Kleber Mendonça Filho

Cast · Director · Writer

Born

November 22, 1968 · Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Kleber Mendonça Filho is a Brazilian filmmaker whose career developed across criticism, programming, and directing, with work centered on film as both practice and reflection. Trained in journalism at UFPE, he began as a critic and curator before moving into directing through short-form experiments that shaped his later long-form approach. His work operates between fiction and documentary, often constructed through sound design, spatial observation, and historical memory, with Recife as a recurring setting. He has collaborated frequently with Juliano Dornelles and producer Emilie Lesclaux. His career includes major international recognition, including the Jury Prize at Cannes and the Best Director award at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.