Brazil's submission to the 1987's Oscar as Best Foreign Film. Suzana Amaral was the first Brazilian female director submitted. The next female director submitted would be Anna Muylaert for Une seconde mère (2015).
On the way to the 1986 Berlin International Film Festival, which she won the Silver Berlin Bear as Best Actress, Marcélia Cartaxo was attacked on a bus by a German man who mistook her for a Turk woman. The director Suzana Amaral had to intervene and talk to the man in English to explain that the actress was actually Brazilian.
The movie received a 10 minute standing ovation at the 1986 Berlin International Film Festival.
First film written and directed by Suzana Amaral. Despite the critical acclaim with this film, it would take another 16 years until Amaral made another film.
Marcélia Cartaxo is also from the Northeast. To film this movie, she had to go to São Paulo. As part of her immersion in the role and budget, she didn't stay in a hotel while filming nor did she take an airplane, and traveled by bus instead on a 3-day trip, like many poor immigrating women like Macabéa do in real life.