Anselmo Duarte

Who was Anselmo Duarte?

Anselmo Duarte was a Brazilian actor, screenwriter and film director. His film O Pagador de Promessas won the Golden Palm at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival, and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His 1964 film The Obsessed of Catule was entered into the 15th Berlin International Film Festival. He also was a freemason.

The President of Brazil, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. awarded Duarte the Order of The Cultural Merit, Brazil's highest cultural civilian honor. The Governor of São Paulo, Jose Serra, awarded Duarte the Order of Ipiranga, which is the state’s highest civilian honor. Duarte was awarded titles of merit citizenship by numerous Brazilian municipalities including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Salto, his birthplace. In 2009, the municipality of Salto inaugurated a multi-million dollar cultural and educational centre, namely "Centro Cultural e Educacional Anselmo Duarte" housing a 500 audience amphitheatre for film and theatrical events. The centre also displays for public view the original "Golden Palm" awarded to Duarte in 1962 by the International Film Festival of Cannes, world's most prestigious motion picture event.