Tom Zé

Acting

Tom Zé

Born

1936-10-11 (90)

Place of birth

Irará, Bahia, Brazil

Known for

Acting

Credits

38 titles

Antônio José Santana Martins, known as Tom Zé (Irará, October 11, 1936), is a Brazilian composer, singer, arranger, and gardener.

Known for

O Som do Vinil poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

O Som do Vinil

2007

O Povo Brasileiro poster
10.0

Directed by Isa Grinspum Ferraz, the series O Povo Brasileiro proposes a deep dive into the history of Brazil to talk about historical, social and cultural formations that constitute the identities of the Brazilian people. The production approaches from aspects of the native peoples to the formation of Brazil as a national unit, in a recreation of the literary narrative of the homonymous work written by the anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro.

O Povo Brasileiro

2000

MPB 73 – O Ano Da Reinvenção poster
NR

The series places Brazil and the world in the context of 1973 to show how fertile that period was for local music production. Each episode addresses a specific theme—such as military regime censorship, the rise of samba at the time, Brazilian rock, the importance of iconic album covers, production outside the Rio-São Paulo axis, and the renewal of bossa nova. To this end, the series invites musicians like Odair José, Charles Gavin, and Roberto Menescal, as well as journalists such as Silvio Essinger, Paulo Cesar de Araújo, and Renato Terra, to share behind-the-scenes details from that era. Each account is complemented by extensive research, featuring performances and interviews with artists who defined the year and remain fundamental to the history of Brazilian music.

MPB 73 – O Ano Da Reinvenção

2018

O Nome Dela é Gal poster
7.2

A four-part biography on the life of the Brazilian singer Gal Costa, from her humble beginning singing in the streets of Salvador, where she became friends with many artists who would be other great names in Brazilian music in the following decades to her 50th career anniversary in 2015.

O Nome Dela é Gal

2017

Samba Riachão poster
7.0

Documentary about samba musician from Bahia Clementino Rodrigues, aka Riachão.

Samba Riachão

2001

Amigo Arrigo poster
NR

The art of Arrigo Barnabé, one of the pillars of the São Paulo experimental music scene during the 80's and author of critically acclaimed albums such as "Clara Crocodilo" (1980) and "Tubarões Voadores" (1984).

Amigo Arrigo

2019

Film credits

2020s · 6 titles

Homo Brasilis: Tom Zé, o Tropicalista Visionário poster
NR

Delve into the life of Antônio José Santana Martins, known as Tom Zé. Born in Bahia, this scholar of Brazilian music heads to São Paulo to propel a career filled with unusual and hilarious stories. The tropicalist artist revisits memories of his childhood in Irará, shares stories about his fellow tropicalismo movement colleagues, and reveals how his album "Estudando o Samba" won over David Byrne and launched him onto the global stage.

Homo Brasilis: Tom Zé, o Tropicalista Visionário

2023

Todos os Olhos poster
NR

Dive into the inventive universe of Tom Zé. Through intimate interviews with artists, family members and longtime collaborators, the film retraces the singular trajectory of one of Brazil's most original musical minds. The documentary brings together voices that reflect on his boundless creative unpredictability, highlight the technical mastery behind his sonic experiments and portray his music as the result of an expansive creative process, where ideas unfold like "pills of sound".

Todos os Olhos

2026

História de Música: "São São Paulo Meu Amor" poster
NR

In 1968, Tom Zé moved from Bahia to São Paulo, went to the movies, had lunch with Caetano Veloso, and one morning composed the song that would go on to win the main music festival on Brazilian television that year. In "História de Música", the most São Paulo–minded of Bahian artists tells how filmmaker Luiz Sérgio Person introduced him to the paulista capital at one of the city's most famous intersections.

História de Música: "São São Paulo Meu Amor"

2026

Anna Mariani - Photographic Notes poster
5.0

The paths that the artist traveled to create two essays that are landmarks of contemporary Brazilian photography.

Anna Mariani - Photographic Notes

2024

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Noites de João

2025

A Última Vanguarda poster
NR

70 years ago, a visionary management in education and culture as a political strategy for the dissemination and development of Bahia gave rise to an artistic vanguard that still impacts Brazilian culture today.

