City of God Plot, Details & Awards

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	Category	Cast & 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