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
another-day days-off london
I knew I wouldn't have another day off for a while, so I needed to get to London immediately.
reality thinking perfect
The actors feel very free. The actor, he doesn't need to think about where the camera is, he just has to focus on what he's doing and forget the camera. The camera is never in the perfect position, and I think this is what keeps this feeling of reality. The frame is not perfect.
long continents long-time
We forgot this continent for a long time - and now, finally Africa is being rediscovered.
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.
eventually geography seem
This is the sequel. Geography makes them seem separate, but eventually the connections between them will become clear.
becomes change edit surprises wonderful
This is the part that I like most, in the process, is to edit and try to find (the story). Sometimes you think you have a film, and then you change something and it becomes different. It's a wonderful job. Because it surprises you.
came camp lost middle training turned village
That little village that's raided in the film, it's just lost in the desert. There's nothing there. We came in and turned it into a big operation, like an al-Qaida training camp in the middle of the desert.
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.
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.
companies deals using
The film deals with pharmaceutical companies using Africans as guinea-pigs,