This document provides an overview of the history and development of Brazilian cinema. It discusses the major cultural influences on Brazilian film from Portugal, France, the US, and Afro-Brazilian and indigenous cultures. Key periods and movements are examined, including the early beginnings in the late 19th century; chanchadas musical comedies of the 1940s-50s; politically engaged Cinema Novo of the 1960s; films made under the military dictatorship of the 1970s-80s; the resurgence of Brazilian cinema known as the Retomada in the 1990s; and contemporary documentary films and the relationship between film and television. Major directors and films are referenced to illustrate important styles and themes within Brazilian cinema.