Helena Ignez

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

112

Gender

Female

Birthday

1939-05-23 (86 years old)

Place of Birth

Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Helena Ignez

Biography

Helena Ignez (Salvador, May 23, 1939) is a Brazilian actress and filmmaker. 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 short film "Pátio". Helena acted in a few films associated with the Cinema Novo movement, 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, which directly opposed the critically acclaimed Cinema Novo -- the most remarkable being her role as Ângela Carne e "Osso in A Mulher de Todos" (1969). She also was a financial partner of Rogério Sganzerla and fellow Cinema Marginal filmmaker Júlio Bressane in the short-lived, although prolific, Belair production company. Between 1968 and 1970, Sganzerla and Ignez made almost a dozen films together and were also married and had two children -- one of which would become actress Djin Sganzerla. As a filmmaker, Ignez has directed 7 films, the most notable being "Luz das Trevas" (2010), a sequel to Sganzerla's debut feature "O Bandido da Luz Vermelha" (1968).

Known For

  • Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional

    Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional

  • Joy Is the Acid Test

    Joy Is the Acid Test

  • Sinais de Cinza, A Peleja de Olney Contra o Dragão da Maldade

    Sinais de Cinza, A Peleja de Olney Contra o Dragão da Maldade

  • Light in Darkness: The Return of Red Light Bandit

    Light in Darkness: The Return of Red Light Bandit

  • If I'm Here It Is by Mystery

    If I'm Here It Is by Mystery

  • Nova Pasta, Antigo Baú

    Nova Pasta, Antigo Baú

  • O Mel é Mais Doce Que o Sangue

    O Mel é Mais Doce Que o Sangue

  • Brazilian Cinema in the 20th Century

    Brazilian Cinema in the 20th Century

  • All Paulos in the World - Paulo José

    All Paulos in the World - Paulo José

  • Watch Out, Madame

    Watch Out, Madame

  • The Outsiders

    The Outsiders

  • Assault on the Pay Train

    Assault on the Pay Train

  • A Man and His Cage

    A Man and His Cage

  • The Hullabaloo Family

    The Hullabaloo Family

  • Estátua!

    Estátua!

  • Hotel Atlântico

    Hotel Atlântico

  • Ralé: The Lower Depths

    Ralé: The Lower Depths

  • Flesh

    Flesh

  • Abry

    Abry

  • Nosferatu

    Nosferatu

  • Ugly, Me?

    Ugly, Me?

