Almost all tourist features of Rio de Janeiro as the sugar loaf, the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, the Corcovado Mountain with its Christ the redeemer statue or the already “touristy” slums like Rocinha are located in the prosperous South Zone. The South Zone (Zona Sul) is one of the four administration units (South, North, West Zone and Centre) in which the city is divided. At the same time the expression South Zone also stands for most of the Rio habitants as synonym for prosperity, although most of the rich already moved to other districts like Barra da Tijuca long time ago.

The South Zone represents only a very small part of the whole municipal area and an even smaller part considering the metropolitan area (área metropolitana) with its together grown periphery cities Duque de Caxias (855.000 habitants), Nova Iguaçu (830.000), Belford Roxo (480.000), Niterói (476.000), São João de Meriti (466.000) and Nilópolis (150.000). The appearances of the South Zone districts are very different of those of the suburbs and outskirts. Nevertheless it would be wrong to allege that the South Zone neighbourhoods would not also be typical for Rio de Janeiro.

The documentary Camelô aims to show as much as possible an authentic overall picture of the city, avoiding the always in reportages shown places (especially districts with beaches or slums at hills). That way the movie refers to the wide provenance and social background of the street hawkers. Amongst others, the protagonists were chosen regarding geographical aspects.

Carlos Augusto lives in a middle-class neighbourhood in the North Zone, Luciana in a poor suburb in the West Zone, Flávio in a very poor district of a periphery city. Alexandre is the only one who lives in the South Zone and, to boot, even in an upper middle-class up to upper-class neighbourhood. But it is relatively unknown because it has no beach. The centre of the city is presented in the film as one of the principal places of ware purchase und sales.

The places of ware purchase and sales are also not chosen coincidental but thoughtful by the street hawkers. Only locations with favourable conditions corresponding to ware and particular strategy secure their income at by the way their survival in a country that has only a very limited social welfare system.