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Children of the Church Steps, alternatively titled Os Quatro da Candelária, was released on Netflix on October 30, 2024. The cinematic recreation is inspired by a 1993 incident that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Eight homeless people between 11 and 19 years of age were killed in what has come to be known as the Candelária Massacre. This brutality involved street children living outside the Candelária Chruch in Rio, who were attacked by armed men. Several of the group that launched the attack turned out to be police officers during investigations.
Children of the Church Steps is based on the incident but follows a fictionalized version of the story. It follows four children for the 36 hours before the tragic event. Some of the cast members of the four-part series include Samuel Silva, Patrick Congo, Andrei Marques and Wendy Queiroz.
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What was the real life event that inspired Children of the Church Steps?
The Candelária Church is a famous Roman Catholic church located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The church became refuge for many street children in the area, who used its steps and courtyard as a makeshift home to sleep at night. The church officials even provided food, shelter and religious education to many of these children.
However, a few of the children got involved in drug trade and prostitution, owing to their lack of money and resources. Multiple instances of pickpocketing and petty theft also began to occur in the area. Hence, the police began to keep a constant watch on the church and was often at loggerheads with the children there.
On the morning of July 22, 1993, a group ofchurch children pelted stones at police cars and left to go towards their temporary dwelling. At around midnight the same day, several cars with covered license plates drove to the Candelária Church. The people who disembarked from the cars had loaded guns and began to shoot at the street children sleeping on the steps of the church.
As a result, six minors and two adults died from the gunshots, and several children were fatally injured. According to later studies, 44 of the 70 people that slept in the area lost their lives by succumbing to their wounds later.
What is the perspective of the series showrunners on the Candelária massacre and its portrayal?
Children of the Church Steps has been created by Luis Lomenha and Márcia Faria. In an exclusive for Deadline, the showrunners opened up about their process and how they depicted the real-life incident in the Netflix cinematic recreation. The creators said that they hoped to show the humanity of the children involved in the massacre through their series.
They also mentioned working with survivors from the incident. From dialogues and emotions to reaching the crux of the story, the showrunners spoke about covering all bases:
"Working with survivors was essential to authentically representing this story. We collaborated closely with some of them to understand the nuances of their experiences and, importantly, to ensure that their voices were genuinely heard."
Audiences can watch Children of the Church Steps streaming on and after October 30, 2024 via Netflix.
