A former poet, journalist and film critic, Carlos Diegues, born in 1940 in the Brazilian Nordeste, emerged as one of the foremost proponents of Brazil's Cinema Novo movement (akin to the French New Wave). Since making his first features in the early 1960s, he has explored various aspects of Brazilian life in political, social and historical contexts, with particular emphasis on slavery and its legacy to his native land's culture. His films started debates in Brazil, provoking both the critics and the audience by its novelty. His film "Xica Da Silva" started a new period in the Cinema Novo movement, and encountered great public success.