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Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, celebrated for Aquarius and Bacurau, is backmost successful the planetary spotlight with his latest movie The Secret Agent. The governmental thriller, which premiered astatine the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, has already made past — winning Best Actor for Wagner Moura, Best Director for Mendonça Filho, and the FIPRESCI Critics Prize for Best Film.
The Secret Agent has been announced arsenic Brazil’s submission for Best International Feature astatine the 2026 Academy Awards. The movie is being hailed arsenic Mendonça Filho’s astir ambitious enactment yet, with its governmental commentary during 1 of Brazil’s darkest periods.
"Wagner Moura gives 1 of the champion performances of the year."
THE SECRET AGENT, starring Wagner Moura, opens prime theaters 11.26. pic.twitter.com/II5gUm8F29
Set successful 1977, successful the waning years of Brazil’s subject dictatorship, the communicative follows Marcelo (played by Moura), a exertion adept connected the tally from authorities. Fleeing to Recife during carnival week, Marcelo hopes to reunite with his estranged son, lone to find that information and corruption person reached each country of the city. As helium navigates an ambiance of paranoia and unrest, his conflict becomes some intensely idiosyncratic and profoundly political.
Critics person described Moura’s crook arsenic “career-defining,” with his restrained strength anchoring the film’s analyzable affectional core.
The Secret Agent besides strengthens Neon’s formidable awards-season lineup, joining different acclaimed festival favorites similar It Was Just an Accident (Palme d’Or winner), Sentimental Value (Grand Prix winner), Sirāt (Jury Prize recipient), and No Other Choice (TIFF’s International People’s Choice winner). With each 5 films serving arsenic their countries’ authoritative Oscar submissions, Neon could predominate the International Feature class successful 2026.
