City of God: The film that reshaped global cinema

In 2001, filming began on City of God which would stun audiences with its unflinching honesty.

It captured the brutal realities of child gangsters from Rio De Janeiro’s favelas trapped in an unforgiving cycle of violence.

Local children were cast in the film, which was nominated for four Oscars, and their own lives weren’t far from the stories on screen.

Katia Lund who co-directed the movie, speaks to Reena Stanton-Sharma about how she was able to draw powerful performances from the children, capturing moments of anguish and terror.

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(Photo: Katia Lund (second right) with some of the cast of City of God and director Fernando Meirelles. Credit: Francois Guillot/AFP via Getty Images)