A gripping political thriller set in the 1970’s Brazil dictatorship
Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. He arrives in Recife during carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son but soon realizes that the city is far from being the non-violent refuge he seeks.
Best Actor - Wagner Moura, Cannes Films Festival, 2025, fr
Best Director, Cannes Film Festival, 2025, fr
FIPRESCI Prize, Cannes Film Festival, 2025, fr
AFCAE Award, Cannes Film Festival, 2025, fr
Golden Eye Award, Zurich Film Festival, 2025, ch
Kleber Mendonça Filho
Born in Recife, Brazil, Kleber Mendonça Filho is a journalism graduate. He has had a long career as a film critic and programmer, notably for the Joaquim Nabuco Foundation and as the artistic director of the Janela Internacional de Cinema festival in Recife.
As a filmmaker, he first directed several short films that won over 100 awards in Brazil and abroad. His first feature film, Neighboring Sounds (2012), received international critical acclaim, was selected for over 100 festivals, and was named one of the ten best films of the year by The New York Times.
His second feature film, Aquarius (2016), also enjoyed a prestigious career and was released in over 100 countries. In 2019, he co-directed Bacurau with Juliano Dornelles, which won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His last documentary Picture of Ghosts (Retratos Fantasmas), was presented as a Special Screening at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.
His latest film, The Secret Agent, was screened in the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 and won the Best Director Award and Best Actor Award for Wagner Moura.
