The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday, the 22nd, the nominees for the 98th Academy Awards, and Brazil took center stage with O Agente Secreto. The feature film directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho secured four nominations, including Best Picture, Best International Feature, and Best Actor for Wagner Moura, establishing itself as one of the most talked-about productions of this awards season. The ceremony awarding the statuettes will take place on March 15, hosted by American comedian Conan O’Brien.
Set in Recife in 1977, O Agente Secreto bets on a narrative with a strong Brazilian identity, but with themes capable of resonating with international audiences. The film’s presence in high-prestige categories reinforces the recognition of national cinema in a landscape dominated by major Hollywood and European productions.
In the night’s main category, O Agente Secreto competes for Best Picture alongside titles like Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet: A Life Before Hamlet, Marty Supreme, Uma Batalha Após a Outra, Valor Sentimental, Pecadores, and Sonhos de Trem. In the Best International Feature race, the Brazilian entry faces productions from France (Foi Apenas um Acidente), Norway (Valor Sentimental), Spain (Sirât), and Tunisia (A Voz de Hind Rajab).
Wagner Moura appears among the Best Actor nominees for his performance in O Agente Secreto, competing against Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (Uma Batalha Após a Outra), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Michael B. Jordan (Pecadores). The nomination boosts the Brazilian actor’s international profile, which he has already built through foreign productions.
Other categories also feature heavyweights. In Best Actress, contenders include Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (Se Eu Tivesse Pernas, Eu te Chutaria), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Emma Stone (Bugonia), and Renate Reinsve (Valor Sentimental). Among supporting actors, competitors include Benicio Del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Sean Penn, Stellan Skarsgård, and Delroy Lindo.
The list of nominees also covers technical and artistic categories, such as directing, original and adapted screenplay, animation, documentary, score, costume design, makeup, sound, editing, visual effects, and short films. The diversity of genres and nationalities underscores the global nature of the 2026 Oscars, reaching its 98th edition with strong international presence and special attention to Brazilian cinema thanks to O Agente Secreto’s performance.
Wagner Moura is the first Brazilian nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor
Wagner Moura made history in Brazilian cinema by being nominated for the 2026 Oscars in the Best Actor category, an unprecedented achievement for an artist from the country. The recognition comes for his performance in O Agente Secreto, a production directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho that has drawn international attention since its debut. The nomination places the actor among the top names in world cinema for this awards season.
In the race for the statuette, Wagner Moura competes against Timothée Chalamet, nominated for Marty Supreme; Leonardo DiCaprio, for Uma Batalha Após a Outra; Ethan Hawke, for Blue Moon; and Michael B. Jordan, for Pecadores. The Oscars ceremony is scheduled for March 15 in Los Angeles, United States, and will again be hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien, repeating the format used in the 2025 edition.
With the Oscar nomination, Wagner Moura solidifies his international career and boosts the visibility of Brazilian cinema at the world’s biggest film industry award. The unprecedented presence of a Brazilian actor in the Best Actor category highlights the global impact of the production and underscores Brazil’s creative strength in the contemporary audiovisual landscape.
Source: brasil247.com