City of God Trivia Questions

While mostly shot on location in Cidade de Deus, the production built some sets for safety and controlled lighting, especially for the climactic shootout scenes.

Director Fernando Meirelles cast local kids from the favela to add authenticity, many of whom had no prior acting experience.

Meirelles was inspired by 'Pulp Fiction' for its nonlinear structure, but the rapid editing was more influenced by MTV-style music videos and documentary realism.

The neighborhood was created by Rio's government as a public housing project to move people from demolished slums, which ironically led to gang control.

Fernando Meirelles was nominated for Best Director, but he wasn't the first Brazilian—that honor goes to Bruno Barreto for 'Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands' in 1978.

In a chaotic street scene, a prop master mistakenly gave an extra a live gun. A blank round discharged, causing a small burn on an actor's arm. No major injuries.

The novel 'City of God' was written by Paulo Lins, a sociologist who grew up in the favela but was never a trafficker. He conducted years of research.

Lil' Zé is loosely based on a real trafficker named Zé Pequeno, who was still active in Rio during production. The crew had to be cautious.