00:01City of God, 2002, is a highly acclaimed Brazilian crime drama directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund.
00:09Set in the Cidade de Deus favela in Rio de Janeiro, the film chronicles the explosion of gang warfare from
00:16the 1960s to the 1980s and was nominated for four Academy Awards.
00:21To achieve authentic portrayals, the directors cast non-professional actors, many of whom were actual residents of Rio's favelas.
00:31Around 100 young individuals participated in acting workshops for several months before filming.
00:37Instead of theater drills, they focused on building muscle memory for shootouts and holdups.
00:44Leandro Firmino, who played the terrifying antagonist Lee Lzee, only attended the casting call to support a friend, but ended
00:52up landing a lead role.
00:54Mateus Nactregil, who played the gang leader Carrot, was the only cast member with prior professional acting experience.
01:04The character Knockout Ned, known as Menegelinja in the original Portuguese, was played by the famous Brazilian musician.
01:12The film is adapted from a 550-page autobiographical novel by Paolo Linz, who grew up in the City of
01:19God housing complex.
01:20The film is adapted from a 550-page autobiographical novel by Paolo Linz, who grew up in the City of
01:20God housing complex.
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