Rogério Sganzerla


Rogério Sganzerla was a Brazilian filmmaker. One of the main names of the cinema marginal underground movement, his most known work is The Red Light Bandit. Sganzerla was influenced by Orson Welles, Jean-Luc Godard, and José Mojica Marins, and often used clichés from film noir and pornochanchadas. Irony, narrative subversion and collage were trademarks of his film aesthetics.

Biography

Sganzerla was born in Joaçaba, in the state of Santa Catarina. During the 1960 decade he wrote for the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo as film reporter. In 1967 Sganzerla directed his first short film, Documentário. In 1968 he directed his first feature film, O Bandido da Luz Vermelha
In 1970 he founded the Bel-Air film company, together with Júlio Bressane. Headed by Sganzerla, the company produced the films Copacabana Mon Amour and Sem essa, aranha. In 1985 Sganzerla directed the docufiction Nem Tudo É Verdade about Orson Welles' arrival to Brazil to film his unfinished documentary It's All True.
Sganzerla died in 2004, of a brain tumor, shortly after finishing his last film O signo do caos.

Filmography

YearOriginal titleEnglish release titleLanguageNotes
1966Documentário' Portuguese
1968O Bandido da Luz VermelhaThe Red Light BanditPortuguese
1969A Mulher de TodosThe Woman of EveryonePortuguese
1969HQ PortugueseCo-directed with Álvaro de Moya. Short documentary on the evolution of comic books since The Yellow Kid until Spirit.
1969Quadrinhos no Brasil PortugueseShort documentary on comic books in Brazil.
1970Carnaval na LamaPortuguese
1970Sem Essa, AranhaPortuguese
1970Copacabana Mon AmourPortuguese
1971Fora do Baralho Portuguese
1977Viagem e Descrição do Rio Guanabara por Ocasião da França Antártica Portuguese
1978Mudança de Hendrix PortugueseShort documentary on Jimi Hendrix. Filming began in 1971.
1980AbismuThe AbyssPortugueseAlso known as O Abismo. Produced in 1977.
1981Noel por Noel PortugueseShort homage to Noel Rosa.
1981Brasil PortugueseShort documentation of Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia and João Gilberto during the recording of the collaborative album Brasil.
1981A Cidade do Salvador PortugueseShort documentary on the economy growth after petroleum exploration in Salvador, Bahia.
1983Irani PortugueseShort documentary on parades commemorating the anniversary of the Guerra do Contestado in Irani, Santa Catarina.
1986Nem Tudo É VerdadePortuguese
1986Ritos Populares: Umbanda no Brasil PortugueseShort documentary on Umbanda in Brazil.
1990Isto é Noel Rosa PortugueseMedium-length documentary on Noel Rosa.
1990A Linguagem de Orson Welles Welles' LanguagePortugueseShort documentary on Orson Welles' stay in Brazil during production of It's All True.
1990Anônimo e Incomum PortugueseShort documentary on plastic artist Antônio Manuel.
1992Perigo Negro PortugueseBased on Marco Zero by Oswald de Andrade. Segment of Oswaldianas.
1992América: O Grande Acerto de Vespúcio PortugueseTheatrical monologue based on Amerigo Vespucci's "novus mundus" letter.
1997Tudo É Brasil All Is BrazilPortugueseA film essay about Brazil discovered through Orson Welles eyes during the shooting of It's All True.
2001B2 PortugueseCo-directed with Sylvio Renoldi. Short documentary made up of unused footage from The Red Light Bandit and Carnaval na Lama.
2003Informação: H. J. Koellreutter PortugueseShort documentary on Hans-Joachim Koellreutter.
2005O Signo do CaosThe Sign of Chaos''PortugueseAlso known as "O Anti Filme". Produced in 2003.