City of God Trivia Questions

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fernando Meirelles was nominated for Best Director for City of God, but the first Brazilian nominated was Héctor Babenco for 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' in 1985.

During the opening sequence, a .22 pistol with live rounds was mistakenly given to a non-professional actor, who accidentally shot an extra in the arm. The wound was minor.

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.