President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva received, on Thursday (7), team members and cast of the film The secret agentin a special session at the Palace of Alvorada.
It is the first screening of the film in Brazilwhich had its World debut at the 78th Cannes Festivalin France, in May, when it received public applause for about 15 minutes.
“Culture is feared because it arouses political conscience, provides information and does not allow us to be submissive. Culture makes us revolutionary, not with weapons, but with behavior and ideas,” Lula said before the session, which also had some ministers of states and other guests.
Director Kleber Mendonça Filho and actor Wagner Moura, protagonist of the film, were awarded in Cannes for best direction and best actor, respectively.
The production also ran for the Golden Palma, the main prize of the event, but the feature A simple accidentfrom Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi.
Brasília (DF) 08/08/2025 – President Lula receives a team from the film The Secret Agent, in the Palace of Alvorada, and Frevo group. Photo: Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil
Mendonça stated that the film’s exhibition in the presidential palace shows the respect of the current government for the country’s culture.
“We went through a very bad moment, where the culture was attacked, and today I think the culture is celebrated, it is part of our identity,” he said, in reference to the previous government.
“THE Secret agent It is a film that talks a lot about Brazil and the logic of our country, and the logic of our country in relation to power and history. So, I am very anxious for this movie to be seen by the Brazilian people, ”added the filmmaker.
Kleber Mendonça Filho was also director of acclaimed films as Aquarius (2016) and Bacurau (2019).
Opportunities
President Lula pointed out that there is no doubt about Brazil’s ability to the awards that national cinema has been conquering, citing the achievements of the films I’m still here in the Oscar, in the United States, and The last blue at the Berlin Festival in Germany.
“What we need, in fact, is to create opportunities for people to present with the greatness that each of us has,” he said, remembering the importance of Brazil being again, again, out of hunger map United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“Paulo Freire stated that there is no more intelligent human being than another […]. If everyone has access to food, everyone will learn. Thus, along with the presentation of this film, the great joy is that this month we received from FAO the information that Brazil, in just two and a half years, left the map of hunger, a situation that embarrassed the country. This is an achievement that is worth as much as Oscar, Cannes or Berlin, ”he celebrated.
On the other hand, Lula was thrilled to remember Chunger -dying and malnutrition amidst the blockade of Israel to the entry of international humanitarian aid. “We come to the sad reality of offering food and water to the children before they die,” he said.
Brazilian culture
THE Secret agentset in Brazil in 1977, tells the story of Marcelo, a technology -based teacher, who runs away from the violent and mysterious past, moving from the capital Sao Paulo to Recife (PE), in the middle of Carnival week. He then finds that he is being spied on by his neighbors.
The feature film is a co-production between Brazil, Germany, France and the Netherlands, and featured funds from the Audiovisual Sector Fund (FSA), linked to the National Film Agency (Ancine), with support from the Ministry of Culture (MinC).
The Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, recalled that Brazil was honored at the Cannes Festival this year, being a great opening for the movie market.
She said that the government works in expanding the number of movie theaters in the country, in addition to the 5.4 thousand existing. There will be another 100 until the end of the term, according to the minister.
“We are doing this project, the project of nationalizing opportunities, nationalizing access to culture, is in the Constitution and we are seeking to fulfill,” he said.
Wagner Moura He said he was thrilled to see Minister Margareth in Canneif He affirmed happiness to see a government that believes in culture as a tool for the development of the country.
“I saw the Brazilian state becoming present, supporting a Brazilian film, other Brazilian projects that were in Cannes, not only ours. And I just want to say that, but is exciting, how the president calls us to say congratulations, these Brazilian artists represent the Brazilian people,” said the actor, citing the recreation of the Ministry of Culture.
In 2019, in the first year of Jair Bolsonaro management, the folder was extinct and, in 2023, recreated by President Lula.
