The acclaimed feature film, which won four awards at the Cannes Film Festival, stood out among 15 national films pre-selected for next year’s awards.
Among them was ‘O Último Azul’, directed by Gabriel Mascaro, which also received an award abroad with the second highest prize at the Berlin Festival.
‘O Agente Secreto’ stars Wagner Moura, who won the best actor award at Cannes, with a long career in Hollywood in films such as ‘Guerra Civil’ (2024) and ‘Elysium’ (2013), also known for his role as “Captain Nascimento” in the renowned Brazilian film ‘Tropa de Elite’ (2007).
The Brazilian actor is also globally recognized for his portrayal of Pablo Escobar in the Netflix series ‘Narcos’.
‘O Agente Secreto’ is set to premiere commercially on November 6 in both Portugal and Brazil. However, Portuguese distributor Nitrato Filmes organized preview screenings in Lisbon and Porto in July, attended by the director, who divides his time between Europe and Brazil.
In addition to Wagner Moura, the extensive cast includes Alice Carvalho, Tânia Maria, Maria Fernanda Cândido, and Portuguese actress Isabél Zuaa, among others.
The story of ‘O Agente Secreto’ unfolds in 1977 during the military dictatorship, where a university technology researcher, Marcelo Alves (played by Wagner Moura), travels to Recife to reunite with family, seeking to escape a mysterious past.
The researcher arrives during carnival, staying at a refuge house for dissidents and marginalized individuals, desperately trying to maintain contact with his young son while realizing he is under surveillance and his life in danger.
Presented as a period political thriller, Kléber Mendonça Filho describes it as a “film chronicle with the logic of Brazil,” with a narrative rich in layers of emotion, vivid atmospheres, and “almost palpable” memories of Recife in 1977, when he was nine years old.
It is not solely a film about dictatorship, corruption, or crime; it doesn’t merely tackle progress or political agendas; nor is it only an ode to cinema, old theaters, popular culture, or the bizarre series Z horror films; it encompasses all these themes concurrently, in Brazil.
The film faces the challenge of replicating the previous edition’s success, when Brazilian cinema was awarded the Oscar for Best International Feature with ‘Ainda estou aqui’ (directed by Walter Salles), alongside two nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress for Fernanda Torres’ performance.
Last week, the Portuguese Film Academy (APC) selected the film ‘Banzo’, directed by Margarida Cardoso, as Portugal’s contender for Best International Feature at the Oscars, set for March of next year in Hollywood, Los Angeles (USA).
This selection, made after voting by members of the Portuguese Film Academy (APC) between August 22 and September 10, saw ‘Banzo’ gather the majority of votes, revealed the APC.
Other contenders included the feature films ‘Hanami’ by Denise Fernandes, ‘Os Papéis do Inglês’ by Sérgio Graciano, ‘Sobreviventes’ by José Barahona, and ‘Sonhar com Leões’ by Paolo Marinou-Blanco.
Oscar nominations, for which ‘Banzo’ is competing, will be announced on January 23, 2026, according to Hollywood’s Academy schedule, with the finalist list due on December 21.
The 98th edition of the Oscars will be held on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
MIM (AL/SS) // MAG
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