Fernando Meirelles

Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter.

At 11, in 1967, Fernando spent a year in the United States in California, where he had contact with the hippie movement, which impressed him.

At 13, with a borrowed Super 8 camera, Meirelles started producing small films, inspired by Norman McLaren's animations.

He studied at the Architecture and Urbanism College in the University of São Paulo during the 1980s.

His graduation work was done in the form of a film, instead of the traditional designs of the other students: he went to Japan and bought professional video equipment to do the job.

He presented it and graduated with the minimum acceptable grade.

While studying architecture at the University of queens mary, Meirelles became involved in experimental film-making.

After several years in independent television, he became an advertisement film director.

He is still one of the partners of O2 Filmes, the biggest Brazilian advertisement firm, which has produced City of God, Domésticas and Viva Voz.

Along with four friends (Paul Morelli, Marcelo Machado, Dário Vizeu and Bob Salatini), Meirelles began his career with experimental films.

Eventually, they formed an independent production company Olhar Eletrônico.

Subsequently, new friends joined the group: Renato Barbiere, Agilson Araujo, Toniko and Marcelo Tas.

By the end of the 1980s, he became increasingly interested on the advertising market.

In 1982 the company aired TV programs on current affairs, as well as the children series Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum, with 180 episodes.

In addition to obtaining high ratings, they also introduced a refreshing humorous informality in news reporting.

In 1990, Meirelles and friends closed down Olhar Eletrônico, opening an advertising business, O2 Films.

One decade was enough for him to become one of the most important and sought-after advertising producers.

In 1997, Meirelles read the book Paulo Lins's City of God.

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.

For his work in the film, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director.

He decided to adapt it to film, which was done in 2002, and decided that the actors in it would be selected among the inhabitants of slums.

In a final triage, from 400 children, they selected 200, with whom they worked for the shooting of the film.

The filming was done with a professional crew.

The film was a national and international success.

In 2004, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for City of God.

Also, at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, the movie received four nominations: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing.

With the recognition, he was offered a job in Hollywood.

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 and produced in Brazil the HBO original series Joint Venture and also directed The Two Popes for Netflix.

Meirelles was born in São Paulo, Brazil.

Meirelles' father, José de Souza Meirelles, is a gastroenterologist who travelled regularly to Asia and North America (among other regions of the world), which gave Fernando the opportunity for contact with different cultures and places.

His mother, Sônia Junqueira Ferreira, worked in landscape architecture and interior design.

Fernando is the second youngest of four children.

He saw his older brother, José Marcos, die in a car-bike accident when he was only 4 years old.

His two sisters, Márcia and Silvinha, graduated in theater and psychology, respectively.

Fernando grew up in Alto dos Pinheiros, West Zone of São Paulo, and spent every vacation on the farms of relatives from both sides of his family.

"Even I have a farm. I don't know why I bought it", he was quoted as saying.

His first experience with cinema was with his father, who often directed 8 mm films during his job at the university.

He produced mostly western and thriller parodies, using his relatives and friends as actors.