The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 98th Academy Awards on Thursday, February 22nd, and Brazil took center stage with *The Secret Agent *. The film, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, secured four nominations, including Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, and Best Actor for Wagner Moura, solidifying its position as one of the most talked-about productions of this awards season. The awards ceremony will take place on March 15th, hosted by American comedian Conan O’Brien.
Set in Recife in 1977, The Secret Agent features a narrative with a strong Brazilian identity, but with themes capable of engaging an international audience. The film’s presence in prestigious categories reinforces the recognition of Brazilian cinema in a landscape dominated by major Hollywood and European productions.
In the main category of the night, The Secret Agent is competing for the best film award alongside titles such as Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet: Life Before Hamlet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams. In the best international film category, the Brazilian representative faces productions from France ( It Was Just an Accident ), Norway ( Sentimental Value ), Spain ( Sirât ), and Tunisia ( The Voice of Hind Rajab ).
Wagner Moura is among the nominees for best actor for his performance in The Spy Who Shagged Me , competing against Timothée Chalamet ( Marty Supreme ), Leonardo DiCaprio ( Battle After Battle ), Ethan Hawke ( Blue Moon ), and Michael B. Jordan ( Sinners ). The nomination reinforces the international profile of the Brazilian actor, who has already garnered recognition for his work in foreign productions.
Other categories also feature big names. Competing for best actress are Jessie Buckley ( Hamnet ), Rose Byrne ( If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You ), Kate Hudson ( Song Sung Blue ), Emma Stone ( Bugonia ), and Renate Reinsve ( Sentimental Value ). Among the supporting actors are Benicio Del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Sean Penn, Stellan Skarsgård, and Delroy Lindo.
The list of nominees also includes technical and artistic categories, such as directing, original and adapted screenplay, animation, documentary, soundtrack, costume design, makeup, sound, editing, visual effects, and short films. The diversity of genres and nationalities reinforces the global character of the 2026 Oscars, which reaches its 98th edition with a strong international presence and special attention to Brazilian cinema thanks to the performance of The Secret Agent.
Wagner Moura is the first Brazilian nominated for the Oscar for best actor
Wagner Moura made Brazilian cinema history by being nominated for the 2026 Oscar in the Best Actor category, an unprecedented achievement for a Brazilian artist. The recognition came for his performance in the film The Secret Agent , a production directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho that has garnered international attention since its premiere. The nomination places the actor among the leading names in world cinema during awards season.
In the race for the statuette, Wagner Moura competes with Timothée Chalamet, nominated for Marty Supreme; Leonardo DiCaprio, for Battle After Battle; Ethan Hawke, for Blue Moon; and Michael B. Jordan, for the film Sinners. The Oscar ceremony is scheduled for March 15th in Los Angeles, United States, and will once again be hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien, repeating the format adopted in the 2025 edition.
With his Oscar nomination, Wagner Moura consolidates his international career and increases the visibility of Brazilian cinema at the biggest award in the global film industry. The unprecedented presence of a Brazilian actor in the Best Actor category reinforces the global impact of the production and highlights the country’s creative strength in the contemporary audiovisual landscape.
Source: brasil247.com