Moça 1966 before playing Janete Jane in O Bandido da Luz Vermelha by Rogério Sganzerla After this film she would perform in some most significant films in the Cinema Marginal movement which directly opposed the critically acclaimed Cinema Novo the most remarkable being her role as Ângela Carne e Osso in A Mulher de Todos 1969 She also was a financial partner of Rogério Sganzerla and fellow Cinema Marginal filmmaker Júlio Bressane in the shortlived although prolific Belair production company Between 1968 and 1970 Sganzerla and Ignez made almost a dozen films together and were also married and had two children one of which would become actress Djin Sganzerla As a filmmaker Ignez has directed 7 films the most notable being Luz das Trevas 2010 a sequel to Sganzerlas debut feature O Bandido da Luz Vermelha 1968