  • The Long Voyage of the Yellow Bus

    The Long Voyage of the Yellow Bus

  • Belair

    Belair

  • Fakir

    Fakir

  • The Mother

    The Mother

  • Candango: Memoirs from a Festival

    Candango: Memoirs from a Festival

  • Spray Jet

    Spray Jet

  • Meu Mundo em Perigo

    Meu Mundo em Perigo

  • O Cinema Foi à Feira

    O Cinema Foi à Feira

  • Terno

    Terno

  • Flesh

    Flesh

  • Mulher Oceano

    Mulher Oceano

  • Desculpa, Dona Madama

    Desculpa, Dona Madama

  • Mr. Sganzerla: Os Signos da Luz

    Mr. Sganzerla: Os Signos da Luz

  • The Red Light Bandit

    The Red Light Bandit

  • Extracts

    Extracts

  • It's Not All True

    It's Not All True

  • O Pátio

    O Pátio

  • The Priest and the Girl

    The Priest and the Girl

  • Flying Geraldo

    Flying Geraldo

  • A Mulher da Luz Própria

    A Mulher da Luz Própria

  • Embodiment of Evil

    Embodiment of Evil

  • Baron Olavo, The Horrible

    Baron Olavo, The Horrible

  • Avacalha e se Esculhamba

    Avacalha e se Esculhamba

  • Inaudito

    Inaudito

  • Memórias do Grupo Opinião

    Memórias do Grupo Opinião

  • A Vermelha Luz do Bandido

    A Vermelha Luz do Bandido

  • Tereza Batista

    Tereza Batista

  • No Way, Spider

    No Way, Spider

  • The Woman of Everyone

    The Woman of Everyone

  • Not Even God Is As Fair As Your Jeans

    Not Even God Is As Fair As Your Jeans

  • Subterrânea

    Subterrânea

  • Esse fim de semana vou me dedicar as paredes

    Esse fim de semana vou me dedicar as paredes

  • Mulheres de Cinema

    Mulheres de Cinema

  • Memoirs of a Strangler of Blondes

    Memoirs of a Strangler of Blondes

  • O Desmonte do Monte

    O Desmonte do Monte

  • The Monsters of Babaloo

    The Monsters of Babaloo

  • A Grande Feira

    A Grande Feira

  • Face To Face

    Face To Face

  • The Welles Raft

    The Welles Raft

  • A Bela P...

    A Bela P...

  • A Última Vanguarda

    A Última Vanguarda

  • Ensaio Sobre o Fracasso

    Ensaio Sobre o Fracasso

  • The Good Cinema

    The Good Cinema

  • Race Antenna

    Race Antenna

  • Benjamim Zambraia e o Autopanóptico

    Benjamim Zambraia e o Autopanóptico

  • Oswaldianas

    Oswaldianas

  • Helena de Guaratiba

    Helena de Guaratiba

  • Anônimo e incomum

    Anônimo e incomum

  • Um Documentário Brasileiro

    Um Documentário Brasileiro

  • A Balada do Provisório

    A Balada do Provisório

  • Grito da Terra

    Grito da Terra

  • Trópico de Leão

    Trópico de Leão

  • Paixão e Virtude

    Paixão e Virtude

  • The Sign of Chaos

    The Sign of Chaos

  • Um Intruso no Paraíso

    Um Intruso no Paraíso

  • The End of an Age

    The End of an Age

  • Rio de Topless

    Rio de Topless

  • Deuses da Peste

    Deuses da Peste

  • Era Preciso Voltar

    Era Preciso Voltar

  • Fogo Baixo, Alto Astral

    Fogo Baixo, Alto Astral

  • Message from Sergipe

    Message from Sergipe

  • Urna de Escaras Velhas

    Urna de Escaras Velhas

  • Antes do Fim

    Antes do Fim

  • Bring me the Head of Carmen M.

    Bring me the Head of Carmen M.

  • The Lady Who Died in the Trailer

    The Lady Who Died in the Trailer

  • Primavera nos Dentes – A História do Secos & Molhados

    Primavera nos Dentes – A História do Secos & Molhados

  • Copacabana Mon Amour

    Copacabana Mon Amour

  • Venus – Filly the Lesbian Little Fairy

    Venus – Filly the Lesbian Little Fairy

  • Copacabana, Mon Amour: A Restauração

    Copacabana, Mon Amour: A Restauração

  • Love Film Festival

    Love Film Festival

  • Glauber Rocha - The Movie, Brazil's Labyrinth

    Glauber Rocha - The Movie, Brazil's Labyrinth

  • My Calendar Girl

    My Calendar Girl

  • Scent of Gardenias

    Scent of Gardenias

  • São Jerônimo

    São Jerônimo

  • Gravidade

    Gravidade

  • Poder dos Afetos

    Poder dos Afetos

  • Helena Zero

    Helena Zero

  • Reinvenção da Rua

    Reinvenção da Rua

  • Natureza Morta

    Natureza Morta

  • A Miss e o Dinossauro

    A Miss e o Dinossauro

  • Eclipse

    Eclipse

  • In Memoriam: O Roteiro do Gravador

    In Memoriam: O Roteiro do Gravador

  • Perigo Negro

    Perigo Negro

  • O Engano

    O Engano

  • B2

    B2

  • Nelson Carneiro: Knight of Democracy

    Nelson Carneiro: Knight of Democracy

  • Ossos

    Ossos

  • Retrato da Terra

    Retrato da Terra

  • Febre

    Febre

  • Carnaval na Lama

    Carnaval na Lama

  • Luz-Lux-Lúcia

    Luz-Lux-Lúcia