The Brazilian feature film The Secret Agent This Sunday (15th) won the Film Independent Spirit Awards in the Best International Film category. This was director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s third nomination for the award and his first victory. In his speech, he dedicated the award to film programmers and young filmmakers from around the world.
“They have the chance to make exciting films about life, about people, about their neighborhood. Cinema is a manifestation of memory itself and a political act”, he highlighted, also citing German actor Udo Kier, who was part of the team for The Secret Agent and died in November 2025.
Brazilian filmmaker Adolpho Veloso also won the award in the Best Cinematography category for his work on Sonhos de Trem. The award was announced on stage by Wagner Moura, who stars in The Secret Agent. “I’m very happy about this,” said the actor, when announcing Veloso’s victory.
“It’s so difficult to do what we do. We often face major crises, unhappy with what we do and thinking we could have done something better. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the film. This award goes to everyone”, highlighted the filmmaker.
O Spirit Awards is considered one of the main independent film awards in the United States.
