Daniel Filho

Directing

Daniel Filho

Born 1937-09-30 · Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

João Carlos Daniel Filho, better known as Daniel Filho (Rio de Janeiro, September 30, 1937), is a Brazilian actor, director, filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, voice actor, presenter and author. Responsible for triggering an aesthetic revolution in Brazilian TV during the 1970s, he became a Midas of popular cinema in Brazil during the 2000s. He created one blockbuster after another, many adapted from the theatre. The "Se Eu Fosse Você" (If I Were You) franchise (2006-09), featuring Tony Ramos and Gloria Pires - famous for their soap opera roles, sold more than 9 million tickets.

Acting credits

Critic poster
7.9

Seventy critics and filmmakers discuss cinema around the conflict between the artist and the observer, the creator and the critic. Between 1998 and 2007, Kléber Mendonça Filho recorded testimonies about this relationship in Brazil, the United States and Europe, based on his experience as a critic.

Critic

2008

The Unscrupulous Ones poster
6.3

Upon learning that his rich dad is on the brink of bankruptcy, spoiled Vavá summons his friend Jandir with a plan to get some quick cash: they will blackmail an uncle of Vavá by taking compromising photos of his lover, Leda.

The Unscrupulous Ones

1962

O Casal poster
9.0

The story of the first steps of a very young couple. Their love is great, as are the financial obstacles and an unexpected pregnancy.

O Casal

1975

(Des)controle poster
6.9

At a turbulent time in her life and career, an overwhelmed writer seeking relief returns to drinking after 15 years of sobriety, but goes from a simple glass of wine to total loss of control.

(Des)controle

2026

What are you Laughing At? Humour and Dictatorship poster
NR

Even with all the brutality in the Brazilian dictatorial period, many artists presented themselves as a resistance, using their talent and creativity as a way to trick the censorship.

What are you Laughing At? Humour and Dictatorship

2018

Just Another Christmas poster
7.3

After taking a very nasty fall on Christmas Eve, grinchy Jorge blacks out and wakes up one year later, with no memory of the year that has passed. He soon realizes that he’s doomed to keep waking up on Christmas Eve after Christmas Eve, having to deal with the aftermath of what his other self has done the other 364 days of the year.

Just Another Christmas

2020

No artwork available
NR

Documentary about Brazilian actress Sandra Bréa.

La Bréa

Resta Um poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Resta Um

O Descarte poster
5.0

After Cláudia, haunted by her husband’s death on a car crash, starts a romance with another man, she starts receiving threatening letters.

O Descarte

1973

Tributo: Boni poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Tributo: Boni

2024

O Amuleto poster
1.6

Moçambique beach in Florianópolis, have a lot of unsolved murders cases. One day, Diana, Alex, Paulinho and Marcinha went to a party in the forest. In the next day, three teenagers are found death. Diana is the only survivor, but she doesn't remember what happen. The only thing that will help to solve the case is the videos recorded with their cell phones.

O Amuleto

2015

Milton Gonçalves, Além do Espetáculo poster
NR

This biopic documents the life and work of one of Brazil’s most prolific artists: Milton Gonçalves. This actor and director are credited with more than sixty television titles, seventy movies and twenty plays. Known from classic full-length features like Macunaíma, They Don't Wear Black Tie and Kiss of the Spider Woman, his dramatic versatility also encompasses major Brazilian soap operas, including O Bem Amado and Roque Santeiro. With his talent, he overcame barriers faced by many Black performers in Brazil. An active on-screen and on-stage presence since the 1950s, his name is synonymous with the history of Brazilian television, theatre and cinema, making him a landmark talent in the performing arts world.

Milton Gonçalves, Além do Espetáculo

2025

Federal Bank Heist poster
6.3

"The Baron" wanted to commit the perfect heist involving 3 tons of money and no violence. For this he would need the right people willing to get 1 million dollars to take part in this job. Based on true events, in 2005, 168,000,000 Brazilian Real (almost 80,000,000 US dollars) were stolen from a Brazilian Central Bank (Federal Reserve), making it the biggest peace-time robbery in history. It was perhaps the most audacious bank heist ever.

Federal Bank Heist

2011

Armando Costa: “Televisão pra Mim Não é Bico” poster
NR

Armando Costa was one of Brazil's most successful authors, both in terms of audience and critical acclaim, responsible for shows like "A Grande Família" and "Malu Mulher." Despite this, he didn't care about fame or signing his works.

Armando Costa: “Televisão pra Mim Não é Bico”

2024

Cheer to Life poster
6.8

Jéssica is a simple young woman, dedicated to her job at an antique shop in Rio de Janeiro, but she feels her life lacks purpose. Everything changes when she finds a mysterious locket identical to an item she inherited from her late mother. Driven by the desire to understand the connection between the locket and her family history, Jéssica teams up with Gabriel, a distant relative who appears unexpectedly.

