Brazilian actress Tania Maria turns 79 years old this Monday, January 19th. The star of “The Secret Agent”, who began his career at the age of 72, begins this new phase with around six productions scheduled to debut in 2026.
Born as Sebastiana Mariaknown as Dona Sebastiana, she: the film’s location was close to Tânia’s house, in Parelhas, in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte and she He started frequenting the space until he got his first role as an extra.. “I went every day to look and they paid me as an extra. I appear ten times on the big screen in ‘Bacurau’, my figure is there”, says the actress in an interview with CNN Brasil.
From then on, the elderly woman began her career in cinema, dividing her time between her life as an artisan, sewing bathroom sets, and as an artist. It was in her reunion with Kleber Mendonça Filho in “The Secret Agent” that she went, accumulating nominations and awards for the role of Dona Sebastiana. “‘I like to welcome people in the same way”, he says.
Check out a list of productions with Tânia Maria:
“Bacurau” (2019)
Shortly after Dona Carmelita’s death, at the age of 94, the residents of the small village located in the Brazilian hinterland discover that their community is no longer on the map. Little by little, strange things start to happen in the region: drones in the sky and the arrival of foreigners in the city for the first time. When local corpses appear, residents understand that they are under attack and that they need to defend themselves.
“Seu Cavalcanti” (2024)
The documentary portrays the life of a 90-year-old man with iron health. However, when going through a problem in life, he needs to regain his independence and everything he lost.
“The Secret Agent” (2025)
Set in Recife in 1977, the title is a political thriller that follows Marcelo, a professor who runs away from a mysterious past and returns to Recife in search of peace, but soon realizes that the city is far from being the refuge he is looking for.
The production stars Wagner Moura (“Tropa de Elite”), Maria Fernanda Cândido (“Terra Nostra”), Gabriel Leone (“Dom”), Isabél Zuaa (“The Devil’s Knot”), Alice Carvalho (“Cangaço Novo”) and more.
“Delegate” (2026)
The series of Brazil Channel – scheduled for release this year – follows young police officer Felipe (Johnny Massaro) who joined the Civil Police in Recife, Pernambuco. Upon starting in the position, he is faced with a corrupt and complex universe around him. Directed and written by Leonardo Lacca and Marcelo Lordello, and produced by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Emilie Lesclaux.
“Yellow Cake” (2026)
In the plot, Rúbia Ribeiro (Rejane Faria) is a nuclear scientist who works on a secret experiment called “Yellow Cake”, which seeks to eradicate Aedes aegypti using uranium extracted from Picuí, in the hinterland of Paraíba – sterilizing the mosquito to prevent its spread. The premiere will take place at the Rotterdam Festival, between the 29th and 8th of February. The cast also includes Valmir do Côco, Spencer Callahan, Wolfgang Pannek, Alli Willow, Rosa Malagueta, Galeguinho Zé Matias and Severino Dadá.
