| Xica da Silva | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Carlos Diegues |
| Produced by | Jarbas Barbosa Airton Correa Hélio Ferraz José Oliosi |
| Written by | Antonio Callado Carlos Diegues João Felicio dos Santos (novel) |
| Starring | Zezé Motta Walmor Chagas José Wilker Elke Maravilha Stepan Nercessian |
| Music by | Jorge Ben Jor Roberto Menescal |
| Cinematography | José Medeiros |
| Editing by | Mair Tavares |
| Distributed by | Embrafilmes |
| Release date(s) | 1976 |
| Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | Brazil |
| Language | Portuguese |
Xica da Silva (released as Xica in the United States) is a 1976 Brazilian film directed and written by Carlos Diegues. It stars Zezé Motta, Walmor Chagas and José Wilker. It was chosen as the Brazilian submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 49th Academy Awards, but it failed to get a nomination.
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The film is based on the novel Memórias do Distrito de Diamantina, written by João Felicio dos Santos (who has a small role in the film as a Roman Catholic pastor). It is a romanticized retelling of the true story of Chica da Silva, an 18th century African slave in the state of Minas Gerais, who attracts the attention of João Fernandes de Oliveira, a Portuguese sent by Lisbon with the Crown's exclusive contract for mining diamonds, and eventually becomes his lover. He quickly asserts control, letting the intendant and other authorities know that he's onto their corruption scheme. Eventually Lisbon hears of João's excesses and sends an inspector. José, a political radical, provides Xica refuge.
On 1996, the now defunct TV station Rede Manchete successfully adapted the film plot to the telenovela format, directed by Walter Avancini, written by Walcyr Carrasco and starring Taís Araújo as the title character. This telenovela marked the first time an Afro-Brazilian actress played the lead role on a TV show. On 2005, SBT re-aired Xica da Silva.