Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1946, he became a Brazilian citizen in 1970. He directed the films: “The King of the Night” (1975, 45th Mostra), “Lucio Flávio” (1977), winner of the audience award at the 1st Mostra and re-screened at the 40th Mostra, “Pixote” (1981, 18th Mostra), “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1985, 9th Mostra), for which he was nominated for an Oscar for best director, “Ironweed” (1987), nominated for an Oscar for best actor and best actress, “At Play in the Fields of the Lord” (1991), “Foolish Heart” (1996), “Carandiru” (2003), “The Past” (2007, the title that opened the 31st Mostra), “The Man who Stole a Duck”, an episode of the feature film “Words with Gods” (2014, 38th Mostra), and “My Hindu Friend” (2015), the opening feature of the 39th Mostra. He won the Leon Cakoff Prize at the 37th Mostra, in recognition of his career. Babenco died in São Paulo, at the age of 70, in 2016.