Forbidden City
Globo will release ‘Forbidden City’ during the next MIPTV, held between April 9 and 12 in Cannes, France. Inspired by the film noir style and the 1930s and 40s pulp literature, the series follows the adventures of a private eye who gets caught up in secrets, lies and betrayals in the lavishing Rio de Janeiro of the 1950s. In Brazil, the riveting plot kept Brazilians on the edge of their seats, reaching an average of 36 million viewers per episode. The production also made its international debut during a series showcase presented by Globo at the last Berlinale event, in Germany. ‘Forbidden City’ – a series by Mauro Wilson and Maurício Farias, artistic direction by Maurício Farias, and final writing by Mauro Wilson – is now part of the company’s licensing catalog and promises to take the market by storm.
“The city was bustling with night clubs and bars; it was the height of the radio age, movie theaters were all the rage, football was starting to become Brazil’s favorite pastime, and politics was on the center stage. What a scenario! But very little of the Rio de Janeiro of that time is found today, after so much modern interferences. Therefore, we were very meticulous when recreating the city exactly as it was back then. All departments – including set design, art, costumes, makeup, CGI, and photography – did a lot of research to accomplish this task”, said artistic director Mauricio Farias.
Betrayal, jealousy, secrets and revenge are some of the ingredients of the series, with the detective taking on new cases with each episode.