Bárbara Paz
Actress, director and producer
Bárbara Paz is a Brazilian actress, director, and producer. In 2013, for her trajectory as an actress, she was awarded the Knight Medal 2013 by the Ministry of Culture, Honor of Cultural Merit from the Ministry of Culture. In theater, she has worked in over 25 plays, starring in productions from Oscar Wilde to Tennessee Williams.
In television, Bárbara has participated in various series and soap operas. For four years, she hosted the program "Arte do Encontro" on Canal Brasil, where she interviewed prominent figures in the Brazilian artistic scene.
In cinema, as an actress, she has appeared in several feature-length and short films, including "My Hindu Friend," Hector Babenco's last film, alongside Willem Dafoe.
As a director, she ventured into the world of short films, producing and directing programs and films. The documentary "Babenco - Tell Me When I Die" (2019), her first feature-length film, premiered at the Venice International Film Festival - where it received the Venice Classics Award for Best Documentary. Since its premiere, the film has traveled the world to various festivals, receiving awards in China, India, and Chile. It won 4 awards at the 2021 Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro, including Best Documentary and Best First Direction for Bárbara. The film was nominated to represent Brazil as Best International Film at the Oscars.
As an author, she published the book "Mr. Babenco, soliloquy for two without one" (Memories and poems by Hector Babenco) in 2018.
During the 2 years of social isolation, Bárbara created a visual diary of her loneliness, with photos and video art. She also directed the short film about loneliness called "Act," filmed in Ouro Preto during this period. The film premiered the following year, 2021, at the Venice International Film Festival and received the Grande Otelo for Best Fiction Short Film at the Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro.
Currently, Bárbara is exhibiting "Self-Accusation," which includes photos/videos, installation, and performance, and is in the development phase of her next film.