“A synonym of pride”, celebrates President Lula, after The Secret Agent triumphs at the Golden Globe Awards

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrated, in the early hours of Monday, January 12, the historic victories of the film The Secret Agent and actor Wagner Moura at the Golden Globe Awards, one of the world’s most prestigious and long-standing honors in film and television, which reached its 83rd edition this year. The feature film won Best Motion Picture in a Non-English Language, and the Bahia-born actor received the award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Wagner Moura repeated the achievement of Fernanda Torres, who last year won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for the feature film I Am Still Here. This marked the first time in history that a Brazilian film won two awards in the same edition of the Golden Globe Awards. It was also the first time in 27 years that Brazil returned to winning the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in a Non-English Language, since Central Station in 1999. Last year, I Am Still Here also made history by becoming the first Brazilian production to win an Oscar, taking home the statuette in the category of Best International Feature Film.

The Secret Agent is an essential film to ensure that the violence of the Brazilian dictatorship is not allowed to fall into oblivion, as well as to highlight the resilience of the Brazilian people”

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of the Republic

“We are very happy, Janja and I, with The Secret Agent’s victory in the Best Motion Picture in a Non-English Language category at the Golden Globe Awards,” Lula said on the social media platform X. “Long live Brazilian cinema, which continues to be a synonym of pride on the world’s leading stages. The trophy crowns the powerful work of our dear director, Kleber Mendonça Filho, and his extraordinary cast. Long live Wagner Moura, the incredible Tânia Maria, Alice Carvalho, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Hermila Guedes, Gabriel Leone, Carlos Francisco, and the entire team that has written yet another beautiful chapter in the history of Brazilian cinema with this award. The Secret Agent is an essential film to ensure that the violence of the Brazilian dictatorship is not allowed to fall into oblivion, as well as to highlight the resilience of the Brazilian people,” the President continued.

Lula posted another message shortly afterward, following the announcement of Wagner Moura’s award. “Brazilian cinema is once again at the top of the world! The victory of the immensely talented Wagner Moura as Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama at the Golden Globe Awards is sensational. The richly deserved statuette honors the outstanding performance of our dear Bahia-born artist, who moves us so deeply in The Secret Agent. As Wagner Moura himself has said, Brazilian cinema has been capturing the attention and earning the respect of audiences in all regions, and has become an important symbol of the renewed appreciation of artists in our country,” he celebrated.

YOUNG FILMMAKERS – Upon receiving the award, Kleber Mendonça Filho highlighted the current moment of Brazilian cinema. “I dedicate this film to young filmmakers. This is a very important moment in history to make films, here in the United States and in Brazil. Let us keep making films. We are very happy to see a Brazilian film generating so much positive discussion about the history of Brazil. And I truly want to see young Brazilian filmmakers, men and women. You can use your phone, you can make your own project. When we speak about our own home, the whole world listens,” stated the director, who also greeted Wagner Moura: “The best things happen when you have a great actor and a great friend.”

LONG LIVE BRAZIL – Wagner Moura delivered a two-part speech upon receiving the Golden Globe Award. Speaking in English, he conveyed a message about the importance of values for society. “It is a film about memory, the lack of it, and a generational trauma. I believe trauma can be passed down through generations, as can values. This award goes to those who are standing by their values in difficult times,” he stated. Moura then addressed the audience in Portuguese, praising Brazil. “And to everyone in Brazil who is watching this right now: long live Brazil and Brazilian culture,” said the actor, who also spared no praise for Kleber Mendonça Filho: “Brother, you are a genius, and you are my brother. I thank you for that and for many other things. Thank you very much.”

