Tunga (real name: Paulo César de Araújo) is a Brazilian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for his unique style of filmmaking and has received critical acclaim for his work in both feature films and short films.
Tunga was born in 1961 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He graduated from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s School of Communication in 1984, and soon after, he started working as an assistant director in the early stages of his career. He then moved to São Paulo, where he worked in the production of several television programs.
In the early 1990s, Tunga made his first short film, entitled “Ciclo” (Cycle). The film was well-received by critics and won several awards, including the Special Jury Prize at the São Paulo International Film Festival. Following this success, Tunga directed his first feature film, “Viola” (Violin), which was released in 1996. The film won several awards, including the Best Cinematography Award at the Havana Film Festival.
Tunga’s next feature film, “The Year of the Rat” (2000), was his most successful film to date. The film was nominated for several awards, including the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It also earned Tunga an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
Tunga has directed a number of other feature films, including “The Little Book of Life” (2003), “The Promised Land” (2011), and “The Garden of God” (2015). He has also directed several documentaries, including “The Amazon: The History of a Forest” (2007) and “The Island of the Lost Souls” (2014).
Throughout his career, Tunga has received numerous awards and recognition, including the International Film Critics Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Berlinale Camera at the Berlin International Film Festival, and the Jean Vigo Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He has also been nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival four times.
Tunga is considered one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation and has had a major influence on contemporary Latin American cinema. His films have been praised for their unique visual style and for their exploration of themes such as family, identity, and the human