A Última Vanguarda

2024

2010s · 10 titles

Amigo Arrigo poster
NR

The art of Arrigo Barnabé, one of the pillars of the São Paulo experimental music scene during the 80's and author of critically acclaimed albums such as "Clara Crocodilo" (1980) and "Tubarões Voadores" (1984).

Amigo Arrigo

2019

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Rito do Amor Selvagem

2019

Raul: O Início, o Fim e o Meio poster
7.5

As the world boiled in the rush of Easy Rider bikes, in the frenetic pace of Elvis Presley, in Beatniks poets, in the explosion of counterculture, a boy from Bahia gave birth to Rock in Brazil. A runaway flying saucer that abducted the hearts and minds of thousands of fans, Raul Seixas, a man who became a myth. Raul died young because he lived intensely. Rock n 'roll, free love, alternative society, drugs, black magic, military dictatorship, women and daughters. A man who wanted to live from his work and died for it. The beginning, the end and the middle are confused, because the story is not over. The film reveals through rare images of archive, meeting with relatives, conversations with artists, producers and friends, the trajectory of the legend of Rock.

Raul: O Início, o Fim e o Meio

2012

Tropicália poster
7.2

Set against the turbulent atmosphere of the 1960s, Tropicália is a feature length documentary exploring the Brazilian artistic movement known as Tropicália, and the struggle its artists endured to protect their right to freely express revolutionary thought against the traditional Brazilian music of that time.

Tropicália

2012

Dorivando Saravá, o Preto Que Virou Mar poster
10.0

Singer, composer, actor and painter, Dorival Caymmi was a multiple artist, but what they may not know is his pioneering work in introducing candomblé into Brazilian popular music. Recreating in a poetic way concepts present in Caymmi's work and life, the documentary revelation of the artist from his own lines, mined in old magazines.

Dorivando Saravá, o Preto Que Virou Mar

2019

Dunas do Barato poster
5.5

A rescue of the history of Ipanema beach in the 1970s, when the construction of a pier changed the landscape and created fertile soil for a generation of artists and sportsmen.

Dunas do Barato

2017

Torquato Neto - Every Hour of the End poster
8.0

The story of Brazilian poet Torquato Neto, who lived passionately through fracturous times and worked in several fields, including music, journalism, and cinema. He was an active participant in the revolution of Tropicália and marginal art, which changed the course of Brazilian culture in the 1960s and 1970s, until he committed suicide on his 28th birthday.

Torquato Neto - Every Hour of the End

2017

Filhos de João, O Admirável Mundo Novo Baiano poster
8.5

A panorama of Brazilian popular music from the 60s and 70s through the musical group Novos Baianos. A retrospective of the community lifestyle adopted by its members and the influence inherited from singer João Gilberto.

Filhos de João, O Admirável Mundo Novo Baiano

2011

Tropicália: 50 Anos poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Tropicália: 50 Anos

2017

Escutando Tom Zé poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Escutando Tom Zé

2010

2000s · 13 titles

Samba Riachão poster
7.0

Documentary about samba musician from Bahia Clementino Rodrigues, aka Riachão.

Samba Riachão

2001

Brésil: La Révolution Tropicaliste poster
NR

A documentary on the amazing Brazilian music movement known as Tropicália.

Brésil: La Révolution Tropicaliste

2001

Mater Dei poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Mater Dei

2001

No artwork available
NR

This documentary offers an immersive journey into the inventiveness and musical experimentation of a complex and restless artist whose path is deeply intertwined with the Tropicália movement. A specially designed setting provides the backdrop for capturing his unique explorations—both physical and musical.

Tom Zé ou Quem Irá Colocar uma Dinamite na Cabeça do Século?

2000

Wood & Stock: Sex, Oregano and Rock'n'Roll poster
5.6

Experience an adventure of counterculture, psychedelia, and an abundance of peace and love with Angeli’s beloved comic characters, the hippies Wood & Stock. As the euphoria of the 1970s fades, it's time to focus on family and work. However, a new rock band might just rekindle the spirit of those iconic years.

Wood & Stock: Sex, Oregano and Rock'n'Roll

2006

Palavra (En)Cantada poster
6.7

A journey in the history of the Brazilian songbook with a look at the relationship between poetry and music, sewing testimonials of great names of our culture, musical performances and amazing research of images.

