Researching Luiz Carvalho

Some critics compare Luiz Fernando Carvalho's productions to the Brazilian Cinema Novo and icons of film history such as Luchino Visconti and Andrei Tarkovsky. His work is characterized by visual and linguistic experimentation and exploration of the multiplicity of Brazil's cultural identity. The baroque style of overlays and interlacing of narrative genres, the relation to the moment in Time, the archetypal symbols of the Earth and the reflection on the language of social and family melodrama are features of the director's poetic language.

The filmmaker's works have met with both critical and public acclaim. He directed the film To the Left of the Father (Lavoura Arcaica) (2001), based on the homonymous novel by Raduan Nassar, cited by the critic Jean-Philippe Tessé in the French magazine Cahiers du Cinéma as a "ground-breaking promise of renovation, of an upheaval not seen in Brazilian cinema since Glauber Rocha, which won over 50 national and international awards. The telenovelas Renascer (Rebirth) (1993) and The King of the Cattle (O Rei do Gado) (1996), by screenwriter Benedito Ruy Barbosa and directed by Luiz Fernando Carvalho, are recognized as benchmarks of Brazilian television drama and achieved some of the highest audience ratings of the 1990s.

There is a marked contrast between the director's television works: from the pop design of the 60s in the series Ladies' Mail (Correio Feminino) (2013) to the classic rigor of the mini-series The Maias (Os Maias) (2001), the urban references of the working-class suburbs in the mini-series Suburbia (2012) to the playfulness of the soap My Little Plot of Land (Meu Pedacinho de Chão) (2014), the aesthetic research of the Sertão (backcountry) in Old River (Velho Chico) (2016) to the Brazilian fairytale of the mini-series Today is Maria's Day (Hoje É Dia de Maria) (2005) and the realistic universe of family tragedy in Two Brothers (Dois Irmãos) (2017).

The director's production process is renowned for identifying new talent from all over Brazil and for training actors, revealing new stars of the dramatic arts such as Letícia Sabatella, Eliane Giardini, Bruna Linzmeyer, Johnny Massaro, Irandhir Santos, Simone Spoladore, Caco Ciocler, Marcello Antony, Marco Ricca, Isabel Fillardis, Giselle Itié, Emilio Orciollo Netto, Sheron Menezes, Jackson Antunes, Maria Luísa Mendonça, Eduardo Moscovis, Jackson Costa, Leonardo Vieira, Cacá Carvalho, Luciana Braga, Julia Dalavia, Renato Góes, Cyria Coentro, Marina Nery, Júlio Machado, Bárbara Reis, Lee Taylor, Zezita de Matos, Mariene de Castro and Lucy Alves, among others. The director's actor coaching technique has given rise to a method recounted in the book O processo de criação dos atores de Dois Irmãos (The creation process of the actors in Dois Irmãos), by the photographer Leandro Pagliaro.

He swam for Esporte Clube Pinheiros and the Brazilian National team from 1975 to 1986. Started competitive swimming when he was 10 years old, won his first age-group national title in Curitiba in early 1975. During his career, won several individual Brazilian and South American Championships and records, beating the José Sylvio Fiolo's records in the 100-meter breaststroke, and Sérgio Ribeiro's records in the 200-meter breaststroke.

He was at the 1979 Pan American Games, in San Juan, where he finished 4th in the 4×100-metre medley (beating the South American Record), 8th in the 200-meter breaststroke, and 9th in the 100-meter breaststroke.

At the 1981 Summer Universiade, held in Bucharest, he won the bronze medal in the 4×100-metre medley. Also swam 100m and 200m breaststroke.

Participated at the 1982 World Aquatics Championships in Guayaquil, where he finished 8th in the 4×100-metre medley final, 15th in the 200-metre breaststroke, and 16th in the 100-metre breaststroke. Luiz Carvalho broke the oldest Brazilian record, who was José Fiolo's record since 1972, in the 100-metre breaststroke, with a time of 1:05.77, and went to the semifinals of the competition. The 4×100-metre medley Brazilian relay was also a finalist with brand new South American record.

At the 1983 Summer Universiade, in Edmonton, he finished 8th in the 100-metre breaststroke.

He was at the 1983 Pan American Games, in Caracas. He finished 5th in the 100-metre and 200-metre breaststroke, and 4th in the 4×100-metre medley, where Brazil broke the national record.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Carvalho finished 12th in the 4×100-metre medley, 24th in the 100-metre breaststroke, and was disqualified in the 200-metre breaststroke.

He participated at the 1985 Summer Universiade, in Kobe.

Participated at the 1986 World Aquatics Championships in Madrid, where he finished 32nd in the 200-metre breaststroke, and was disqualified in the 100-metre breaststroke.

In 1990, he went to live in the United States where he completed an MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management.