The last Brazilian to win the statuette was Central do Brasil, in 1998, directed by Walter Salles
After 27 years, Brazil once again won one in the category ‘Best Non-English Film’. The last one was in 1998, when Central do Brasil, directed by Walter Salles, won. This Sunday (11), “The Secret Agent’, directed by Kleber Mendonça, and which features Wagner Moura in the main role, won in the category. This is another of the many awards that the film has accumulated since its release in more than 2025. The film already has more than 40 national and international awards, there were 54 trophies in 35 awards.
Winning the Golden Globe puts the Brazilian film in the Oscars’ sights, which will announce the nominees on January 22nd. ‘The Secret Agent’ has already brought more than a million people to the cinema, in France there are almost 300 thousand, and the film will soon premiere in Spain, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
At the Golden Globes, the film competed with:
- ‘Valor Sentimental’;
- ‘It Was Just an Accident’;
- ‘The only way out’
- ‘Sirat’;
- ‘At the voice of Hind Rajab’
The Golden Globes bring together 334 voters from 85 countries who are responsible for choosing the best – unlike the Oscars in which only North American representatives participate in the selection process. Brazil has already been nominated 21 times, but so far it has only managed to win on three occasions: Orfeu Negro, in 1960, Central do Brasil, in 1998 – both in the ‘Best Non-English Language Film’ category – and Fernanda Torres, in 2025, in the ‘Best Actress’ category. Now the country has achieved its fourth triumph.
The Secret Agent
Set in Recife in 1977, during the military dictatorship, “The Secret Agent” follows Marcelo (Wagner Moura), a university professor who returns to the capital of Pernambuco in search of refuge, but ends up involved in a network of espionage and conspiracy. The film is Brazil’s official bet to seek a spot at the 2026 Oscars and has already accumulated international recognition. The production was awarded at the Cannes Festival (May) and by the New York Critics Circle (NYFCC), where it won the awards for Best International Film and Best Actor. The film is directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho.
Remember the indications from Brazil
1960 — Black Orpheus (winner) – Brazilian and French production
- Best Non-English Language Film
1979 – Dona Flor and her Two Husbands
- Best Non-English Language Film
1982 – Pixote: The Law of the Weakest
1986 – Kiss of the Spider Woman
- Sônia Braga – Best Supporting Actress
- Best Film – Drama
1989 – Moonlight Over Parador
- Sônia Braga – Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film
1994 – Amazon in Flames
- Sônia Braga – Best Supporting Actress
1996 – Murder One
- Daniel Benzzli, Best Actor in a Drama Series
1999 – Central do Brasil
- Fernanda Montenegro – Best Actress – Drama
- Best Non-English Language Film (Winner)
2002 – Shattered April
- Best Non-English Language Film
2003 – City of God
- Best Non-English Language Film
2005 – Motorcycle Diaries
- Best Non-English Language Film
2006 – The Constant Gardener
- Fernando Meirelles – Best Director
2016 – Narcos
- Wagner Moura – Best Actor in a Drama Series
2025 – I’m Still Here (winner)
- Fernanda Torres – Best Actress – Drama (winner)
- Best Non-English Language Film
2026 – The Secret Agent
- Wagner Moura – Best Actor – Drama
- Best Non-English Language Film
- Best Film – Drama
