Brazil’s ‘The Secret Agent’ Secures Key Oscar Nods, Wagner Moura Makes History

Brazilian cinema is making an unprecedented global impact, with Kleber Mendonça Filho’s acclaimed political thriller, “The Secret Agent,” securing multiple nominations for the 98th Academy Awards. This momentous achievement includes nods for Best Picture, Best International Film, and a historic Best Actor nomination for its star, Wagner Moura. The film’s success follows closely on the heels of last year’s “I’m Still Here,” marking a significant and back-to-back presence for Brazil in the Oscars’ most prestigious categories and signaling a vibrant resurgence in the nation’s cinematic landscape after a period of artistic repression.

A Historic Moment for Brazilian Cinema

“The Secret Agent” has become only the second Brazilian film in history to be nominated for the coveted Best Picture Oscar, a remarkable feat that builds on the groundbreaking success of Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” from the previous year. For decades, Brazil had been largely absent from the Academy Awards’ top categories, with its last significant presence dating back to 1998’s “Central Station.” The recent nominations suggest a powerful and sustained re-emergence for Brazilian storytelling on the world stage.

Beyond its Best Picture nomination, “The Secret Agent” is also a strong contender for Best International Film, a category where Brazil is favored to secure a second consecutive win. This follows “I’m Still Here’s” victory in the same category last year, an achievement that itself broke a long drought for the country. If “The Secret Agent” indeed takes home the 2026 Best International Film Oscar, it would be the first time in nearly four decades that a single country has achieved back-to-back victories in this category, a testament to the exceptional quality and global resonance of contemporary Brazilian filmmaking. The film has already demonstrated its strength by winning equivalent trophies at both the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards, further cementing its frontrunner status.

The path to Oscar success for “The Secret Agent,” written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho (known for “Bacurau”), mirrors that of “I’m Still Here” in several striking ways. Both films garnered critical acclaim and significant awards following their premieres at prestigious European festivals. They then navigated the challenging awards season as underdogs, competing against flashier international contenders, such as France’s “Emilia Pérez” last year and Norway’s “Sentimental Value” this year. Their momentum visibly grew with lead actor nominations at the Golden Globes – Fernanda Torres for “I’m Still Here” and Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent” – which then culminated in wins for both stars, solidifying their films’ positions as serious Oscar contenders. The film also received an Oscar nomination for casting, highlighting the meticulous attention to detail in its production.

Wagner Moura’s Groundbreaking Nomination

Perhaps one of the most significant headlines emerging from this year’s nominations is Wagner Moura’s historic nod for Best Actor. Moura becomes the first Brazilian actor ever to be nominated in this category, a monumental recognition of his talent and the increasing global appreciation for diverse performances. He joins an elite group as only the third Brazilian to receive an acting Oscar nomination, following Fernanda Montenegro for “Central Station” (1992) and her daughter, Fernanda Torres, for “I’m Still Here” (2024), both of whom were nominated in the Best Actress category.

Moura’s achievement also places him among a select group of Latino actors to be nominated for Best Actor, marking him as the sixth to receive this honor after luminaries like José Ferrer, Anthony Quinn, Edward James Olmos, Demián Bichir, and Colman Domingo. Ferrer remains the sole winner in this lineup for his performance in “Cyrano de Bergerac” (1950). Moura’s compelling portrayal of Armando, a civil servant entangled in a web of conspiracy and state surveillance in “The Secret Agent,” is widely considered one of his most commanding performances to date. His win at the Golden Globes for Best Actor further solidified his standing, placing him in a highly competitive field that includes celebrated actors such as Timothée Chalamet for “Marty Supreme” and Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another.” His nomination also makes him the first Cannes actor winner to translate to an Oscar nomination since Antonio Banderas for “Pain and Glory” (2019), a rare feat, with only six Cannes winners in the last 25 years earning Oscar nods.

Unpacking ‘The Secret Agent’s’ Impact

While sharing a general milieu with “I’m Still Here,” both films set in 1970s Brazil during the oppressive 21-year military dictatorship, “The Secret Agent” carves its own distinct narrative path. Unlike Salles’ film, which was based on true events and presented with rich naturalism, Mendonça Filho’s work is a fictitious, sprawling, and irreverently surreal political thriller. In the film, Moura’s character, Marcelo, is a researcher on the run, desperate to escape the country with his son amidst the escalating political turmoil. His performance is lauded for its depth and nuance, embodying the complex themes at the heart of the movie.

Speaking about the film’s core message, Moura articulated its profound relevance while accepting his Golden Globe: “‘The Secret Agent’ is a film about memory, or the lack of memory. And generational trauma. I think that if trauma can be passed along generations, values can too.” This statement resonates deeply with the film’s setting, exploring the lingering impact of a dark period in Brazilian history. The global recognition of both “The Secret Agent” and “I’m Still Here” makes a powerful statement about the dynamic and varied cinema emerging from Brazil, a country that recently transitioned out of another artistically repressive period under former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. Both Walter Salles and Kleber Mendonça Filho have openly credited this political shift with enabling the very existence and creative freedom of their movies. Moura himself highlighted the film’s genesis from that era, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “That was sort of the genesis of this project. Kleber and I, and lots of artists and intellectuals, academics and journalists in Brazil were like: ‘What the f— are we going to do?’ The Secret Agent came from that political situation.”

Where to Watch Before the Ceremony

For those eager to experience Wagner Moura’s Oscar-nominated performance and the critically acclaimed narrative of “The Secret Agent” before the Academy Awards ceremony, the film is currently available in theaters. While it is not yet streaming, it is expected to become available for rent or purchase on digital platforms soon. Final Oscar voting will commence from February 26 to March 5, culminating in the 98th Academy Awards ceremony on March 15. The event will be broadcast live on ABC, with Conan O’Brien serving as host.

The consecutive Best Picture and International Film nominations for Brazil, alongside Wagner Moura’s historic acting nod, underscore a significant and sustained cultural shift, demonstrating that periods of political and artistic repression can ultimately fuel a powerful creative resurgence that captures global attention and critical acclaim.