Babenco is a critically acclaimed Argentine born and Brazilian naturalized film director, screenwriter, film producer and actor. He works in many countries including Argentina and the United States.

Babenco lived in Europe from 1964-1968. In 1969 he decided to stay in Sao Paulo, Brazil permanently. In 1975 he directed his first feature film, King of the Night. His break out film was Pixote - A lei do mais fraco (1981) about Brazil's abandoned children. Due to the impressive work of young actor Fernando Ramos da Silva (10 years old at the time), who was discovered in the suburbs of Sao Paulo, the film was a worldwide success and received numerous international prizes. He has directed some of the best American actors in cinema, including: William Hurt, Raul Julia, Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Tom Berenger, Daryl Hannah, Aidan Quinn, Kathy Bates, and others.

In 1994 he fell ill and had to undergo a bone marrow transplant to cure a lymphatic cancer.

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