Fernando Terere Augusto is perhaps one of the most interesting people to have ever trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. At his peak in 2003, he was possibly one of the best in the world, winning gold at Worlds and Pan-Ams. Equal to his success was his style, as he was known for his aggressive, intense matches which won him many fans. Not only this, but his influence is vast, having coached the likes of Galvao, Cobrinha, Lepri and Langhi as well as Marcelo Garcia.
His success was even more impressive when you factor in that he came from a favela in Rio de Janeiro, so Terere has never lived an easy life.
However, his highs were followed by lows as a couple of years after his peak he descended into drug addiction and was apparently using crack cocaine. Not only this but at one point he was also diagnosed with schizophrenia. Unsurprisingly, he fell out of the spotlight during this period and although he has recovered, his life is less public these days.
Having said this, there is a happy ending. Since returning to Brazil, Terere teaches BJJ to favela kids who would otherwise not be able to learn the art. In brief, he is involved in various public, community programs designed to improve the lives of children living in poverty.
Anyway, a film is now being made about his life. It is directed by Rangel Neto. Not only this, but the actor playing Terere, Jonathan Azevedo has been training BJJ to get into the part when showing his BJJ in the movie. Overall, this could be a great film which will show the reality of a hard life and hopefully shows the good and the bad that Terere has been through. As of this date, there is currently no set release for the film, but we will keep you updated when it has an official release date.
