From the team behind the Oscar-nominated film City of God comes the acclaimed spin-off series that drew 35 million viewers in Brazil, showing as part of the Brasil! Brasil! season on BBC Four.
Filmed on location, City of Men mixes comedy and drama to tell the stories of Laranjinha and Acerola, two 13-year-olds who live in a notorious Rio slum; a community of drug-dealers, hustlers and teenagers struggling to fulfil their dreams.
Director Interview - we speak to Kàtia Lund
Ep 1: The Man's Brother-in-Law
Thursday 22 November 10pm-10.30pm
When Acerola's sister starts dating the neighbourhood's biggest drug dealer, our hero finds his own status rising and people respecting him more. Things turn sour when the new relationship starts to falter...
Ep 2: The Post
Saturday 24 November 11pm-11.30pm
There is no mail delivery in the favela, so Laranjinha and Acerola are designated by the local drug barons to work as mailmen. Their bright ideas lead to big problems...
Ep 3: Uólace And João Vitor
Thursday 29 November 10pm-10.30pm
Laranjinha awakes to find himself penniless, with no food at home and his mother away. João Vitor is a middle-class kid living in an apartment in front of Laranjinha's favela, and this episode traces the parallels between the two.
Ep 4: Saturday
Saturday 1 December 11pm-11.30pm TBC
Saturday means dance night and Acerola enters a group dance competition to woo Cristiane, whilst Laranjinha just wants to beat his own record. He aims to stay with three different girls all through the night, then take a fourth home.
Ep 5: It Has To Be Now
Thursday 6 December 10pm-10.30pm TBC
At the beach, where all social classes mix freely, some young thugs want to have a social cleansing of 'their space'. The only thing on the minds of the other young people is losing their virginity.
Ep 6: The Ordinaries
Saturday 8 December 11pm-11.30pm TBC
In a freak accident Acerola saves a rich boy from drowning, which forges a strong bond between the two. They realise people from 'the asphalt' and 'the slum' can live in harmony and form a group called The Ordinaries.
Note: Three other episodes also feature in the series, however, there are no plans to show them alongside the others at this time. See below for details of the these episodes.
The Emperor's Crown
Laranjinha and Acerola's efforts to go on a school trip are complicated by a lack of money, poor test results and new neighbourhood drug dealers. In the middle of this confusion, the boys do manage to learn what led Napoleon to attack England and why Portugal's King Dom João VI had to escape to Brazil.
The Two On Their Way To Brasília
Acerola's love for a girl, who fights for incarcerated inmates of the Brazilian penal system, sends the dynamic duo off on a trip to Brasília, to talk to Presidente Lula.
Hot Spot
Laranjinha's cousin Esperto manages drug dealing in his area. After a bad experience, Espeto wants out, but leaving the business can be tough, so Laranjinha and Acerola decide to help him out.
