# Helena Ignez

Helena Ignez (born May 23, 1942) is a Brazilian actress and filmmaker who participated in the Cinema Marginal movement during the 1960s and 70s alongside Rogério Sganzerla and Glauber Rocha.

## Biography

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 Rocha's film Pátio.

## Cinema Marginal

Helena acted in a few more films, 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, the most noted being her role as Ângela Carne e Osso in A Mulher de Todos (1969). She also was a financial partner in Rogério Sganzerla and Júlio Bressane Belair production company. Between 1968 and 1970, Sganzerla and Ignez made almost a dozen films together and were also married and had two children. In 1972 she took a turn in her career and decided to film in Europe, the United States and Africa, making an untitled super-8 film.

## Filmography
### Film
#### Acting

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1959 | O Pátio | Jovem no Pátio | Short |
| 1961 | A Grande Feira | Ely | |
| 1962 | O Assalto ao Trem Pagador | Marta | |
| 1964 | O Grito da Terra | | |
| 1965 | O Padre e a Moça | Mariana | |
| 1967 | Cara a Cara | Luciana | |
| 1968 | O Bandido da Luz Vermelha | Janete Jane | |
| 1968 | Os Marginais | | (segment "Guilherme") |
| 1968 | O Engano | Esposa do Doutor | |
| 1969 | A Mulher de Todos | Ângela Carne e Osso | |
| 1969 | Um Homem e Sua Jaula | Aeromoça | |
| 1970 | Sem Essa, Aranha | Mulher | |
| 1970 | Os Monstros de Babaloo | Daughter | |
| 1970 | Cuidado Madame | Empregada | |
| 1970 | Copacabana Mon Amour | Sônia Silk | |
| 1970 | Barão Olavo, o Horrível | Isabel | |
| 1970 | A Família do Barulho | | |
| 1973 | Um Intruso no Paraíso | | |
| 1975 | Carnaval na Lama | Betty | |
| 1986 | Nem Tudo É Verdade | | |
| 1992 | Perfume de Gardênia | Burglar | |
| 1992 | Oswaldianas | | (segment "Perigo Negro") |
| 1993 | Perigo Negro | | |
| 1999 | São Jerônimo | Marcela | |
| 2005 | O Signo do Caos | Guida | |
| 2007 | Jurando que Viu a Periquita | Rainha da Amazônia | Short |
| 2007 | Meu Mundo em Perigo | Mãe de Ísis | |
| 2008 | A Bela P... | Narradora | Video short |
| 2008 | Encarnação do Demônio | Cabíria | |
| 2009 | Hotel Atlântico | Dona da Pousada | |
| 2012 | Jetlag | Mãe | Short |
| 2012 | A Balada do Provisório | | |
| 2013 | Desculpa, Dona Madama | | Short |
| 2014 | Paixão e Virtude | Gustave Flaubert | |
| 2016 | Xavier | Professora | Short, Voice |
| 2016 | Ralé | Sonia Silk | |
| 2017 | Antes do Fim | Helena | |
| 2018 | A Moça do Calendário | Narrator | |
| 2019 | Tragam-me a Cabeça de Carmen M. | Diretora | |

#### Directing

Key :
| † | Indicates a documentary | ‡ | Indicates a short film |
List of films directed by Helena Ignez :
| Year | Original title | English release title | Language(s) | Notes |
| 2005 | A Miss e o Dinossauro $^†$ | | Portuguese | Short documentary on the Bel-Air film production company. |
| 2007 | Canção de Baal | Canção de Baal | Portuguese | Co-directed with Michele Matalon. Based on Baal, by Bertolt Brecht. |
| 2010 | Luz nas Trevas: A Volta do Bandido da Luz Vermelha | Light in Darkness: The Return of the Red Light Bandit | Portuguese | Co-directed with Ícaro Martins. |
| 2013 | Poder dos Afetos $^‡$ | Power of Affections | Portuguese | |
| 2013 | Feio, Eu? $^†$ | | Portuguese | Brazilian-indian-french co-production. |
| 2016 | Ralé | Ralé | Portuguese | |
| 2018 | A Moça do Calendário | My Calendar Girl | Portuguese | |

## Television

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1997 | Você Decide | — |
| 1992 | Tereza Batista | Maricota |
| 1991 | Meu Marido | Promotora |
| 1968 | A Última Testemunha | Mina |

## On stage

* 1969 – Hair