José Padilha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids José Padilha
Padilha at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013
Born	José Bastos Padilha Neto (1967-08-01) 1 August 1967 (age 57) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Alma mater	Oxford University
Occupation	Film director, producer and screenwriter
Years active	2000–present
Known for	Elite Squad Elite Squad: The Enemy Within RoboCop

José Bastos Padilha Neto (born August 1, 1967) is a talented Brazilian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is famous for directing the successful Brazilian movies Elite Squad and Elite Squad: The Enemy Within. He also directed the 2014 movie RoboCop.

In 2008, he won the Golden Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival for Elite Squad. José Padilha also produced the Netflix series Narcos, where he directed the first two episodes.

Early Life and Education

José Padilha was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Before he started making movies, he studied business, politics, and economics in Rio. He later went to Oxford University in England. There, he studied literature and international politics.

In 1997, Padilha helped start a company called Zazen Produções with his friend Marcos Prado. They met while studying at Oxford. This company became very important for making his future films.

Film Career Highlights

José Padilha became known in the Brazilian movie world with his first feature film, Bus 174, released in 2002. This movie was a documentary produced by his own company. It told the true story of a bus hijacking in his hometown.

Padilha used the film to show how problems caused by poverty in Rio de Janeiro could lead to crime. The movie was a success, earning over $217,000. It also got a lot of attention at film festivals like Vancouver and Sundance.

The Elite Squad Films

In 2007, Padilha directed Elite Squad. This was his first movie that mixed real events with a fictional story. The film was a huge hit, with more than 11 million people watching it in Brazil. It was the number one movie in Brazil that year.

In 2008, Padilha won the Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival for Elite Squad. This award brought him international attention. The movie cost just over $6 million to make. It also started important discussions about police actions in Brazil and their possible links to gang activities.

Because Elite Squad was so popular, a sequel was released in 2010 called Elite Squad: The Enemy Within. This movie still holds the record for the highest earnings and most tickets sold in Brazil. It was even chosen to represent Brazil at the Academy Awards in 2012 for Best Foreign Film. These films are part of a planned series that looks at how media, police, and politicians affect society.

Documentaries and RoboCop

After the Elite Squad movies, Padilha made two more documentaries. One was Garapa, which showed a family in Brazil trying to avoid hunger. The other was Secrets of the Tribe, which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was praised by critics.

After his big success, Sony Pictures Entertainment offered Padilha many films to direct. He turned them down until he decided to direct a new version of the classic 1987 sci-fi movie, RoboCop. Padilha explained that he saw a RoboCop poster at Sony and realized he wanted to make that movie.

The new RoboCop film was released on February 12, 2014. Padilha continued to explore political ideas in this movie. He used it to show the dangers and moral questions that come with using robots and technology in fighting crime. The film earned over $240 million worldwide.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music video

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: José Padilha para niños