DRAMA . 2003 . 2h 25m . Portuguese . 7.6/10

Carandiru_

"Inside here nobody is guilty. Do you believe that?"

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 when the State of São Paulo’s Military Police, with the excuse for law enforcement, shot to death 111 people. Based on real facts and on the book written by Dráuzio Varella.

Director Héctor Babenco

Starring Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Milton Gonçalves, Ivan de Almeida

Box Office $10.8M

7.6/10

Rating

$10.8M

Box Office

2h 25m

Runtime

2003

Year

BLOCKBUSTER

+193% ROI

Profitability

Updated Feb 16, 2026

Carandiru poster

Inside here nobody is guilty. Do you believe that?

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 when the State of São Paulo’s Military Police, with the excuse for law enforcement, shot to death 111 people. Based on real facts and on the book written by Dráuzio Varella.

WHERE TO WATCH

Netflix 3 countries

Globoplay 1 country

Telecine Amazon Channel 1 country

R Reserva Imovision Amazon Channel 1 country

ALL REGIONS

DROPTHE_ GOSSIP

Box office

Carandiru earned $10.8M worldwide on a $3.7M budget — a 193% return on investment.

Director

Carandiru was directed by Héctor Babenco.

Héctor Babenco →

Cast

Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos stars as Doutor (Physician) in Carandiru.

Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos →

Year context

Carandiru was released 23 years ago in 2003.

CAST (20)

Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos

Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos

Doutor (Physician)

Milton Gonçalves

Milton Gonçalves

Ivan de Almeida

Ivan de Almeida

Nego Preto (Ebony)

Aílton Graça

Majestade (Majesty)

Maria Luísa Mendonça

Maria Luísa Mendonça

Aida Leiner

Rodrigo Santoro

Rodrigo Santoro

Gero Camilo

Gero Camilo

Sem Chance (No Way)

Lázaro Ramos

Caio Blat

Wagner Moura

Julia Ianina

Julia Ianina

Francineide

Sabrina Greve

Floriano Peixoto

Floriano Peixoto

Antônio Carlos

Ricardo Blat

Vanessa Gerbelli

Vanessa Gerbelli

Leona Cavalli

Milhem Cortaz

Peixeira (Dagger)

Dionísio Neto

Dionísio Neto

Lula

Antônio Grassi

Antônio Grassi

CREW

Director

Héctor Babenco

Writer

Héctor Babenco

Writer

Victor Navas

Writer

Fernando Bonassi

BOX OFFICE

$3.7M

Budget

$10.8M

Revenue

+193%

ROI

BLOCKBUSTER

Verdict

STUDIOS (6)

Oscar Kramer BR Petrobrás HB Filmes Columbia TriStar Filmes do Brasil Sony Pictures Classics Globo Filmes

DETAILS

Release

March 21, 2003

Status

Released

Runtime

145 min (2h 25m)

Language

Portuguese

Country

Brazil, Argentina

Rating

7.6/10 (591 votes)

Popularity

4

Budget

$3,684,600

Box Office

$10,782,155

Profit

+$7,097,555

IMDB

tt0293007

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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 when the State of São Paulo’s Military Police, with the excuse for law enforcement, shot to death 111 people. Based on real facts and on the book written by Dráuzio Varella.

How long is Carandiru?

Carandiru has a runtime of 145 minutes (2h 25m).

Who directed Carandiru?

Carandiru was directed by Héctor Babenco.

Who stars in Carandiru?

The cast of Carandiru includes Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Milton Gonçalves, Ivan de Almeida, Aílton Graça, Maria Luísa Mendonça.

How much did Carandiru make at the box office?

Carandiru earned $10,782,155 worldwide at the box office. The production budget was $3,684,600.

What is the rating of Carandiru?

Carandiru has a rating of 7.6 out of 10 based on 591 votes on TMDB.

GENRES (1)

Drama

KEYWORDS (6)

prison police brutality attempted murder carandiru massacre sao paulo, brazil doctor