Front Row Filmed Entertainment, the Middle East distributor, is preparing to release the acclaimed Oscar-nominated gangster drama set in Rio de Janeiro. City of God Through the Gulf countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the first time.
Co-directed by Brazilian directors Fernando Meirelles and Katja Lund, the film created a sensation in 2002 for its realistic depiction of the rise of gang violence in the slums of Rio de Janeiro with a young, non-professional cast.
Dubai-based Front Row originally released the film directly to DVD in the Gulf region due to a variety of local restrictions, but nearly two decades later, it continues to release it theatrically in a sign of how the region is opening up.
Front Row’s planned February 22 release coincides with the 21st anniversary of the film’s 2003 theatrical release following its out-of-competition world premiere at Cannes in 2002, and also ties in with a February 23 global re-release.
This initiative also coincides with Front Row’s 20th anniversary.
“The film has a special place in our hearts; It was our first acquisition, and at the time we couldn’t release it theatrically due to language restrictions imposed by cinemas, and also because we couldn’t afford the budget for it to stand out, so it went straight to DVD. Front Row CEO Gianluca Chakra.
“We’ve come a long way since then, and… City of God It remains an unforgettable masterpiece and worth watching on the silver screen. What better way to celebrate our 20th anniversary?
The front row does the joint distribution City of God With the festival agency led by Leslie Feschut, who acquired the rights from Wild Bunch.
This partnership is part of Front Row’s campaign to release a number of classic films in the Bay Area that were not shown on the big screen the first time around.
Her other recent releases include Big boy, kidnapped And Howl’s Moving Castle.
The company re-released Luc Besson Leon He plans to bring the French director’s cult film The fifth element Back to the big screen in the region soon.
Chakra says that the team is committed to re-releasing classic films and famous films, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is enjoying a cinematic renaissance after the ban it imposed on cinemas for 35 years was lifted at the end of 2017.
City of God He was nominated in four categories at the 76th Academy Awards but went home empty-handed. However, it regularly appears on critics’ lists as one of the best films of all time and is ranked #25 on IMDB with an audience rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.