Palavra (En)Cantada

2009

Rita Lee - Biograffiti: Ovelha Negra poster
7.3

Brazilian singer Rita Lee narrates moments about her life, from her childhood to the meeting with Roberto de Carvalho. The documentary is permeated with excerpts from the singer's concerts, with songs sung entirely.

Rita Lee - Biograffiti: Ovelha Negra

2007

Tom Zé: Liberated Astronaut poster
8.0

The enlightened and extra-terrestrial Brazilian genius-multi-instrumentalist flies to Asturias in 2008 to give a music workshop. His journey takes us on another: that of his career, the ostracism with which he would be punished, his perpetual crusade for the materialization of “the idea”, his unique inspiration and incredible sense of humour. All emitted through his words and those of the people that surround him. An authentic pioneer, a free and cosmic spirit.

Tom Zé: Liberated Astronaut

2009

Gal - from Tropicalism to the Present Day poster
7.0

The film has Gal's career as its guiding principle, drawing a parallel with the movement of which the singer was the muse and one of the main interpreters, and reaching the present day.

Gal - from Tropicalism to the Present Day

2006

Fabricating Tom Zé poster
5.5

The life and work of one of the most controversial Brazilian musicians, having as its backdrop Tom Zé's 2005 European Tour. The documentary shows a detailed vision of Tom Zé's personal musical universe, in which a guitar and a vacuum cleaner have the same melodic importance. In intimate interviews, he narrates different parts of his life and tells us about his musical debut in the early 60s, his downfall during the 70s, and his 90s comeback.

Fabricating Tom Zé

2006

Loki: Arnaldo Baptista poster
6.8

Loki brings the trajectory of Arnaldo Baptista from childhood, passing through the most successful phase as leader of the Mutantes, marriage to singer Rita Lee and then separation. He also goes through the depression that devastated his life after the group ended and that led him to attempt suicide, his solo career, rapprochement with his brother and member of the Mutantes, Sérgio Dias, culminating in the band's return in 2006.

Loki: Arnaldo Baptista

2009

No artwork available
NR

One of Brazil's most popular contemporary dance ensembles, Grupo Corpo combines Afro-Brazilian movements with ballet and modern dance to create an innovative and visually dynamic stage performance unlike any other. Documentarian Jürgen Wilcke gives viewers a glimpse into the inner workings of this world-renowned troupe as the 19 dancers prepare to wow audiences around the globe with their energetic presentations of grace and passion.

Grupo Corpo: Dance Theatre from Brazil

2007

Beyond Ipanema poster
NR

This documentary from filmmaker Guto Barra takes you beyond the 1960s bossa nova hit "The Girl from Ipanema" to explore how samba, Brazilectro and other Brazilian music styles have long captivated audiences and influenced musicians around the world. Mixing archival footage, fresh performances and interviews with leaders in the global music scene, Barra examines why Brazil's music consistently transcends boundaries of time and musical taste.

Beyond Ipanema

2009

Series credits

O Som do Vinil poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

O Som do Vinil

2007

O Povo Brasileiro poster
10.0

Directed by Isa Grinspum Ferraz, the series O Povo Brasileiro proposes a deep dive into the history of Brazil to talk about historical, social and cultural formations that constitute the identities of the Brazilian people. The production approaches from aspects of the native peoples to the formation of Brazil as a national unit, in a recreation of the literary narrative of the homonymous work written by the anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro.

O Povo Brasileiro

2000

MPB 73 – O Ano Da Reinvenção poster
NR

The series places Brazil and the world in the context of 1973 to show how fertile that period was for local music production. Each episode addresses a specific theme—such as military regime censorship, the rise of samba at the time, Brazilian rock, the importance of iconic album covers, production outside the Rio-São Paulo axis, and the renewal of bossa nova. To this end, the series invites musicians like Odair José, Charles Gavin, and Roberto Menescal, as well as journalists such as Silvio Essinger, Paulo Cesar de Araújo, and Renato Terra, to share behind-the-scenes details from that era. Each account is complemented by extensive research, featuring performances and interviews with artists who defined the year and remain fundamental to the history of Brazilian music.

MPB 73 – O Ano Da Reinvenção

2018

O Nome Dela é Gal poster
7.2

A four-part biography on the life of the Brazilian singer Gal Costa, from her humble beginning singing in the streets of Salvador, where she became friends with many artists who would be other great names in Brazilian music in the following decades to her 50th career anniversary in 2015.

O Nome Dela é Gal

2017