Cerise Valenzuela MetzgerChapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts (ranked #4 by The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap) announced today that Oscar-nominated director Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Two Popes) will become its next Marion Knott Distinguished Artist.
Meirelles follows Asghar Farhadi (A Separation), Dodge’s most recent Distinguished Artist. He’ll spend three full days on campus (March 14-16) helping graduates and undergraduates develop story ideas, while also discussing production and casting as well as analyzing rough cuts of their films. Additionally, he’ll take part in a live Q&A open to the entire Chapman community.
“I still vividly remember the shock and wonder of seeing City of God for the first time,” said Dodge College Dean Stephen Galloway. “It changed my — and everyone else’s — views on the possibilities of film. Having Fernando here will be a life-changing experience for all of us.”
This continues a relationship between Chapman and Meirelles that began last year when the director took part in Dodge’s celebrated Master Class series. Recent Master Classes have featured such guests as Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men), Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Todd Field (Tár), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Damien Chazelle (La La Land) and Austin Butler (Elvis).
Meirelles developed his love of film while studying at the University of Sao Paulo. After producing numerous television shows, he made 2002’s City of God, about life in Rio de Janeiro’s slums, which earned him a best director Oscar nomination.
In 2005, he directed Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz in The Constant Gardener, earning a Golden Globe nomination for best director (and an Oscar for Weisz). He also directed Netflix’s acclaimed The Two Popes in 2019. His other films include Blindness and 360.
About Chapman University
Founded in 1861, Chapman University is a nationally ranked private university located in Southern California. Chapman is categorized by the Carnegie Classification as an R2 “high research activity” institution and offers personalized education to more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The campus has produced a Rhodes Scholar, been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars, and hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. Based in the city of Orange, Chapman also includes the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine. In 2019, the university opened its 11th college, Fowler School of Engineering, in its newest facility, Keck Center for Science and Engineering. Learn more about Chapman University: www.chapman.edu.
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Media Contacts: Carly Murphy, Digital Marketing & Communications Manager for Dodge College, carmurphy@chapman.edu
Desk: 714-516-5611 Mobile: 714-401-9871
Cerise Valenzuela Metzger, Director of Public Relations, cmetzger@chapman.edu
Desk: 714-289-3143 Mobile: 657-390-6760
