Brazilian cinema enjoyed a historic night this Sunday at the Golden Globes, held at The Beverly Hilton, in Los Angeles (USA). The film The Secret Agentdirected by Kleber Mendonça Filho, won two of the ceremony’s main categories: Best Film in a Non-English Language and Best Actor in a Drama Film, with Wagner Moura.
Despite its impressive performance, the Brazilian film did not win the award for Best Drama Film, the main category of the night, which went to Hamnet. Even so, the so-called “Brazil night” consolidated the country’s presence among the highlights of the award.
The announcement for Best Film in a Non-English Language was made by actors Orlando Bloom and Minnie Driver. When revealing the winner, Driver greeted the Brazilian public with “Congratulations”, said in Portuguese. In the category, The Secret Agent surpassed productions from five countries: Sentimental Value (Norway), Sirât (Spain), The Only Way Out (South Korea), The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia) and It Was Just an Accident (France).
Upon receiving the statuette, Kleber Mendonça Filho began his speech by saluting the country. “I want to say hello to Brazil: hello, Brazil”he said. He then thanked the Brazilian distributor Vitrine Filmes, the producer and companion Emilie, the team and the cast. “Thank you, Wagner Moura. The best things happen when you have a great actor and a great friend. I dedicate this film to young filmmakers. This is a great moment”, said the director.
The victory crowned an international journey that began at the Cannes Festival, where the film premiered competing for the Palme d’Or. On that occasion, a frevo performance took over Avenida Croisette and became one of the most talked about moments of the edition.
Best Actor
Wagner Moura made history by becoming the first Brazilian to win the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Film. In his speech, he spoke in Portuguese and celebrated Brazilian culture. “Long live Brazilian culture”, said the actor, highlighting the partnership with Kleber Mendonça Filho, whom he defined as “a genius”, and the friendship built throughout the project.
In addition to Wagner Moura, Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams), Oscar Isaac (Frankenstein), Dwayne Johnson (Fighter’s Heart: The Smashing Machine), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) and Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Save Me From the Unknown).
The victory of The Secret Agent revives a Brazilian tradition in awarding: Central Brazil won the same category in 1999, and last year, Fernanda Torres won the award for Best Actress in a Drama Film.
Among the other Golden Globe winners, the award for Best Direction in a Film went to Paul Thomas Anderson, for One Battle After Another. Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Film was won by Timothée Chalamet, for Marty Supreme.
On television, the series Adolescence came away with two acting awards: Owen Cooper won as Best Supporting Actor in a Series, and Stephen Graham was awarded for his performance as the protagonist, in addition to also directing the production.
With two statuettes and strong international repercussion, The Secret Agent consolidates Brazil as one of the major protagonists of the current world cinema awards season.
