Passing of Nelson Pereira dos Santos

It was with deep sadness that I received the news on the passing of Director Nelson Pereira dos Santos. Brazil has lost one of its most important and awarded artists, endowed with exceptional talent and creativity.

Throughout his career, Pereira dos Santos directed and produced iconic works such as "Vidas Secas" and "Memórias do Cárcere". He inspired generations of filmmakers in Brazil and abroad since the 1950s when, under the influence of the Italian neorealism, he directed films such as "Rio 40 Degrees" and became a forerunner of the “Cinema Novo” movement. Nelson Pereira dos Santos was the first filmmaker to occupy a chair at the “Academia Brasileira de Letras” and was one of the Brazilians nationals who contributed the most to the enhancement the image of our culture abroad.

I express my condolences to the relatives and friends of Nelson Pereira dos Santos, on my behalf and on behalf of Itamaraty.

Aloysio Nunes Ferreira