Guel Arraes
Brazilian film director, screenwriter and film producer
About Guel Arraes
Born 1953. Guel Arraes is a Brazilian film director, screenwriter and film producer.
Miguel Arraes de Alencar Filho, known as Guel Arraes (born 12 December 1953) is a Brazilian filmmaker and TV director.
Until 2018, he was the director of weekly dramas at Rede Globo, being mainly responsible for the series and miniseries made by the network. Since then, he still continues to contribute, write and direct projects.
Biography Arraes is the son of former governor of the state of Pernambuco Miguel Arraes and brother to Ana Arraes. He had lived for a time with his family in exile in Algeria during the military dictatorship. In 1972, he matriculated at the University of Paris, majoring in anthropology and becoming a member of the Ethnographic Film Committee, led by Jean Rouch. There, he worked as a projectionist, archivist, and editor. Arraes became part of Rede Globo in 1981 as co-director of the novela Jogo da Vida, created by Silvio de Abreu. He would later direct the novelas Guerra dos Sexos (1983) and Vereda Tropical (1984). The following year, he directed the hit series Armação Ilimitada.
Personal life In 1993, he and his wife, actress and film director Virginia Cavendish, had their child Luisa Arraes. In 2001, Arraes and Cavendish separated after having been married for 10 years. Despite separating, she invited him to direct in the film Lisbela e o Prisioneiro, where she would produce and also act in. He has been married to Carolina Jabor, the daughter of Arnaldo Jabor, since 2003.
Filmography
As director
1986 - 1988 Armação Ilimitada 1988 - TV Pirata 1991 - Doris para Maiores 1997 - A Comédia da Vida Privada 2000 - A Dog's Will 2001 - Caramuru - A Invenção do Brasil 2003 - Lisbela e o Prisioneiro 2008 - Romance 2010 - O Bem Amado 2010 - Papai Noel Existe - Writer 2011 - Esquenta! 2024 - Grande Sertão 2024 - O Auto da Compadecida 2
As producer
2000 - A Dog's Will 2001 - Caramuru - A Invenção do Brasil 2003 - Lisbela e o Prisioneiro 2003 - So Normal 2004 - Meu Tio Matou um Cara 2005 - O Coronel e o Lobisomem
Awards Best Director and Best Screenwriter Awards, as part of the Grande Prêmio Cinema Brasil for A Dog's Will (2000); Public Award, at the Miami Brazilian Cinema Festival, for A Dog's Will (2000) EPFTV Prize: best directing for A Dog's Will, in 1999; best comedy for Os Normais in 2001 and again in 2002; best comedy for A Grande Família in 2003; Was also nominated for the award for best adapt script for Ó Paí Ó in 2008.
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Important facts
People in Guel Arraes's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Guel Arraes's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Guel Arraes?
Brazilian film director, screenwriter and film producer
When was Guel Arraes born?
Guel Arraes was born on 12 December 1953 in Recife.
What is Guel Arraes's occupation?
Guel Arraes is a film director, screenwriter and film producer.
What nationality is Guel Arraes?
Guel Arraes is Brazilian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Guel Arraes. https://biography.guide/guel-arraes/
MLA: "Guel Arraes." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/guel-arraes/.
Chicago: "Guel Arraes." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/guel-arraes/.
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