Cheer to Life

2025

Mirror of Flesh poster
4.3

A mirror bought in an auction changes the life of an executive and his wife. They become sexually aroused under the influence of the strange object, which belonged to a bordello in the past. Soon the friends who come to pay a visit also become affected by it.

Mirror of Flesh

1984

If I Were You poster
6.4

The publicist Claudio and the housewife and choral teacher Helena have been married for many years, but they do not understand and respect the feelings and view point of the partner. Claudio sees Helena as a shopper and "little teacher of a choral" and Helena sees Claudio as an insensitive and rough man. On the night before the fiftieth anniversary of Claudio, they changed places with each other.

If I Were You

2006

Paulo Gracindo - O Bem Amado poster
5.8

The life of a famous Brazilian film and television actor, including testimonials from people who knew him and worked with him, as well as excerpts from films and videos in which he acted.

Paulo Gracindo - O Bem Amado

2009

Tieta of Agreste poster
6.7

After being exiled for 26 years, Tieta returns to her native village in Bahia, bringing chaos and upheaving the local order.

Tieta of Agreste

1996

No artwork available
6.4

On Alberto's birthday, his daughter Zezé gets engaged. But the party turns sour when he decides to expose his pain and regrets.

Darling Stranger

2002

Rindo à Toa: Humor Sem Limites poster
NR

A portrays of the period in which Brazilian humor had fewer limits (1986-2003), free from military dictatorship.

Rindo à Toa: Humor Sem Limites

2018

No artwork available
5.3

The dictator of a small Caribbean island receives the New York Times daily, sent by a nephew. Through the newspaper, he gets in touch with the world. Guerrilla groups try to neutralize this information system.

Tanga (Deu no New York Times?)

1987

The Body poster
7.0

Xavier, a pharmacist, lives peacefully in bigamy with his two women, Carmen and Beatriz, but the harmony breaks down when they find he has another lover, Monique, a nightclub dancer.

The Body

1991

The Story of Fausta poster
6.5

An unhappily married cleaning woman in the slums of Rio entices all the money and gifts she can out of an elderly widower.

The Story of Fausta

1988

Behind the camera

City of God poster
8.4

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

City of God

2002

Pobre Príncipe Encantado poster
10.0

Wanderley, a young and dreamy Army parachutist, arrives in Teresópolis, a resort mountain town, to enjoy his holidays with his father, a housekeeper for a rich family. Wandering around the woods, he meets Débora, an extremely good-looking girl, but doesn't reveal his true identity, saying only he was a Prince Charming in search of a Sleeping Beauty.

Pobre Príncipe Encantado

1969

Pobre Príncipe Encantado poster
10.0

Wanderley, a young and dreamy Army parachutist, arrives in Teresópolis, a resort mountain town, to enjoy his holidays with his father, a housekeeper for a rich family. Wandering around the woods, he meets Débora, an extremely good-looking girl, but doesn't reveal his true identity, saying only he was a Prince Charming in search of a Sleeping Beauty.

Pobre Príncipe Encantado

1969

Hipertensão poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Hipertensão

1986

O Casal poster
9.0

The story of the first steps of a very young couple. Their love is great, as are the financial obstacles and an unexpected pregnancy.

O Casal

1975

O Casal poster
9.0

The story of the first steps of a very young couple. Their love is great, as are the financial obstacles and an unexpected pregnancy.

O Casal

1975

O Casal poster
9.0

The story of the first steps of a very young couple. Their love is great, as are the financial obstacles and an unexpected pregnancy.

O Casal

1975

O Cangaceiro Trapalhão poster
5.8

Severino do Quixadá (Renato Aragão), a humble northeastern shepherd of goats, rescues Captain Virgulano or simply Captain (Nelson Xavier) and his band of cangaceiros of an ambush armed by the lieutenant Zé Bezerra (Jose Dumont), its eternal persecutor. Captain escapes taking with him the mysterious box that he removed from the interior of the assaulted train in the city of Cajarana. Seeking to escape the shooting, Severino ends up finding himself in the cangaceiros' camp, along with the mishap friends Mussum and Zacarias who, taking advantage of the confusion, fled the chain.

O Cangaceiro Trapalhão

1983

The Inheritance poster
5.7

Reunited for their mother’s funeral, four sisters – Selma, Regina, Laura and Lúcia – find themselves forced to divide much more than an apartment in Copacabana. While dividing the articles, the sisters compare options, destinies, lifestyles, and expectations. The turbulent sale of the apartment represents a turning point in their lives: they know they have never been so deeply involved as accomplices, or as sisters.

The Inheritance

2001

Delicado poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Delicado

1996

Executive Order poster
6.9

In a dystopian future, the Brazilian government decrees a measure that forces black citizens to migrate to Africa in an attempt to return to their origins. Seeing themselves in the center of terror, two cousins take refuge in an apartment, where they debate social and racial issues, and share the same yearning for the change of country.

