After a national debate that had at least once become a massive controversy, Brazil chose director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ’70s set thriller, The Secret Agent,’ as the official entry in the 98th Academy Awards’ best international feature film category.
The submission was announced Monday by the Brazilian Academy of Film and Film after a decision by the Select Committee of 15 members.
Cannes winner “Narcos” star Wagner Mula, “Secret Agent” defeated two other main candidates, “Manus”, Mariana Brenand’s feature debut, and “Blue Trail”, a later life story by Gabriel Mascaro (“God’s Love”, “Neon Bull”).
Leaving the first Oscars of last year’s moving drama “I’m Still Here” from Walter Sales, until the end of last month, critics and industry experts were sure the committee would propose a “secret agent” that neon won.
However, on September 5th, “Mana” received a massive push when Sean Penn was announced as an executive producer. Penn joined “I’m Still Here” director Walter Salles, Triple Cannes Palme D’Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, and “I’m Still Here” Maria Carlota Bruno as executive producer of “Manas”. Penn promoted “I’m Still Here” in Hollywood last year with a very successful promotion. Julia Roberts and Penn held a screening of “Manus” in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Last Thursday, adding a note of the controversy to the debate, with nearly 70 major Brazilian companies and institutions issued open letters, often led by women, supporting “Manas” candidacy.
Their lining comes from the film’s focus. Set in a seemingly idyllic riverside village in the Amazon rainforest, Manas records the rebellion of 13-year-old Mariel, a cycle of sexual abuse in her own family and the downstream prostitution rackets of the river barge.
The letter stated that it “sought to broaden public discussion on the issue and awaken society about the urgency of facing it.”
Signatories included Luiza Helena Trajano, president of the magazine Luiza, a major retailer. Marize Mattos, head of sponsorship at global mining company Vale, and Paulo Samia, CEO of UOL, Brazil’s largest content, technology, services and payment media company.
International Oscar entries were also the subject of OP-EDS in some of Brazil’s biggest newspapers, with key communities defending “secret agents” as their only option. X is flooded with tweets denounced unfair lobbying letters.
One argument in favor of “Manus” was that “secret agents” had endured a good chance to win Oscar nominations in other categories. US distributor Neon has actually already pledged a full awards campaign for the drama at the time, calling on the Academy’s 11,000 members to consider it in all categories, including Best Picture.
On September 11th, Brazilian Film Academy held an online session with directors of all six films.
On top of that, Filho said the Select Committee should not believe the argument that the film is likely to be “good” internationally nominated in other categories, so Brazil should double its chances by choosing another representative. “It’s important that the film is nominated for that country. It’s deeply important from a strategic point of view,” he argued.
The argument may have proved to be compelling. There is also the issue of the precedent, especially the Cannes festival. “I’m Not Here” recorded the best script in Venice in 2024, then went on to Oscar glory, earning an international character submission.
“The Secret Agent” scooped both the director (Filho) and the actor (Moura) and scooped the Fipresci awards of international critics. “Manus” has been selected as Best Director of Venice Side Bar Venice Days.
Finally, the committee put all the eggs in one basket, “The Secret Agent.”
In an Instagram post celebrating the decision, Filho thanked the Brazilian Academy and its film partners. “As I said last week, the campaign for the ‘Secret Agent’ awards began at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Selection committee members included renowned director and actor Lazarus Ramos (“The Executive Order”), producer Rodrigo Teisheira (“I was Still Here”), and actor Marcelo Cerad (“The Scar of Beauty”).
Veteran producer Sarah Silveira (“Cedardo: Campo”), president of the selection committee, said he announced the selection process was “harmonious.” “This is something that is necessary in a Brazilian cinema. The year after winning an Oscar for “I’m Still Here,” I was responsible for making important choices. ”
The glory of Cannes does not necessarily lead to Oscar’s recognition. “Secret Agents” can support powerful critics. Variety’s Peter DeBrague praised it as a “drama of a dazzling era.” It won 100% from 46 reviews of rotten tomatoes, but is better than “I’m still here”. However, academy votes do not rely solely on critics.
Clayton Davis contributed to this article.
