From Cannes to the Oscars: Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent is Brazil's Pick

Kleber Mendonça Filho’s film The Secret Agent has been chosen as Brazil’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.

The Brazilian Cinema Academy announced this selection earlier today.

The Secret Agent features Wagner Moura in the lead role and includes a cast that comprises Maria Fernanda Cândido, Gabriel Leon, Carlos Francisco, Alice Carvalho, and Hermila Guedes. The film was produced by Emilie Lesclaux. Co-producers are Nathanaël Karmitz, Elisha Karmitz, Fionnuala Jamison, Olivier Barbier, Leontine Petit, Erik Glijnis, Fred Burke, and Sol Bondy.

The film's synopsis states, "In Brazil, 1977, Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run." He arrives in Recife during carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son. However, he soon discovers that the city is far from the peaceful refuge he is seeking.

The Secret Agent premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival, where it earned Best Actor for Moura and Best Director for Filho. Filho is well-known for his previous fiction feature, Bacurau, which also premiered in Competition at Cannes in 2018 and won the Jury Prize. His most recent work prior to this was Retratos Fantasmas, a documentary that made its debut at Cannes in 2023.

Neon will release the film in the United States, while Mubi holds the rights in the UK, Ireland, India, and Latin America, excluding Brazil.

Brazil won the Best International Feature Film Oscar last year with Walter Salles’s I’m Still Here. The choice of which film will represent Brazil at the 98th Academy Awards has become a contentious subject in the country. Filho’s The Secret Agent is currently the frontrunner, having secured two awards at Cannes. However, Mascaro’s The Blue Trail has performed well at the local box office. Additionally, Marianna Brennand’s debut feature, Manas, received a recent boost when Sean Penn joined the production as an executive producer alongside Salles and two-time Palme d’Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, as well as I’m Still Here producer Maria Carlota Bruno.

In a recent Instagram post, I’m Still Here star Fernanda Torres commended the impressive array of submissions, stating, “Brazilian cinema is reborn like a phoenix.” She mentioned The Blue Trail and Manas but expressed a personal preference for The Secret Agent.

AMPAS is set to announce the shortlist for the category on December 16, with nominations following on January 22, 2026. The 98th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 15, 2026.