Carandiru
“Inside here nobody is guilty. Do you believe that?”
Synopsis
When a doctor decides to carry out an AIDS prevention program inside Latin America’s largest prison: the Casa de Detenção de São Paulo – Carandiru, he meets the future victims of one of the darkest days in Brazilian history.
Top Cast
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Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos
Doutor (Physician)
Milton Gonçalves
Chico
Ivan de Almeida
Nego Preto (Ebony)
Aílton Graça
Majestade (Majesty)
Maria Luísa Mendonça
Dalva
Aida Leiner
Rosirene
Rodrigo Santoro
Lady Di
Gero Camilo
Sem Chance (No Way)
Lázaro Ramos
Ezequiel
Caio Blat
Deusdete
Wagner Moura
Zico
Julia Ianina
Francineide
Sabrina Greve
Catarina
Floriano Peixoto
Antônio Carlos
Ricardo Blat
Claudiomiro
Vanessa Gerbelli
Célia
Leona Cavalli
Dina
Milhem Cortaz
Peixeira (Dagger)
Release History & Theatrical Window
II Panorama Internacional Coisa de Cinema
Festival / Special Debut
May 14, 2004
Wide Cinema Exhibition
September 26, 2023
VOD & Digital Platforms
September 26, 2023
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$4.1M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$10.8M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
2.63x
+$6.7M net gain
Theatrical Status
Profitable
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Héctor Babenco
- Screenplay & Story
- Héctor Babenco, Fernando Bonassi, Victor Navas
- Original Score
- André Abujamra
- Original Title
- Carandiru
- Country of Origin
- Brazil, Argentina
- Spoken Languages
- Portuguese
- Runtime
- 2h 25m
- Production Budget
- $4.1M
- Worldwide Gross
- $10.8M
- Production Studios
- Oscar Kramer, Petrobras, HB Filmes, Columbia TriStar Filmes do Brasil, Globo Filmes
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Héctor Babenco
Héctor Babenco, Fernando Bonassi, Victor Navas, Dráuzio Varella
André Abujamra
Walter Carvalho
Mauro Alice
Óscar Kramer, Héctor Babenco, Rui Pires
Department Leadership Roster
André Abujamra
Original Music Composer
Óscar Kramer
Producer
Héctor Babenco
Director
Mauro Alice
Editor
Héctor Babenco
Screenplay
Héctor Babenco
Producer
Fernando Bonassi
Screenplay
Walter Carvalho
Director of Photography
Victor Navas
Screenplay
Rui Pires
Producer
Cristina Camargo
Costume Design
Agnaldo Bueno
Stunt Coordinator
Clovis Bueno
Production Design
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
R: Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
International Certification Matrix
Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Carandiru.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Carandiru.
Latin American Cinema
Auto-generated by festival-lists — do not edit by hand.
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:35:27 UTC+8)*
Limelight Not Seen
***Dramă***
LGBTQ+
Auto-filled from Letterboxd lists
Marcelo's International movies list
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Frequently Asked Questions About Carandiru
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Carandiru about?
When a doctor decides to carry out an AIDS prevention program inside Latin America’s largest prison: the Casa de Detenção de São Paulo – Carandiru, he meets the future victims of one of the darkest days in Brazilian history.
Who directed Carandiru?
Carandiru was directed by Héctor Babenco.
Who stars in Carandiru?
The principal cast of Carandiru includes Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Milton Gonçalves, Ivan de Almeida, Aílton Graça, Maria Luísa Mendonça.
When was Carandiru released and how long is it?
Carandiru was released in 2003 with a total runtime of 2h 25m.
What was the box office and production budget of Carandiru?
Carandiru had a reported production budget of $4.1M and grossed $10.8M at the worldwide box office (2.63 return on budget, classified as a commercial hit).
Who composed the musical score for Carandiru?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Carandiru was composed by André Abujamra.
Is Carandiru based on a book or true story?
Carandiru is adapted from the following source material: Novel: "Dráuzio Varella".
What is the age rating and content advisory for Carandiru?
Carandiru holds official age classifications: US: R (Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.).