GERMANY: The 'City of Gods' sequel 'City of Men' features at the Berlin Film Festival

Record ID: 730751

  • Title: GERMANY: The 'City of Gods' sequel 'City of Men' features at the Berlin Film Festival
  • Date: 20th February 2008
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 14, 2008) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) ACTOR DOUGLAS SILVA SAYING "I think it's changing a bit, the theme of drug dealers and the police being predominant in films. There are two or three films about the war against the drug dealers in Brazil on it (in the Berlin Film Festival). It's changing though and there are other situations. Before they didn't talk about it, but it's like a fever now, the films about the favelas, now some of the poorer people want to see it, they are interested in it. It is because a lot of people don't know the reality, and this is the reality of Brazil."
  • Embargoed: 6th March 2008 12:00
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  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA51FL6MX6VFF5M05PY25AU6Z4G
  • Story Text: The makers of the box office hit "City of God" about drug dealers in Rio de janeiro's slums have brought out a new film which made its international debut at the Berlin film festival on Thursday (February 14th) -and they are hoping to have the same success with "City of Men."

    "I don't know if they'll have the same success, but I hope so," says the main actor, Douglas Silva. "I think both of them are really good films and this film "City of Men" broaches a very important subject and I hope it will have the same success, maybe even a little more, who knows."
    The director, Paulo Morelli says that while the film is a sequel, it is intended to be very different to the original box office hit.

    "I think the two films are very different in some aspects, and we planned for it to be like this. Our intention wasn't to make "City of Gods Part II" with this "City of Men", we changed the perspective from the first to the second film. The first film, "City of Gods" is about drug dealers and the formation of the drug dealers. And now in "City of Men" we focus on the people who live in these favelas and the drug dealers are just the backdrop of the story."
    In the film, Acerola, played by Silva, and Laranjinha are two friends living in the slums of Rio. Acerola's father is died in a shooting, Laranjinha wants to find out who his father is, so that his identity card can be issued in his real name when he turns 18.
    Silva says children growing up without fathers is a real issue in Rio, particularly in the poorer favelas - he grew up without a father himself.

    "Some of the things that happened to Acerole, the kinds of difficulties, moments of sadness, he doesn't have a father, or any kind of help, these also happened to me. That made me be able to empathise with him," he said.
    In any case the film drew the crowds to a packed out cinema at its public showing as part of the film festival in Berlin.
    But the film isn't the only Brazilian film at the festival, another film showing is "Tropa de Elite" (Elite Squad), a controversial story about police killings in the shanty towns of Rio de Janeiro and the most successful Brazilian movie last year. After viral success as a pirate DVD, it was released in Brazil by Paramount, and sold 2.1 million tickets.
    Silva said that while "City of Gods", "City of Men"
    and "Tropa de Elite" all feature violence in the Brazilian favelas, he is not worried that their international success will paint a negative picture of Brazil abroad. Rather, he said, it is important for the issue to the thematised.

    "I think it's changing a bit, the theme of drug dealers and the police being predominant in films. There are two or three films about the war against the drug dealers in Brazil on it (in the Berlin Film Festival). It's changing though and there are other situations. Before they didn't talk about it, but it's like a fever now, the films about the favelas, now some of the poorer people want to see it, they are interested in it. It is because a lot of people don't know the reality, and this is the reality of Brazil," he said, speaking through an interpreter.

    "I think the three films, "City of Gods", "Tropa de Elite" and "City of Men" are certainly complementary, because
    "City of God" depicted the drug dealers, "Tropa de Elite"
    depicted the police invading these neighbourhoods, these favelas, my film is about the people who live in the middle of this war. They are complementary, this is Brazil. Brazil is a place with very big social problems," Morelli agreed.
    The slums in Rio are home to 1 million of the metropolis's inhabitants.
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