Introduction

Cinema Nosso On Tour

For the past five years, since the making of the film City of God, Cinema Nosso (Our Cinema) has been bringing education and awareness through film. The program has changed the lives of hundreds of young people from Rio's favelas, and impacted thousands more through Cinema Nosso original productions.

Now, a special journey to the United States brings representatives of Cinema Nosso to share their unique experience in film, audiovisual education and community building in Brazil. This site aims to bring together individuals and institutions interested in Cinema Nosso and/or bringing Cinema Nosso to institutions throughout the U.S. Please join us to bring Cinema Nosso's powerful message to audiences everywhere.

The History of Cinema Nosso

Cinema Nosso was created in January of 2000, when 200 young people from diverse lower income communities in Rio de Janeiro, were selected to comprise the cast of the film City of God. Prior to filming, they attended workshops in interpretation in preparation for their work as actors. The courses ended upon completion of the film, but with the determination of several students as well as the guidance of filmmakers Katia Lund and Fernando Meirelles, Cinema Nosso has been structured into an organization that offers a unique solution to the problem of youth in the favelas: information, training in media skills, access to the job market, and a powerful means of self-expression.

Cinema Nosso Film Productions

Vida Nova Com Favela (New Life in The Favela)

Winner of the 2005 ANCINE Award for Best Documentary, the film reveals a seldom viewed side of the favelas. Using images from the past and present Vida Nova Com Favela introduces various personalities, recounting pieces of history and the part Afro-Brazilians played in the formation of these communities, as well as the reality in which they live.

Crime Quase Perfeito (Almost Perfect Crime)

This film short brings to life the story of a dysfunctional middle-class family. The father, a physician preoccupied with an incessant desire to make money and an extramarital affair, distances himself from his family. His teenage daughter, experimenting with drugs, will ultimately put her life in the hands of her own father. Without knowing the consequences, he makes a decision that will alter the fate of his family forever.

O Cego, O Diabo, e O Bom Pastor (The Blind, The Devil and The Good Pastor)

Adapted from Brazilian literature and shot in the hillside favela of Rocinha, O Cego, O Diabo, e O Bom Pastor, tells in poetic form, the history of religious secretism in Brazilian society. Using the universal theme of the battle between good and evil.

Cididão Silva (Citizen Silva)

2002 winner for best short film at the San Carlos International Short Film Festival, Cidadão Silva tells the tale of a man, during a period of inner conflict, searching for an exit. Before taking his own life he's stopped by two women who represent the good and evil that reside in his soul.

Additional Productions:

• Conversa no Banheiro (Conversations in the Bathroom) - Original short film
• Armas e Paz (Arms and Peace) - Music video
• SapuKay - Promotional video for Star One, shot in an indiginous village in Angra dos Reis
• Sem Violência, 100% Paz (Without Violence, 100% Peace) - Theatre piece by renowned Brazilian actress Zezé Motta
• Brazilian Personalities - International documentary
• Nova Baia - Promotional video for IBG (Instituto Baia de Guanabara)
• Living and Learning - Promotional video for the NGO Guardiões do Mar
• Mini-series Networks of Our Land - A Cinema Nosso production for Star One, shot in the Amazon rainforest.
• Rainforest Peoples Network- Documentary shown on popular TV Globo program Fantástico in September of 2003.