Walter Salles

Known for: Directing
Born: April 12, 1956, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Movies: 52

Walter Moreira Salles Júnior (/ˈsɑːlɪs/; Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈvawteʁ ˈsalis]; born 12 April 1956) is a Brazilian filmmaker. A major figure of the Resumption Cinema in Brazil, Salles is widely regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian filmmakers of all time. His accolades include an Academy Award accepted for Best International Film, three Cannes Film Festival prizes, three Venice Film Festival prizes, two British Academy Film Awards, a Golden Bear and a Golden Globe.

He first became internationally known for his film Central Station (1998), which earned two Academy Awards nominations, for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actress for Fernanda Montenegro, winning a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film as well as the Golden Bear at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival. His subsequent works include Behind the Sun (2001), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), Dark Water (2005) and On the Road (2012). At the 97th Academy Awards, his critically acclaimed film I'm Still Here (2024) received a rare double nomination for Best Picture and Best International Feature; it won the latter, becoming the first Brazilian film to win an Academy Award in any category.

Heir to Itaú Unibanco, with a fortune valued at US$4.5 billion (R$24.26 billion), Salles is the third richest filmmaker in the world.

Best-Known Movies

8.4

City of God

2002

7.4

The Motorcycle Diaries

2004

7.9

I'm Still Here

2024

5.7

Dark Water

2005

8.1

Central Station

1998

5.6

On the Road

2012

6.8

Paris Je T'aime

2006

6.4

To Each His Own Cinema

2007

7.4

Behind the Sun

2001

7.0

Noah's Ark

2024

Filmography

2026	Each Day in a Moment: 2025	Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2025	Films to Die For	Self - Interviewee
2013	VINTE - RioFilme, 20 anos de cinema brasileiro	Self
2008	Critic	Self
2005	Beneath the Surface: The Making of 'Dark Water'	Self
2004	Traveling with Che Guevara	Self
2002	At the Edge of the Earth	Self
2002	Conquista Central Station - The 7 days of creation	Self
2001	A Linguagem do Cinema

Directing, Writing & Producing

2024	I'm Still Here	Director, Producer
2024	Noah's Ark	Producer
2023	The Movie Teller	Screenplay
2023	Mariner of the Mountains	Producer
2020	Narcissus Off Duty	Producer
2020	Burning Night	Producer
2019	Homing	Producer
2019	Unremember	Producer
2018	Vozes de Paracatu e Bento	Director
2017	When the Earth Trembles	Director, Producer
2017	Where Has Time Gone?	Director, Writer
2016	Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang	Director, Writer
2013	Venice 70: Future Reloaded	Director
2013	Habi, The Foreigner	Producer
2012	On the Road	Director
2010	The Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell	Producer
2009	Eye of the Storm	Producer
2008	Stories on Human Rights	Director
2008	Linha de Passe	Producer, Screenplay, Director
2008	Café de los maestros	Producer
2007	To Each His Own Cinema	Director
2007	8,944 km from Cannes	Director
2006	Love for Sale	Producer
2006	Paris Je T'aime	Director, Writer
2005	Lower City	Producer
2005	Dark Water	Director
2004	The Motorcycle Diaries	Director
2002	Madame Satã	Producer
2002	City of God	Producer
2002	Castanha e Caju Contra o Encouraçado Titanic	Director
2001	Behind the Sun	Screenplay, Director
1999	Adão ou Somos Todos Filhos da Terra	Director
1998	Midnight	Director, Writer
1998	Central Station	Screenplay, Director, Producer
1996	Foreign Land	Director, Writer
1995	Socorro Nobre	Director, Writer
1995	Antonio Carlos Jobim: An All-Star Tribute	Director
1992	João & Antônio	Director
1992	Circuladô	Director
1991	High Art	Director
1989	Marisa Monte: MM ao Vivo	Director
1989	Chico, or the Country of the Lost Delicacy	Director
1987	Krajcberg - O Poeta dos Vestígios	Director, Producer

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