Fernando Meirelles
Fernando Meirelles
Fernando Ferreira Meirellesis a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter. His best known film is City of God, released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films, which received international critical acclaim. For his work in the film, he was eventually nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director in 2005 for The Constant Gardener, which garnered the Academy Award for Best Supporting...
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth9 November 1955
approach decided locations saw visual
When we first saw the locations we would be using, we decided to use a different visual approach to each part of the story,
impressed knew
She impressed me because she knew even more than me about the character.
government interested political side talking work
When I first read the script, the political side of the story really interested me. I was interested in talking about pharmaceutical companies, and how corporations and government work together,
ask boys hit knew lights trained
We knew that we couldn't use lights and ask the boys to hit marks. Because they don't have the technique. They were not trained for that.
became cut director hearing love preaching voice watching
But then, watching the whole film, it was like hearing my own voice - like the director preaching to the audience. So I started to cut and in the end, I think it became more of a love story.
areas boys controlled crime inside kenya organized people shooting sort totally
In 'City of God,' it was more complicated, because we were shooting in areas controlled by drug dealers, so we always had people around, boys with guns, ... It was sort of threatening, not totally relaxed. Kenya was more relaxed. There was no organized crime inside the slums, and we were well received.
affects bring camera crew faces happening kenya landscape screen shoot small turn
In Kenya, the faces of the people, the colors, I wanted to bring as much of the landscape to the screen as I could, ... That's why I thought we should shoot in Kenya with a small crew - you just turn the camera around, and the real thing is happening here. If you do it big - lights, crew - you turn around and there's only crew, and it affects everything all around.
air artist capture express form ideas searching supposed ways
We're supposed to capture what's in the air and give a form to it. The artist is like an antenna, always searching for new ideas and ways to express them.
lives
He does the right thing every day and lives by a code,
expose helps industry itself people press
I did want to expose the pharmaceutical industry a bit, ... The industry promotes itself very well. I think the film helps people see it in a different way, not through its press releases.
decided filming finished love political strong
When we finished filming I had a political drama, a love story and a documentary. But the love story was so strong I decided to make it the axis of the film.
average award brings deserves edgy humanity played plays ralph seeing
Ralph deserves an award for this performance. He's so relaxed, so natural. We're used to seeing Ralph Fiennes as cold, rational. Here he's lighter. He brings a humanity to the role. He's played a lot of edgy characters. Here he plays an average character.
although believe bit crazy needed passion scare
Sometimes, you read a script, and you believe passionately that you must play this character. And I needed to show that passion to him, although I think I downplayed my passion a bit because I didn't want to scare him off. I didn't want him to think I was crazy enough to be a problem.
africa based case city expensive less nigeria particular plot test usual
This plot in this film is based on this particular case in Nigeria -- but it's very usual to test drugs in Africa because it's less expensive for big companies, ... City of God.