city of god (cidade de deus), a 2002 film directed by fernando meirelles, tells the often harrowing story of organized crime in rio de janeiro, and the city's surrounding suburbs, between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1980s.

the film received four academy award nominations and was praised among critics. 

there are many great scenes showing ipanema and copacabana beaches, not to mention the favela cidade de deus (city of god), where much of the action takes place.

the film's protagonists are mainly children, so the story is both touching and disturbing while loosely based on real events.