CONSOLIDATION – Brazil’s Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, also celebrated the awards. The victories of The Secret Agent place Brazil at the center of the international cultural debate and reaffirm the audiovisual sector as one of the most powerful expressions of Brazilian culture worldwide, at a moment marked by the consolidation of public policies for the sector, led by the Government of Brazil through the Ministry of Culture (Ministério da Cultura)

“The Secret Agent’s achievement at the Golden Globe Awards shows that Brazilian cinema is today one of the country’s leading tools of international projection. The audiovisual sector is Brazil’s soft power, carrying our culture, our diversity, and our worldview beyond our borders, while at the same time generating jobs, driving the creative economy, and strengthening democracy. I would like to warmly congratulate the entire cast of the film, especially our dear Wagner Moura, for a powerful performance recognized internationally, and director Kleber Mendonça Filho, whose work reaffirms the creative strength of Brazilian cinema,” declared Margareth Menezes.

The minister also underscored the importance of public investment and State policies for the audiovisual industry. “When we act with consistency, strategy, and a long-term vision, prioritizing artistic freedom and paying close attention to regional diversity, Brazilian talent responds with excellence and establishes Brazil as a global cultural powerhouse,” she concluded.

AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR FUND – The production of The Secret Agent received an investment of BRL 7.5 million from the Audiovisual Sector Fund (Fundo Setorial do Audiovisual /FSA) for its production, as well as BRL 750,000 for the commercialization phase. Main mechanism for supporting Brazil’s film and audiovisual industry, the FSA is a public fund that finances everything from script development, the production of films and series, distribution, commercialization, and the modernization of movie theaters.

AUDIOVISUAL LAW – In addition to the FSA, The Secret Agent also relies on the Audiovisual Law (Lei do Audiovisual), which operates through tax incentives. Through this mechanism, companies may allocate part of their Income Tax to support Brazilian films. This source secured BRL 3 million for the film’s commercialization. Public policies supporting the audiovisual sector enable a greater number of Brazilian productions, ensure jobs in the industry, guarantee a stronger international presence for Brazilian works, and expand the sense of pride in being Brazilian with each victory at major international awards. The Secret Agent has already won more than 20 international awards.

MOVIE THEATERS – Beyond international recognition, The Secret Agent also achieved significant results in the Brazilian exhibition market. Data from the Secretariat for Regulation (Secretaria de Regulação) of Brazil’s National Film Agency (Agência Nacional do Cinema /ANCINE) show that the feature film has surpassed 1 million viewers (1,098,431) and generated more than BRL 25 million in box office revenue, considering the period from the 52nd cinematic week of 2025 through the 1st week of 2026. The film is the first produced outside the South–Southeast axis to exceed the 1 million–viewer mark in Brazilian movie theaters. In 2025, 368 Brazilian films were screened in movie theaters across the country, drawing an audience of 11.11 million viewers and generating BRL 214.97 million in revenue. The national cinema market share closed the year at 9.9%.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION – Directed by Pernambuco-born filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho and shot in Recife, in the state of Pernambuco, The Secret Agent has been steadily accumulating recognition both in Brazil and abroad. Since its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was awarded for Kleber Mendonça Filho’s direction and for Wagner Moura’s performance, the feature film has received more than 20 awards from festivals and critics’ associations around the world. Among the most recent highlights are its victories at the 31st Critics' Choice Awards 2026, where it won Best Foreign Language Film, and at the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards 2026, where Wagner Moura received the Best Actor award and the film was recognized as Best International Film. Selected by the Brazilian Academy of Cinema (Academia Brasileira de Cinema), The Secret Agent was chosen to represent Brazil at the 2026 Oscar Awards. The 98th edition of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ceremony is scheduled for March 15.

ABOUT THE FILM – Set in Brazil in 1977, during the height of the military dictatorship, The Secret Agent follows Marcelo (Wagner Moura), a technology specialist who returns from São Paulo to Recife trying to escape a mysterious past. During Carnival week, what was meant to be a refuge turns into a setting of tension and paranoia. The feature film is a co-production between Brazil (CinemaScópio Produções), France (MK Productions), the Netherlands (Lemming), and Germany (One Two Films), with national distribution by Vitrine Filmes.

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS – Established in 1944, the Golden Globe Awards are among the world’s most traditional and prestigious honors in film and television. The awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. In 2025, actress Fernanda Torres won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for the film I Am Still Here, directed by Walter Salles, becoming the first Brazilian to receive the award.