For those that enjoyed ‘City of God,’ this new movie is a must-see.

City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund, and based on the book of the same name by Paulo Lins, was released internationally in 2002. Though the movie was criticized, mainly by Brazilians, for glorifying and exposing the violence of urban Brazil, it received worldwide acclaim and even won an Academy Award.

A spin-off TV series was released in October of 2002 and enjoyed four seasons. This show Cidade dos Homens (City of Men) was written and directed by the same people as City of God itself, Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund. The show is fantastic, and I was lucky to watch much of it in my Portuguese course while in Brazil. The show centers on the exploits of two young boys, Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) as they struggle to survive and grow up in the harsh world of the favela. Well-written, well-acted, touching and funny, the quality of the show rivals any drama I have ever seen.

Over four seasons, these two characters grew up quite a bit; as they turn 18, the plot thickens quite a bit. The movie City of Men tells the story of this fateful chapter in the two boys’ lives. This is definitely a must-see movie, and will be released in theaters in the USA January 18th, 2008. To check out the trailer go here (they even have a hi-def trailer!). To read more about the series here are articles in English and Portuguese.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Katia Lund in Rio in 2003. We discussed the movie City of God at length, and she gave good insight into the creation of the movie. Katia is at first sight a contradiction in terms: a redheaded female natively fluent in Brazilian Portuguese; an Ivy-League educated filmmaker with extensive connections within the comunidades carentes of Rio de Janeiro. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the film is that with a few exceptions, the entire cast had never acted before; they were the actual residents of the favela!