Where to watch City of God (2002)

Trivia & production notes

• The cast was almost entirely composed of non-professional actors from Rio's favelas, with Matheus Nachtergaele being the only trained actor in the film, playing a supporting role.
• Director Fernando Meirelles assembled about a hundred children and young people in an actors' workshop where they learned by simulating authentic street scenarios like hold-ups and shoot-outs rather than through traditional theatre training.
• The film was shot on 16mm film stock and primarily filmed in Cidade Alta rather than the real Cidade de Deus favela, which was in the middle of an active conflict during production.
• After filming wrapped, the production set up assistance groups to help cast members transition away from their old lives in the favelas and build more promising futures.
• City of God was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival because executive producer Walter Salles was serving on the festival jury.
• In Brazil, the film became the highest-grossing domestic film of 2002 with over 3.1 million tickets sold.
• Director Fernando Meirelles met with Brazil's former and current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who told him about the film's impact on the country's policies and public security.
• The film sparked a major surge in Brazilian film productions, with over 45 films produced in 2002 in the country.
• Actor Seu Jorge, who played Knockout Ned, went on to become a major musician after the film and performed at the London 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony.
• A miniseries titled City of God: The Fight Rages On, set two decades after the film's events, premiered in August 2024.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article City of God (2002 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.