City of God
If you run, the beast catches you; if you stay, the beast eats you.
Country
Production
Budget
$3 300 000
Revenue
$30 641 770
Website
Director
Actors
Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Matheus Nachtergaele, Seu Jorge, Jefechander Suplino, Alice Braga, Emerson Gomes
All actors and roles (10)
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
Producer
Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Mauricio Andrade Ramos, Marc Beauchamps, Daniel Filho, Hank Levine, Vincent Maraval, Donald Ranvaud, Juliette Renaud, Walter Salles, Elisa Tolomelli
Operator
Composer
Ed Cortês
Artist
Tulé Peak
Audition
Editing
Short description
In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
What's left behind the scenes
- All non-professional actors were recruited from the slums of Rio de Janeiro, and some of them (Alexandre Rodriguez for the role of Rocket) were even from Cidade de Deus itself.
- The director stated that if he had initially known that filming in the Rio slums would be so dangerous, he would have abandoned the idea of making 'City of God'.
- To create tension between the characters of Goose and Lil’ Zé, acting coach Fatima Toledo advised teenager Renato da Silva (Goose) to bully child actor Douglas Silva (Lil’ Zé) for 15 days straight. As a result, in the scene where Goose slaps Lil’ Zé, Douglas Silva couldn’t hold back and started crying, threatening to leave the film. Thus, the look of pure hatred he casts at Goose is completely genuine.
- The scene where we see piles of bodies on concrete blocks was recreated from a famous photograph taken during that very drug war.
- During the filming in the newspaper office, some members of the film crew acted as extras, particularly art director Tool Pick (a grown man who mocks Rocket).
- The dialogue between Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) and Marina (Graziela Moretto) about him never having taken a hot shower was not in the script. In fact, it was a conversation between the actors off-camera during a break, when Rodrigues was talking about his life in the favelas.
- The script also did not include the moment in the final scene where the boy loses his shoe and goes back to pick it up. However, the director decided to keep this moment, as it vividly emphasized the presence of a very young boy in the gang.
- The actor Leandro Firmino, who played one of the main roles (Little Zé), also comes from Cidade de Deus (City of God). He came to the audition completely by chance, along with his friends.
- Seu Jorge, who played Knockout Ned, is actually a very famous Brazilian singer. One of his songs is featured on the film's soundtrack.
- Filming didn’t actually take place in City of God, as it would have been incredibly dangerous. The entire film was shot in neighboring, less dangerous areas.
- The black-and-white satellite view of the territory belonging to Little Zé shows the real City of God.
- The film is banned from viewing in Belarus.
- The first murders of Pretty Ned are accompanied by joy and congratulations from the residents of City of God. The woman who spoke to him after the first murder is the mother of the real Pretty Ned.
- In the very finale, in a conversation of a small gang of bandits, the phrase slips out that they need to create a list of people who need to be killed. The boys grew up and became the most infamous brigade in Rio, called the Red Team. It is known that they still have a 'blacklist'.
- In one scene, little Rocket (Luis Otavio) starts laughing at his brother nicknamed Goose, who is slapped by their father. The laughter was not scripted, so Goose's line, 'Don't laugh at me,' was pure improvisation.
- Fernando Meirelles wanted to cast only non-professional actors and actors whose names were almost unknown. One such actor was Matheus Nachtergaele, who played the gang leader nicknamed Carrot. But while Meirelles was working on the script, Nachtergaele unexpectedly became extremely popular in Brazil thanks to the film 'Auto da Compadecida, O' (2000). Fernando Meirelles was slightly upset, but Matheus promised him that he would become so immersed in his role that his fame would not distract the viewer from the film for a single second. Nachtergaele even moved to Cidade de Deus, where the film's main actors lived, and spent three months there to better prepare for the role.
- The main character, Rocket, is a fictional image based on the lives of two people: the author of the book 'City of God,' Paulo Lins, and his childhood friend who dreamed of becoming a photographer.
- Initially, the script did not include a scene in which the gang prays before starting a war. During filming, one of the guys hired from the slums told the director that prayer before a skirmish is an essential attribute of the lifestyle of gangs. Then Fernando Meirelles suggested that the boy perform this rite, and it ended up in the film.
- All non-professional actors were recruited from the slums of Rio de Janeiro, and some of them (such as Alexandre Rodrigues in the role of Rocket) were from City of God itself.
- To create tension between the characters Goose and Little Dice, acting coach Fatima Toledo advised teenager Renato da Silva (Goose) to bully the child Douglas Silva (Little Dice) for 15 consecutive days. As a result, in the scene where Goose slaps Little Dice, Douglas Silva breaks down and begins to cry, threatening to leave the movie. Thus, the look of pure hatred he casts at Goose is completely real.
- In one scene, young Rocket (Luís Otávio) begins laughing at his brother, nicknamed Goose, while their father is slapping him. The laughter was not in the script, so Goose's line "Don't laugh at me" was pure improvisation.
- During the filming at the newspaper office, some members of the film crew appeared as actors, specifically art director Tul Pic (the adult man who mocks Rocket).
- The dialogue between Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) and Marina (Graziela Moretto) about him never having taken a hot shower in his life was not in the script. In reality, it was an off-camera conversation between the actors during a break, where Rodrigues was talking about his life in the slums.
- Actor Leandro Firmino, who played one of the central roles (Li'l Zé), is also from the City of God. He came to the auditions completely by chance, just tagging along with friends.
- Seu Jorge, who played the role of Handsome Ned, is actually a very famous Brazilian singer. One of his songs is featured on the film's soundtrack.
- Fernando Meirelles wanted to cast exclusively non-professional actors and actors whose names were virtually unknown. One such actor was Matheus Nachtergaele, who played the gang leader nicknamed Carrot. However, while Meirelles was working on the script, Nachtergaele unexpectedly became extremely popular in Brazil thanks to the film 'O Auto da Compadecida' (2000). Fernando Meirelles was slightly disappointed, but Matheus promised him that he would disappear into his role so completely that his fame would not distract the audience from the film for a single second. Nachtergaele even moved to the City of God, where the film's lead actors lived, and spent three months there to better prepare for the role.
- Initially, the script did not include the scene where the gang prays before the start of the war. During filming, one of the boys hired from the slums told the director that praying before a fight is an essential attribute of the gang lifestyle. Fernando Meirelles then suggested that the boy lead the ritual, and it ultimately made it into the movie.
Similar movies
8.8/10
8.3/10
8.3/10
8.2/10
8.1/10
8/10
8/10
8/10
8/10
8/10
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
