1. City Of God (2002, Brazil)
Original Title: Cidade de Deus. City of God is the best Brazilian movie ever made and probably Latin America's most known and most appreciated picture of all times. It was nominated for four categories in 2003's Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Cinematography. The movie tells the story of City of God, one of Rio de Janeiro's biggest slums, since its creation in the 60s. It is narrated by Rocket, a young man that dreams about becoming a photographer and who recounts the lives of some of the most important people that lived in the favela, like the Tender Trio, Knockout Ned, The Runts and especially, City of God's biggest criminal, Lil' Zé. Extremely vibrant and visceral, the film has an amazing pace that makes it almost impossible to even look away from the screen during 129 minutes. Directed by one of Brazil's most acclaimed directors, Fernando Meirelles, City of God is a great movie seen from a very unique perspective. Most of the characters in the movie are played by boys that actually lived in favelas, what only makes the experience of watching the film even stronger and more disturbing. City of God is a real story about the difficult life conditions in the Brazilians slums, where most people, while still in their childhood years, are dragged to the criminal world filled with drugs and murders and don't ever escape from it.