Fernando Meirelles

Directing

Fernando Meirelles

Born 1955-11-09 · São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (Brazilian Portuguese:[feʁˈnɐ̃du mejˈɾɛlis]; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film City of God, released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films, which received international critical acclaim. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for his work in the film. 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 Actress for Rachel Weisz. He also directed the 2008 adaptation of José Saramago's novel Blindness and the 2011 film 360. In 2019, Meirelles directed The Two Popes for Netflix. In television, Meirelles directed and produced the HBO original series Joint Venture in Brazil. In 2024, he led the directing work for the crime series Sugar and the historical miniseries The Sympathizer. Description above from the Wikipedia article Fernando Meirelles, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

Critic poster
7.9

Seventy critics and filmmakers discuss cinema around the conflict between the artist and the observer, the creator and the critic. Between 1998 and 2007, Kléber Mendonça Filho recorded testimonies about this relationship in Brazil, the United States and Europe, based on his experience as a critic.

Critic

2008

Comercial poster
NR

The documentary “Comercial” brings a portrait of Brazilian advertising, from the perspective of the production of advertising films, told through the eyes of scene directors, creatives and clients; from those who lived the golden age of advertising in Brazil, to the professionals of the new generation; talking about the challenges, changes, the future of advertising films in Brazil and new language trends.

Comercial

2010

Once Upon a Time There Was Iracema poster
NR

A making-of directed by Bodanzky himself, the documentary discusses the language of the film Iracema - Uma Transa Amazônica 30 years after it was made, gathering interviews with the authors, actors, critics and the filmmakers themselves.

Once Upon a Time There Was Iracema

2005

Brasil Animado poster
5.9

The story of Stress & Relax: a businessman who thinks only of money and a film director who lives for insisting that this invest in their projects. This time, the "project" is to look for the oldest tree in Brazil. Stress is excited about the possibility of making money with this rarity. The problem is that they do not know exactly where it is. Stress and Relax out in search of the "Big Jequitibá Rose" with no map, no compass and clueless.

Brasil Animado

2011

Operação Lorca, o bailado poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Operação Lorca, o bailado

2026

VIVA - The opening Ceremony Documentary of Rio 2016 poster
10.0

For the first time ever, experience the work of a nation as it host the world and puts on a show like never before.

VIVA - The opening Ceremony Documentary of Rio 2016

2017

Anatomy of a Global Thriller: Behind the Scenes of The Constant Gardener poster
4.0

The Constant Gardener featurette.

Anatomy of a Global Thriller: Behind the Scenes of The Constant Gardener

2006

Passages: Travelling In and Out of Film Through Brazilian Geography poster
NR

Passages showcases Brazilian films in which the utilisation of artforms and media such as literature, painting, theatre, music, photography, radio and television, functions as a 'passage' to political and social reality.

Passages: Travelling In and Out of Film Through Brazilian Geography

2019

Cidade de Deus: Oficina dos Atores poster
6.0

Documentary on the preparation of actors for "City of God".

Cidade de Deus: Oficina dos Atores

2003

No artwork available
NR

documentary about the theft by students of the Flávio de Carvalho's Monument to Garcia Lorca

7 lições que se aprendem com as crianças, os loucos e os ladrões

O Velho Guerreiro Não Morrerá - O Cangaceiro de Lima Barreto 50 Anos Depois poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

O Velho Guerreiro Não Morrerá - O Cangaceiro de Lima Barreto 50 Anos Depois

2011

Behind the camera

City of God poster
8.4

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

City of God

2002

Beast Race poster
7.0

In future Rio de Janeiro, a young leader of the resistance must enter a deadly parkour-inspired competition in order to save his sister's life.

Beast Race

2026

Beast Race poster
7.0

In future Rio de Janeiro, a young leader of the resistance must enter a deadly parkour-inspired competition in order to save his sister's life.

Beast Race

2026

The Two Popes poster
7.5

Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict. Instead, facing scandal and self-doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church.

The Two Popes

2019

Blindness poster
6.5

When a sudden plague of blindness devastates a city, a small group of the afflicted band together to triumphantly overcome the horrific conditions of their imposed quarantine.

Blindness

2008

The Constant Gardener poster
7.0

Justin Quayle is a low-level British diplomat who has always gone about his work very quietly, not causing any problems. But after his radical wife Tessa is killed he becomes determined to find out why, thrusting himself into the middle of a very dangerous conspiracy.

The Constant Gardener

2005

Elza: A Mulher do Fim do Mundo poster
NR

A biopic about star Elza Soares, considered one of the greatest samba singers ever and a symbol of the struggle against racism and women discrimination in Brazil.

Elza: A Mulher do Fim do Mundo

360 poster
5.7

A disparate group of characters unknowingly bond by the sexual choices they make. Consumed by loneliness, a British businessman ponders a rendezvous with a prostitute. The businessman's wife prepares to call it quits with her younger lover. A Brazilian student breaks up with her boyfriend in London. A recovering alcoholic travels to Phoenix in search of his missing daughter. A paroled sex offender struggles to stay composed when propositioned in a Denver airport. A widower's religious devotion is put to a difficult test.

360

2012

Rio, I Love You poster
4.8

The third episode of the Cities of Love franchise, Rio, I Love You is an anthology, created by 10 visionary directors from across the globe. The story line of each segment focuses on an encounter of love in a different neighborhood of the city, demonstrating the distinctive qualities and character of that location. The film serves to bridge gaps between cultures, educating and entertaining the audience, while celebrating unique and universal expressions of love.

Rio, I Love You

2014

7 Prisoners poster
7.1

An impoverished teen seeking to escape the clutches of a human trafficker must weigh living up to his moral code against his struggle to survive.

7 Prisoners

2021

City of Men poster
7.0

Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio's favelas.

City of Men

2007

VIPs poster
6.4

Marcelo leaves his family and moves to Mato Grosso do Sul, where he learns how to fly airplanes by himself watching the pilots. One day, he responds the call of a drug dealer and uses his boss' plane to help the man to transport his cargo. He is hired by the drug lord to work transporting drugs in his airplanes. When he is arrested by the Federal Police, he does not rat his gang and the leader of the cartel gives a large amount of money as a bonus and asks him to leave the gang since he is known by the police. Marcelo uses the money to promote a party in the Carnival of Recife pretending to be the son of the owner of the Gol (a Brazilian air flight company). He lures the high-society, including the television presenter Amaury Jr. Marcelo is arrested again and is sent to prison. During a rebellion, he uses his leadership to present the claims of the prisoners and help to control the situation.

VIPs

2011

Here Comes the Flood poster
NR

An unconventional heist movie about three people locked in a deadly game of cons and double crosses.

Here Comes the Flood

Here Comes the Flood poster
NR

An unconventional heist movie about three people locked in a deadly game of cons and double crosses.

Here Comes the Flood

No artwork available
9.0

Reunion of four reportages made by production company "Olhar Eletrônico" between 1983 and 1986, in which an irreverent reporter, Ernesto Varela, a creation of actor/director Marcelo Tas, tackles some hot topics, such as money evasion in Brazil, gold-digging at Serra Pelada, the homeless in São Paulo and a love story spoof.

Olhar Eletrônico

1986

Adrift poster
5.9

A 1980s-set drama about a teenage girl undergoing her sexual awakening when she learns about her father's infidelities.

Adrift

2009

Art poster
NR

Follows three friends, Marc, Serge and Yvan, and one ridiculously expensive, plain white painting. It’s procurement by one friend and differing opinions about what constitutes ‘art’ sparks a conflict among the group that uncovers long-held grievances and tension points in their relationships.

Art

El Revenge poster
6.2

Two friends hit the road to Buenos Aires aboard an orange Opala 72, with a mission: be with as many women as possible. This is all a plan to wash the honor of "Caco", a man who found his girlfriend in bed with an Argentine.

El Revenge

2017

Amanhecer poster
NR

This short film portrays the last hours of a young man before assuming homosexuality. He struggles to tell his father that he is gay, but gets inspired from a conversation with friends.

Amanhecer

2010

The Pope's Toilet poster
7.1

In 1998, a small South American village is in a flurry over the Pope's upcoming visit for the business opportunities that it will provide. While most of the residents plan to sell food at the parade, a smuggler family man decides to build a pay toilet.

The Pope's Toilet

2007

Sound & Fury: Film poster
8.0

Follows the struggles of a small theatre company attempting to adapt a Shakespeare play.

Sound & Fury: Film

2010

Sound & Fury: Film poster
8.0

Follows the struggles of a small theatre company attempting to adapt a Shakespeare play.

Sound & Fury: Film

2010

Sound & Fury: Film poster
8.0

Follows the struggles of a small theatre company attempting to adapt a Shakespeare play.

Sound & Fury: Film

2010

From Nowhere: A Portrait of Valter Hugo Mãe poster
NR

Filmed over seven years, the documentary follows Valter Hugo Mãe as he writes his novel “A Desumanização”, across journeys through Iceland, Brazil, Portugal, Colombia, and Macau. A visual meditation on solitude, loss, and belonging, featuring appearances by cartoonist Laerte Coutinho and Icelandic composer Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, mentor of bands such as Sigur Rós and Björk. The film is part of the project “The Meaning of Life”, which director Miguel Gonçalves Mendes has been developing for more than a decade: a series of nine features built as a kaleidoscope of contemporary figures, in which the filmmaker invites us to reflect on what makes us, as humans, unique beings.

From Nowhere: A Portrait of Valter Hugo Mãe

2025