Walter Salles

"A filmmaker can never stray from their roots." Walter Salles is a Brazilian director, screenwriter, and producer known for his work in cinema. He earned a master's degree in audiovisual communication from the University of California and began his career directing documentaries and commercials. His first notable film was Foreign Land (1995), co-directed with Daniela Thomas. However, his international breakthrough came with Central Station (1998), which was nominated for two Academy Awards and won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Another of his major successes was The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), based on the travels of a young Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Throughout his career, he directed films such as Behind the Sun (2001), Dark Water (2005), and On the Road (2012), an adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s novel. Twelve years after his last feature film, Salles returned with Still Here, inspired by Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s book about the military dictatorship in Brazil. The film won the Academy Award for Best International Feature. With a filmography deeply committed to memory and identity, Walter Salles has established himself as one of the most important voices in Latin American cinema.