BREAKING: The Secret Agent becomes the first Brazilian film to land a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture, Drama
Brazil just broke a ceiling. We can confirm that Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent scored three Golden Globe nominations today, including Best Motion Picture, Drama and Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama for Wagner Moura. It is a historic first for Brazil in the Globes’ top category. It is also the moment this searing thriller shifts from festival legend to awards-season force.
Why this moment matters
This nomination is not just a trophy chase. It is a cultural flashpoint. The Secret Agent, set in the late 1970s under Brazil’s military rule, is a story about fear, flight, and the cost of memory. Seeing it recognized in the same room as Hollywood’s biggest dramas sends a clear message. Brazilian cinema belongs in the main conversation.
Wagner Moura’s performance is the engine. He plays Marcelo, a professor hunted by a state that wants him erased. He moves with quiet rage, then sudden terror. It is a star turn that connects across borders. In the wake of years of political tension at home, the film’s rise hits like a reply to history.
First time a Brazilian film is nominated for Best Motion Picture, Drama at the Golden Globes.
From Cannes heat to awards fire
We watched this run start in May at Cannes, where The Secret Agent stormed the Croisette and left with top honors. That momentum never faded. Critics have kept the praise near perfect. The film has stacked up year end wins and stayed in the awards frame as the field grew crowded.
- Best Director for Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Best Actor for Wagner Moura
- FIPRESCI Critics’ Prize
- Art House Cinema Award
These are not footnotes. They built the case. They also framed an old truth. When Mendonça Filho builds a world, audiences lean in. This is his highest grossing film in Brazil, and the response has matched the urgency on screen.
The Secret Agent is Brazil’s official Oscar submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.
The Oscar path, now wide open
Today’s Globes nods change the math. A Best Motion Picture, Drama slot signals broader Academy interest. Best International Feature is squarely in play. So are Best Actor for Moura, Best Director for Mendonça Filho, and possibly Screenplay. The movie is rolling out at the exact right time, with Neon steering the U.S. run and MUBI handling key international territories.
U.S. audiences are catching it in select theaters, with New York already on board and Los Angeles shows set as awards screenings surge. France expands mid December. The film’s tight, anxious style plays big in rooms. That energy helps during final voting windows.
Where to find it now: Neon in U.S. theaters. MUBI in the U.K., Ireland, India, and parts of Latin America. Wider international dates are rolling through December.
What to watch next
- Globes ceremony outcomes
- Shortlists for International Feature and other Oscar categories
- Guild reactions, especially actors and directors
- Continued box office hold as theaters add screens
The celebrity factor and fan response
This is also a star story. Wagner Moura returns to a Brazilian lead with total command. Fans have flocked to him for years, but this turn feels different. It is raw and wounded. It is also electric. His scenes of flight and hiding carry a rare intimacy, then explode in moments of panic. You feel the chase in your chest.
Kleber Mendonça Filho directs with cool precision and deep care. He honors the era without freezing it in glass. You can see the streets, the apartments, the fear in the hallways. The craft team backs him at every beat, from the tense score to the sharp, haunted images. It is the kind of filmmaking actors rally around and other directors study.
What this means for Brazil
The Secret Agent looks backward to look forward. It insists that art can keep memory alive, and that global audiences will meet that truth head on. For Brazilian filmmakers, this is a door swinging open. It tells investors, festivals, and streamers that Brazilian stories can carry awards seasons and fill theaters. For a generation that grew up hearing whispers about the dictatorship, this film puts a light on that silence.
It is hard to overstate the moment. A Portuguese language thriller has entered the highest tier of a major U.S. awards show. That does not happen by accident. It happens when talent, timing, and meaning line up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What Golden Globes did The Secret Agent get today?
A: Best Motion Picture, Drama, Best Non English Language Film, and Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama for Wagner Moura.
Q: Is the film in the Oscar race?
A: Yes. It is Brazil’s official pick for Best International Feature, and today’s Globes nods boost its chances in multiple categories.
Q: Who distributes the movie?
A: Neon is handling the U.S. theatrical release. MUBI covers several key international territories, with more rollouts through December.
Q: What did it win at Cannes?
A: Best Director, Best Actor, the FIPRESCI Critics’ Prize, and the Art House Cinema Award.
Q: What is the movie about?
A: A former professor named Marcelo flees persecution during Brazil’s late 1970s dictatorship. It is a tense, human story about survival and memory.
Conclusion
The Secret Agent just crossed from acclaimed import to historic contender. Today’s Golden Globes nominations crown a run that started at Cannes and never let up. It is a triumph for Wagner Moura, for Kleber Mendonça Filho, and for Brazilian cinema’s place on the world stage. The road to the Oscars now runs right through this film. Eyes up. The chase is on.
