The Brazilian film “O Agente Secreto”, directed by Kléber Mendonça Filho, not only won the Best Director award at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in France, but also brought international recognition to Brazilian cinema. Actor Wagner Moura, the film’s protagonist, was also awarded Best Actor, further consolidating Brazil’s place in the global cinematic landscape.
Kléber Mendonça Filho’s film was also among the favorites to win the Palme d’Or, Cannes’ most prestigious award, but the winner was the feature film A Simple Favour, not A Simple Accident, by dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi.
O Agente Secreto had its world premiere at the festival on May 18, where it received a standing ovation lasting more than 10 minutes, a rare and significant recognition of the film’s quality and impact. On social media, Culture Minister Margareth Menezes congratulated Kléber Mendonça and Wagner Moura for the award.
“Two Brazilian giants making history in Cannes! Congratulations to Wagner Moura, Best Actor, and Kléber Mendonça Filho, Best Director, for the recognition at the world’s biggest film festival! Brazil celebrates you! Our cinema is living a new era,” wrote Culture Minister Margareth Menezes on social network X, echoing the feelings of a nation proud of its cultural achievements.
Kléber Mendonça Filho also directed acclaimed films like Aquarius (2016), which had its world premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, and Bacurau (2019). Both were nominated for the Palme d’Or.
During the screening of Aquarius, the film’s team, including director Kléber Mendonça Filho, protested against the impeachment of then-President Dilma Rousseff. This protest reflected the political turmoil in Brazil at the time.
On that occasion, while walking the red carpet, Kléber Mendonça Filho, accompanied by Brazilian actresses Maeve Jinkings and Sônia Braga, as well as actress Barbara Colen, producer Emilie Lesclaux, and guests, carried signs with phrases such as: “A coup d’état happened in Brazil,” “Brazil is living a coup d’état,” “The world cannot accept an illegitimate government,” and “54,501,118 votes burned!”.
Just a few days earlier, the Senate had approved the admissibility of Dilma’s impeachment process, removing her from office for up to 180 days until the merits of the impeachment were voted on.
Bacurau, directed by Kléber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles, won the Jury Prize at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. The film tied for first place with the French production Les Misérables by Ladj Ly, a significant achievement that further reinforces Brazil’s recognition on the international scene.
The fiction film is set in a village in the sertão called Bacurau and is marked by the death of a well-known resident, Dona Carmelita. From this episode, the plot unfolds, triggering unexpected events.
Lula congratulates
President Lula celebrated the Best Director and Best Actor awards for O Agente Secreto. The President of the Republic congratulated Kléber Mendonça Filho and Wagner Moura for their achievements.
“Today is a day to feel even more proud to be Brazilian. To celebrate the recognition our art has in the world. And to enjoy the happiness of living in a country that has giants of the stature of @kmendoncafilho and Wagner Moura,” wrote the president, who also said that the two awards show that Brazilian cinema “owes nothing to anyone.”
“The two awards that O Agente Secreto won recently at the Cannes Film Festival – Best Director and Best Actor – show that the cinema of our country holds its own. And that we will continue to enchant audiences and critics around the world with films that showcase our talent, our culture, and important chapters of our history,” concluded Lula on his social media profile.
Source: Agência Brasil