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City of God Movie Poster
Plot, Details & Awards

City of God

Rated R for strong brutal violence, sexuality, drug content and language.

R In Theaters 01/17/2003 , 131min.
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Plot & Details

Fernando Meirelles' City of God is a sweeping tale of how crime affects the poor population of Rio de Janeiro. Though the narrative skips around in time, the main focus is on Cabeleira who formed a gang called the Tender Trio. He and his best friend, Bené (Phelipe Haagensen), become crime lords over the course of a decade. When Bené is killed before he can retire, Lil' Zé attempts to take out his arch enemy, Sandro Cenoura (Matheus Nachtergaele). But Sandro and a young gangster named Mane form an alliance and begin a gang war with Lil' Zé. Amateur photographer Buscape (Alexandre Rodrigues) takes pictures of the brutal crime war, making their story famous. City of God was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
  • MPAA Rating: R
  • Genre(s): Drama
  • Run Time: 131min.
  • Theatrical Release Date: 01/17/2003
  • DVD Release Date: 06/08/2004
  • Distributor(s): Miramax
  • Director(s): Fernando Meirelles
  • Starring: Alexandre Rodrigues , Leandro Firmino da Hora , Matheus Nachtergaele , Phelipe Haagensen , Seu Jorge
  • Themes: Police Corruption,Drug Trade,Inner City Blues,Street Gangs
  • Tone: Disturbing,Forceful,Irreverent,Harsh,Stylized,Sweeping
  • Keywords: Brazil,cocaine,drug-dealer,gang-war,ghetto,life-of-crime,poverty,slums,street-kid
  • Country of Origin: USA - Limited (01-17-2003)
  • Language: Portuguese

Awards

Academy Awards

Year Award CategoryCast & Crew Result
2003 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing Daniel Rezende Nominated
2003 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Cinematography César Charlone Nominated
2003 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director Fernando Meirelles Nominated
2003 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted Screenplay Braulio Mantovani Nominated

British Academy of Film and Television Arts

Year Award CategoryCast & Crew Result
2003 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Editing Daniel Rezende Won

Golden Globes

Year Award CategoryCast & Crew Result
2002 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Foreign Language Film Nominated

Toronto International Film Festival

Year Award CategoryCast & Crew Result
2002 Toronto International Film Festival Visions Award - Special Citation Won
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