Next Monday (15), Brazil will know what will be the feature film chosen by the Brazilian Academy of Cinema to play a place in the category of best international film in the Oscar of 2026.
The expectation is higher than in other years because the country is experiencing a historic moment because of the statuette received this year by I’m still hereby Walter Salles, unpublished winner of the Award.
With plural works, Brazilian cinema shows strength, plurality and creativity. Among the six films seeking the nomination, two stand out for the political bias, addressing periods of repression and resistance.
One of the most quoted is The secret agentby Kleber Mendonça Filho, acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025, where he won the best critics and best actor for Wagner Moura awards awards.
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Set in 1977, during the military dictatorship, the feature accompanies Marcelo, a technology teacher who tries to start his life in Recife, but ends up in a universe of espionage and paranoia.
Another strong candidate is The last bluewinner of the critical award in Berlin this year. The film proposes a dystopian allegory about authoritarian regimes, without situating the narrative in a specific time. In the plot, seniors are condemned to isolation, while history reveals an environment of oppression and resistance.
Brasília (DF), 08/28/2025 – scene of the movie The last blue. Denise Weinberg plays the character Tereza. Photo: Showcase Movies/Disclosure – Showcase Movies/Disclosure
Manas and White Kasa
Stories of social denunciation also dispute the Brazilian nomination. Director Mariana Brennand competes with Manasinspired by the cases of child sexual exploitation on Marajó Island, Pará.
Also screened in Cannes, the film was awarded for its social relevance. He accompanies Tielle (Jamilli Corrêa), a 13 -year -old girl who lives with her family in a stilts, facing poverty and vulnerability.
From Rio de Janeiro comes White kasaby Luciano Vidigal, who already collects awards at national festivals. Inspired by real stories, he portrays life at Chatuba, Mesquita, in the Baixada Fluminense. The film follows three teenagers: Dé, Adrianim and Martins and the affective relationship of Dé with his grandmother Dona Almerinda (Teca Pereira), who faces Alzheimer’s evil.
Urban and country portraits
Another competitor is Babyby Marcelo Caetano, set in São Paulo. The film, screened in a parallel show in 2024, earned Ricardo Teodoro the award for best actor. The plot addresses youth, masculinity and social criticism in urban scenarios.
Closing the list is West againby Érico Rassi, a sertanejo western set in the interior of Goiás. The film portrays rude and fragile men in conflict, with violent rivalries that refer to the tradition of Brazilian films, but with Brazilian accent and identity.
The Brazilian Academy of Cinema released on Monday (8) the List of six finalist films for a representative of Brazil to Oscar 2026.
