many have heard of 'cidade de deus' and 'tropa de elite', two movies centering about drugs and crime in the favelas, but not many know about other great works such as 'quase dois irmăos' detailing the birth of one the most powerful crime factions in rio de janeiro, or 'era uma vez', a love story between a man and a woman from two sides of life.

watching any of the movies we selected here can give a glimpse, and perhaps an initial understanding, of what favelas truly are and how life is in them.

directed by fernando meirelles, written by braulio mantovani and based on the novel by paulo lins, cidade de deus (2002) has received much acclaim as the world's most compelling foreign crime drama.