Rocha's film possess a staunch avant-garde and experimental nature, making of him a seminal figure of the new wave. His works are noted for their many political overtones, often addressing the passive-aggressive situation of the Third World, which Rocha referred to both metaphorically and objectively as "hunger" in his essay "Estética da Fome" ("The Aesthetics of Hunger"). Rocha won the Prix de la mise en scène at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival for "Antonio das Mortes" and the 1977 Special Jury Prize for Best Short Film for "Di". Three of Rocha's films were nominated for the Palme d'Or, including "Entranced Earth", which was awarded the FIPRESCI at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prix of the Locarno Film Festival of the same year.