Margot Benacerraf, a critically acclaimed Venezuelan documentary filmmaker whose hypnotic “Araya,” a visual tone poem chronicling the daily lives of salt workers on an austere peninsula on her country’s coast, shared the critics’ prize at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, died on Wednesday in Caracas.
Her death was announced by the country’s culture minister.
Hailed as a major figure of Latin American cinema, Ms. Benacerraf founded Venezuela’s national cinematheque and in 2018 was given the Order of Francisco de Miranda, honoring outstanding merit in the sciences and humanities, by the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
But although Ms. Benacerraf was celebrated, she was not prolific.
She made only two films in her career: “Reverón” (1952), a 23-minute documentary short about the reclusive later years of the Venezuelan artist Armando Reverón, and “Araya,” her sole feature-length work.
Persons:
Margot Benacerraf, Araya, ”, Benacerraf, Francisco de Miranda, Nicolás, “, Armando Reverón, “ Araya
Organizations:
Venezuela’s, cinematheque
Locations:
Venezuelan, Caracas