Helena Ignez photo

Helena Ignez

Acting
1939-05-23
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Helena Ignez (Salvador, May 23, 1939) is a Brazilian actress and filmmaker.

Helena was born in Salvador, Bahia and was attending her second year of law school when she fell in love with theater and decided to study the Dramatic Arts at the Federal University of Bahia. At the time, the Bahian theater scene was breaking with traditional Brazilian theater and experiencing strong influence from the young vanguard. She first appeared on the screen in Glauber Rocha's short film "Pátio".

Helena acted in a few films associated with the Cinema Novo movement, such as "A Grande Feira" (1961), "Assalto ao Trem Pagador" (1962), and "O Padre e a Moça" (1966) before playing Janete Jane in O Bandido da Luz Vermelha by Rogério Sganzerla. After this film, she would perform in some most significant films in the Cinema Marginal movement, which directly opposed the critically acclaimed Cinema Novo -- the most remarkable being her role as Ângela Carne e "Osso in A Mulher de Todos" (1969).

She also was a financial partner of Rogério Sganzerla and fellow Cinema Marginal filmmaker Júlio Bressane in the short-lived, although prolific, Belair production company. Between 1968 and 1970, Sganzerla and Ignez made almost a dozen films together and were also married and had two children -- one of which would become actress Djin Sganzerla.

As a filmmaker, Ignez has directed 7 films, the most notable being "Luz das Trevas" (2010), a sequel to Sganzerla's debut feature "O Bandido da Luz Vermelha" (1968).
Known For 106 titles
Tereza Batista (1992) subtitle poster
Tereza Batista
1992 TV
as Maricota
Subtitles
Primavera nos Dentes – A História do Secos & Molhados (2025) subtitle poster
Primavera nos Dentes – A História do Secos & Molhados
2025 TV
as Self
Subtitles
The Red Light Bandit (1968) subtitle poster
The Red Light Bandit
1968 Movie
as Janete Jane
Subtitles
All Paulos in the World - Paulo José (2017) subtitle poster
All Paulos in the World - Paulo José
2017 Movie
Subtitles
Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional (1997) subtitle poster
Celebração - 100 Anos do Cinema Nacional
1997 Movie
as Self
Subtitles
Candango: Memoirs from a Festival (2020) subtitle poster
Candango: Memoirs from a Festival
2020 Movie
as Self
Subtitles
Oswaldianas (1992) subtitle poster
Oswaldianas
1992 Movie
Subtitles
Embodiment of Evil (2008) subtitle poster
Embodiment of Evil
2008 Movie
as Cabíria
Subtitles
It's Not All True (1986) subtitle poster
It's Not All True
1986 Movie
Subtitles
The Good Cinema (2021) subtitle poster
The Good Cinema
2021 Movie
Subtitles
A Grande Feira (1961) subtitle poster
A Grande Feira
1961 Movie
as Ely
Subtitles
The Monsters of Babaloo (1970) subtitle poster
The Monsters of Babaloo
1970 Movie
Subtitles
Mulheres de Cinema (1978) subtitle poster
Mulheres de Cinema
1978 Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Subtitles
The Long Voyage of the Yellow Bus (2023) subtitle poster
The Long Voyage of the Yellow Bus
2023 Movie
Subtitles
Eclipse (2026) subtitle poster
Eclipse
2026 Movie
Subtitles
Assault on the Pay Train (1962) subtitle poster
Assault on the Pay Train
1962 Movie
as Marta
Subtitles
The Priest and the Girl (1966) subtitle poster
The Priest and the Girl
1966 Movie
as Mariana
Subtitles
Brazilian Cinema in the 20th Century (2017) subtitle poster
Brazilian Cinema in the 20th Century
2017 Movie
as Self
Subtitles
Light in Darkness: The Return of Red Light Bandit (2012) subtitle poster
Light in Darkness: The Return of Red Light Bandit
2012 Movie
Subtitles
Face to Face (1967) subtitle poster
Face to Face
1967 Movie
as Luciana
Subtitles
The Outsiders (1968) subtitle poster
The Outsiders
1968 Movie
Subtitles
The Hullabaloo Family (1970) subtitle poster
The Hullabaloo Family
1970 Movie
as Prostituta
Subtitles
Memórias do Grupo Opinião (2019) subtitle poster
Memórias do Grupo Opinião
2019 Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Subtitles
The Welles Raft (2022) subtitle poster
The Welles Raft
2022 Movie
as Herself
Subtitles
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