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Children of the Church Steps (Os Quatro da Candelária) dropped on Netflix today. It is inspired by events that took place in Rio, Brazil, in 1993 in what has come to be known as the Candelária Massacre. Eight homeless people – aged between 11 and 19-years-old – were killed when scores of street kids living outside the Candelária Chruch in Rio were attacked. Several of the group that launched the assault were found to be police officers.

The fictionalized account tells the stories of four children in the 36 hours leading up to one of Brazil’s most tragic events. It blends the story of their lives in a harsh urban setting with dreamlike sequences. A predominantly Black cast includes breakout talent Samuel Silva, Patrick Congo, Andrei Marques and Wendy Queiroz. Established stars including Antônio Pitanga, Péricles, Leandro Firmino, Bruno Gagliasso, Maria Bopp and Stepan Nercessian also appear.

Creator Luis Lomenha and Márcia Faria share...

Exclusive: Adding to its roster of local-language remakes, Sony Pictures International Productions is teaming with Biônica Filmes on a Brazilian redo of 2011 romantic comedy, Friends with Benefits which starred Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. The Brazilian version, Amizade Colorida, is directed by Rafael Gomes and stars Maria Bopp and Ícaro Silva.

Bopp plays Julia, a headhunter from Sao Paulo who recruits Daniel (Silva), an art director from Salvador, for a job interview at a major technology company. Initially skeptical about leaving his family and a house overlooking the sea in Bahia, he accepts the job after a day exploring the allure of Sao Paulo, guided by Julia. In a short time, their friendship turns into a casual friends-with-benefits relationship until they both realize that inevitably they are in love.

Gisele Fróes, Tuca Andrada, Luiz Pepeu and Daniel Furlan also star. Mariana Zatz and Gomes wrote the script. Producers are Bianca Villar,...

The first slate of Paramount Plus Originals for Latin America will feature new series from “The Hateful Eight’s” Demián Bichir, “Luis Miguel” lead Diego Boneta, and Brazilian online phenom Porta Dos Fundos.

Paramount Plus and ViacomCBS International Studios on Thursday also confirmed that their new slate of premium original content is set to premiere in Latin America, including Brazil, from early as third quarter 2021.

Expanding the streaming service’s vast global content lineup, the slate is produced by ViacomCBS’s global studio Vis, rolling off partnerships with a growing bevy of world-renowned content creators and producers.

Bichir, whose acting credits take in “Land,” “The Midnight Sky,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” “The Hateful Eight,” and “A Better Life,” will star, executive produce and direct “Jg Ballard Adaptation” – a working title. It is written by novelist Juan Villoro and produced by Frida Torresblanco, an Academy Award winner for “Pan’s Labyrinth.” The limited...