Jean-Claude Bernardet

Life and career

Born in Belgium to a French family, Jean-Claude Bernardet moved to Brazil at 13 after a childhood in Paris, becoming a naturalized Brazilian in 1964. He studied at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales and earned a PhD in Arts from the University of São Paulo’s School of Communications and Arts. A film club sparked his interest in cinema, leading to a gig writing reviews for O Estado de S. Paulo after an invitation from Paulo Emílio Salles Gomes. He became a major figure in discussions with Cinema Novo filmmakers, especially Glauber Rocha, who cut ties with him following the 1967 release of Brasil em Tempo de Cinema. Bernardet co-founded the film program at the University of Brasília and taught Brazilian Cinema History at ECA until his 2004 retirement. Beyond theory, he published four fiction books, worked as a screenwriter and assistant director, and took small acting roles. In the 1990s, he directed two medium-length poetic works: São Paulo, Sinfonia e Cacofonia (1994) and Sobre Anos 60 (1999). He received the Order of Cultural Merit in 2007 and created the children’s toy Combina-cor, marketed by Grow. Bernardet died at São Paulo’s Samaritano Hospital on July 12, 2025, at age 88.