He was a filmmaker, screenwriter and independent producer. He began his career in the 1960s, emerging as one of the main figures of the so-called Marginal Cinema, along with creators such as Rogério Sganzerla and Julio Bressane. At the time he directed films such as Olho por Olho [Eye for an Eye] (1965), Blá Blá Blá (1968) and Bang Bang (1970), exploring nonsense, mockery and precariousness in works that were often considered allegories of the asphyxiating mood imposed by the Brazilian military dictatorship at the time. In the following decades he took an interest in Amerindian cultures, producing films such as Conversas no Maranhão [Conversations in Maranhão] (1977), Guaranis do Espírito Santo [Guaranis of Espírito Santo] (1979) and Os Araras [The Araras] (1981). In 2004, he released Serras da Desordem [The Hills of Disorder], one of his most awarded productions. He was also one of the pioneers in the use of camcorders in Brazil.