Executive Order

2022

If I Were You 2 poster
6.1

Claudio and Helena are on the verge of breaking up, until the couple experiences another strange phenomenon that looks to help them understand one another more.

If I Were You 2

2009

If I Were You 2 poster
6.1

Claudio and Helena are on the verge of breaking up, until the couple experiences another strange phenomenon that looks to help them understand one another more.

If I Were You 2

2009

The Invisible Woman poster
6.1

A man is abandoned by his wife and then falls in love with his neighbor, the perfect, ideal woman. The only problem: she doesn't exist!

The Invisible Woman

2009

If I Were You poster
6.4

The publicist Claudio and the housewife and choral teacher Helena have been married for many years, but they do not understand and respect the feelings and view point of the partner. Claudio sees Helena as a shopper and "little teacher of a choral" and Helena sees Claudio as an insensitive and rough man. On the night before the fiftieth anniversary of Claudio, they changed places with each other.

If I Were You

2006

If I Were You poster
6.4

The publicist Claudio and the housewife and choral teacher Helena have been married for many years, but they do not understand and respect the feelings and view point of the partner. Claudio sees Helena as a shopper and "little teacher of a choral" and Helena sees Claudio as an insensitive and rough man. On the night before the fiftieth anniversary of Claudio, they changed places with each other.

If I Were You

2006

If I Were You poster
6.4

The publicist Claudio and the housewife and choral teacher Helena have been married for many years, but they do not understand and respect the feelings and view point of the partner. Claudio sees Helena as a shopper and "little teacher of a choral" and Helena sees Claudio as an insensitive and rough man. On the night before the fiftieth anniversary of Claudio, they changed places with each other.

If I Were You

2006

Primo Basílio poster
5.3

Luísa is a romantic, dreamy and delicate young woman married to Jorge, an engineer, a man of good habits and good economic conditions. They didn't know each other well, but got married and Luísa was a good wife, "she was clean and happy as a bird". Everything get changed when she meets a childhood love, her cousin Basílio. What seemed to be a great adventure will became a nightmare and Luísa will discover the price of her infidelity.

Primo Basílio

2007

Primo Basílio poster
5.3

Luísa is a romantic, dreamy and delicate young woman married to Jorge, an engineer, a man of good habits and good economic conditions. They didn't know each other well, but got married and Luísa was a good wife, "she was clean and happy as a bird". Everything get changed when she meets a childhood love, her cousin Basílio. What seemed to be a great adventure will became a nightmare and Luísa will discover the price of her infidelity.

Primo Basílio

2007

Mulher 80 poster
8.0

Mulher 80 emerged as a result of the success of 'Malu Mulher' (1979), a miniseries starring Regina Duarte, which addressed the female situation in Brazilian society at that time. The main focus of the special was the female presence in music, honouring the singers and songwriters of MPB with musical numbers and testimonials.

Mulher 80

1979

Once Upon a Time in Rio poster
7.4

Situated just above the awe-inspiring Ipanema beach in Rio is the Cantagalo slum. Every day, floods of Cantagalo residents make their way down the mountain, only to disappear into their surroundings as part of the invisible working-class that cleans apartments, works in restaurants, and sells food along the scenic, sun-drenched shores. Young Dé (Thiago Martins) is just such a man. Dé lives with his mother Bernadette (Cyria Coentro) in a cramped Cantagalo apartment, selling hot dogs on the beach in order to make the rent. His brother Beto was killed when Dé was just a young boy, and his adopted brother Carlão (Rocco Pitanga) has been jailed for a robbery that he didn't commit. One day, while working on the beach, Dé meets Nina (Vitória Frate). Nina is the only child of a successful lawyer named Evandro (Paulo César Grande), who's none to happy to discover that his daughter is dating a member of the lower class. How...

Once Upon a Time in Rio

2008

Chico Xavier poster
7.2

A biography of spiritual medium and author Francisco Candido Xavier.

Chico Xavier

2010

Chico Xavier poster
7.2

A biography of spiritual medium and author Francisco Candido Xavier.

Chico Xavier

2010

Sexo, Amor e Traição poster
5.4

The story of two couples who are neighbors and the marital problems caused by the unexpected arrival of two important personages of their past. The first couple, Carlos and Ana, live on the seventh floor of a building. Ana feels she's entitled to more love than her husband is willing to give. Suddenly, an old friend, Tomás, reappears after many years away and stays at their house. Andréa and Miguel live in the building across the street and are also going through a marriage crisis. In a party, they meet Cláudia, Miguel's first girlfriend, and she has no place to stay. Naturally, she's invited to sleep at their place. The presence of the two newcomers will cause many changes in their relationships.

Sexo, Amor e Traição

2004