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.
Helena Ignez

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- Name
- Helena Ignez
- Born
- 23 May 1942
- Birthplace
- Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Occupation
- Actress
- Nationality
- Brazil
- Education
- Federal University of Bahia
- Languages
- Spanish
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
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.
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Note VALÉORINE
Helena Ignez (born 1942) is a Brazilian actress, film director and screenwriter. The actress was born in Salvador. Helena Ignez studied at Federal University of Bahia. Languages used include Spanish.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q142626 · wikipedia · Helena Ignez
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Helena Ignez • Born — 23 May 1942 • Birthplace — Salvador, Bahia, Brazil • Occupation — Actress
Biography
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
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.
Acting
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 • Os Marginais — (segment "Guilherme") • O Engano — Esposa do Doutor • 1969 — A Mulher de Todos — Ângela Carne e Osso • Um Homem e Sua Jaula — Aeromoça • 1970 — Sem Essa, Aranha — Mulher • Os Monstros de Babaloo — Daughter • Cuidado Madame — Empregada • Copacabana Mon Amour — Sônia Silk • Barão Olavo, o Horrível — Isabel • A Família do Barulho • 1973 — Um Intruso no Paraíso • 1975 — Carnaval na Lama — Betty • 1986 — Nem Tudo É Verdade • 1992 — Perfume de Gardênia — Burglar • 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 • Meu Mundo em Perigo — Mãe de Ísis • 2008 — A Bela P... — Narradora — Video short • Encarnação do Demônio — Cabíria • 2009 — Hotel Atlântico — Dona da Pousada • 2012 — Jetlag — Mãe — Short • 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
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
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1997 — Você Decide • 1992 — Tereza Batista — Maricota • 1991 — Meu Marido — Promotora • 1968 — A Última Testemunha — Mina
On stage
On stage
• 1969 – Hair
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.NINJA. O feminismo pop de Helena Ignez.
- 2.Helena Ignez Filme B – o maior portal sobre o mercado de cinema no Brasil. www.filmeb.com.br.
- 3.G1 > Cinema – NOTÍCIAS – Diva do cinema marginal, Helena Ignez estreia como diretora em Gramado. g1.globo.com.
- 4.Governo do Estado de São Paulo, Imprensa Oficial do Estado de São Paulo, Coleção Aplauso Cinema Brasil, O Bandido da Luz Vermelha, roteiro e direção Rogério Sganzerlade [em linha ]
- 5.Cuidado Madame. Cinemateca Brasileira.
- 6.Jurando que Viu a Periquita. Porta Curtas.
- 7.Meu Mundo em Perigo – Crítica. Omelete.
- 8.Xavier. Curta Xavier.
- 9.Tereza Batista. Memória Globo.
- 10.Meu Marido. Memória Globo.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 August 2026.
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