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| Héctor Babenco Photo: Caiodovalle |
Héctor Babenco, the Argentine-born Brazilian director who became the first Latin American to be nominated for a Best Director Oscar in 1986, with Kiss Of The Spider Woman, has died at the age of 70. He reportedly suffered a heart attack in Sao Paolo on Wednesday night.
Babenco, who survived a bone marrow transplant to treat lymphatic cancer in 1994, made 13 films over the course of his career and also appeared as an actor in two, The Venice Project and Before Night Falls.
He was known for taking on the establishment, using his films to speak out about poverty, the treatment of gay people, and the brutality of the military dictatorship and once said: ""My strongest impulse has always been to flee from definitions, flags, and ideologies."
His last film, My Hindu Friend, starred Willem Dafoe in the role of a terminally ill film director. He is survived by his wife Barbara and daughters Janka and Myra.
