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Director Hector Babenco helms this movie based on the novel Estacao Carandiru by Drauzio Varella, which was submitted as Brazil’s entry for the 2003 Academy Award in the Foreign Language category.

The story is set in Brazil’s Sao Paulo House of Detention, a prison that houses almost 8,000 prisoners in a facility designed for only 3,000. I bet you can already see something big that’s going to happen in this movie. The story focuses on a doctor who comes into the prison to start up an anti-AIDS program. He meets and treats the many inmates in the prison’s infirmary. As they come through the facility, we get to take an inside look at these unique characters – where they come from, where they are now, and where they are going.

This is another offering from Latin America, from where we have seen a rather large influx lately. It has done amazingly well in its native Brazil and was shown in competition at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. If this film succeeds like Y Tu Mama Tambien and City of God have done recently, we should see more from South America in the future. (Marty Doskins/BOP)

Vital statistics for Carandiru Main Cast Caio Blat, Gero Camilo, Milton Goncalves Supporting Cast Rodrigo Santoro, Lazaro Ramos, Maria Luisa Mendonca Director Hector Babenco Screenwriter Hector Babenco, Fernando Bonassi, Victor Navas Distributor Sony Pictures Classics Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.carandiru.com.br/ Rating R Screen Count 6 Awards 2003 Havana Film Festival – Audience Award, Glauber Rocha Award, House of the Americas Award, OCIC Award, Radio Havana Award, Saul Yelin Award, Special Jury Prize Awards page for Carandiru Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture