Suzana Amaral facts for kids

Suzana Amaral Rezende (born March 28, 1932 – died June 25, 2020) was a famous Brazilian film director and writer for movies. She was best known for her 1985 film A Hora da Estrela, which means Hour of the Star.

Becoming a Film Director

Suzana Amaral started her film career when she was 37 years old. She joined the film school at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. After finishing her studies, she taught at the university for three years.

Then, she began working for Radio and Television Cultura. Over 14 years, she created about 50 documentaries, films, and plays for the station. In 1976, she moved to New York City. There, she studied film at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She finished her degree in 1978.

Hour of the Star Film

Suzana Amaral's first major film was A Hora da Estrela (Hour of the Star). It was released in 1985 and became her most famous work. The movie was based on a book by Clarice Lispector. It tells the story of a young woman named Macabéa (Marcélia Cartaxo) who lives in São Paulo and faces many challenges.

The film was very popular when it came out. It was even considered for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also shown at the 36th Berlin International Film Festival. At this festival, the actress Marcélia Cartaxo won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award for her role.

A Hora da Estrela won several other awards too. It won "Best Picture" at the 1985 Brasilia Film Festival, and Suzana Amaral won "Best Director." The film also won "Best Picture" at the 1986 Havana Film Festival. Suzana Amaral was also named "Best Director" at the 1986 International Woman's Film Festival.

The movie was made very quickly, in just four weeks. It cost about $150,000 to make, and most of the money came from a company called Embrafilme. The success of A Hora da Estrela made Suzana Amaral well-known right away. While her other films were good, none became as famous as this one.

Her Personal Life

Suzana Amaral had nine children. One of her children was born while she was studying film in São Paulo. She once said that she spent 10 years completely focused on being a mother before she decided to follow her dream of making movies. She was divorced.

Suzana Amaral loved Bollywood films from India. She was also a Buddhist.

Films Directed by Suzana Amaral

Key

Indicates a documentary

Indicates a short film

List of films directed by Suzana Amaral

Year	Original title	English release title	Language(s)	Notes
1970	A Semana de 22		Portuguese	A short documentary about the Modern Art Week of 1922.
1971	Sua Majestade Piolin		Portuguese	A short documentary about the famous clown Piolin.
1980	Projeto Pensamentos e Linguagem		Portuguese	A series of 15 short films for training elementary school teachers.
1985	A Hora da Estrela	Hour of the Star	Portuguese
1992	Procura-se		Portuguese	A TV mini-series made in Portugal.
2001	Uma Vida em Segredo	A Hidden Life	Portuguese
2009	Hotel Atlântico		Portuguese
2018	O Caso Morel		Portuguese

See also

In Spanish: Suzana Amaral para niños