The Secret Agent - Kléber Mendonça Filho Returns to Cannes

Brazilian filmmaker Kléber Mendonça Filho will compete at Cannes 2025 with a political thriller set in 1970s Recife. Starring Wagner Moura, the film evokes an era of persecution and surveillance. This marks his third time in the official selection.

Mendonça Filho is gearing up for his third appearance in Cannes’ official selection, solidifying his status as one of Latin America’s most significant contemporary cinematic voices. International audiences have long admired his work and Brazilian cinema broadly.

A Political Thriller Set in the 1970s

"The Secret Agent," Mendonça Filho’s latest, will vie for the Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, set for May 13–24, 2025. The film follows Marcelo (Wagner Moura), an academic fleeing political persecution in São Paulo to Recife, where he discovers even his seemingly harmless neighbors may be part of the regime’s surveillance system.

Blending tension and social critique, the film continues Mendonça Filho’s exploration of Brazil’s societal complexities and historical wounds. Shot over ten weeks starting June 2024 in Recife and São Paulo, it features a stellar cast including Maria Fernanda Cândido, Gabriel Leone, Isabél Zuaa, Thomás Aquino, and German actor Udo Kier.

“It’s an honor to return to Cannes with this project,” Mendonça Filho shared on social media, praising the team and calling Moura “an exceptional artist.”

Post-Cannes, "The Secret Agent" will hit Brazilian theaters in late 2025. Post-production took place in Berlin and Paris studios, overseen by Emilie Lesclaux, Mendonça Filho’s frequent producer, who called the project “a dream come true.”

Another Film in Recife

Fans of Mendonça Filho know his deep, multifaceted bond with his hometown, Recife, which transcends the personal to become a core element of his films. Recife is both a recurring setting and a living character, reflecting its identity, history, and contradictions. Shot in real locations like Santo Amaro and the historic center, "The Secret Agent" captures the city’s essence authentically.

His debut feature, Neighboring Sounds (2012), made Recife a silent protagonist in a tale of paranoia, inequality, and urban memory, filmed in Boa Viagem. In Aquarius (2016), Recife anchors the story of Clara (Sônia Braga), resisting her building’s demolition. Even Bacurau (2019), co-directed with Juliano Dornelles, carries Recife’s DNA despite its fictional setting. In "The Secret Agent," set during 1970s Carnival, Recife is both refuge and threat for a professor hunted by the military regime, its vibrant streets juxtaposing celebration with oppression.

Living in Recife with his wife, producer Emilie Lesclaux, and their children, Mendonça Filho remains committed to portraying the city authentically, distinct from the Rio-São Paulo focus of mainstream Brazilian cinema.

A Successful Cannes Track Record

Mendonça Filho’s Cannes journey began in 2016 with Aquarius, which competed for the Palme d’Or. In 2019, Bacurau won the Jury Prize.

His return with "The Secret Agent" marks a milestone for Brazilian cinema, following Karim Aïnouz’s Motel Destino in 2024.

Brazilian cinema is thriving, with Walter Salles earning accolades for I’m Still Here at the Oscars and Golden Globes, and Gabriel Mascaro winning the Silver Bear for The Blue Trail at Berlinale 2025. These achievements highlight Brazil’s ability to transform social and political realities into universally resonant stories.

The 78th Cannes, with Juliette Binoche as jury president and Robert De Niro receiving an honorary Palme d’Or, will feature heavyweights like Richard Linklater, Julia Ducournau, and the Dardenne brothers, making it a fiercely competitive edition.

<< Go to Spanish version