“I have already lived my death, and now all that is left is to make a film about it.” So said the filmmaker Hector Babenco to actress Bárbara Paz when he realized he did not have much time left. She accepted the challenge to fulfil her late partner’s wish  – to be the main protagonist in his own death. In this tender immersion into his life, he consciously bares his soul in intimate and painful situations, and is open about his fears and anxieties, also memories, reflections and fantasies. Cinema was both Babenco’s medicine and the nourishment that kept him alive. Babenco is Bárbara Paz’s first feature film, but is also, in a way, Hector’s last work – a film about filming. To not die.

Babenco, one of South America’s most distinguished directors, for the most part focused on those most marginalized in society. He gained international recognition with “Pixote” (1980), about Brazilian street children who live their lives under the shadow of crime. In 1986, Babenco was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director for his film “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1985).