Fernando Meirelles

Fernando Meirelles (born November 9, 1955 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian film director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director in 2004 for his work in the Brazilian film City of God, released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films. He was also nominated for the Golden Globe Best Director award in 2005 for The Constant Gardener. His father is a gastroenterologist who traveled regularly to Asia and North A... more

Fernando Meirelles (born November 9, 1955 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian film director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director in 2004 for his work in the Brazilian film City of God, released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films. He was also nominated for the Golden Globe Best Director award in 2005 for The Constant Gardener. His father is a gastroenterologist who traveled regularly to Asia and North America (among other regions of the world), which gave opportunity for Fernando to have contact with different cultures and places, by accompanying his father. At age 12, he received a movie camera as a gift, and this hobby continued ever since. He studied at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at 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... less