Brazilian cinema has high hopes of making Oscar history

"The Oscar hopeful is The Secret Agent, a thriller about a professor persecuted by the dictatorship who escapes to Recife during Carnival in 1977, a film that director Kleber Mendonca Filho, 57, had written expressly for actor Wagner Moura, 49. Premiered at Cannes and the Golden Globes and acclaimed by critics both at home and abroad, more than two million Brazilians have gone to the cinema to see it."

"The Secret Agent has four nominations; for Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Leading Actor (Wagner Moura) and Best Casting. Another Brazilian, Adolpho Veloso, is up for Best Picture and Best Cinematography with Train Dreams. The euphoria, while not quite that of a year ago, is arresting."

"Almost four decades have passed since any country won the Oscar for best foreign film two years in a row. That happened to be Denmark for Babette's Feast in 1987 and Pelle the Conqueror in 1988."

"For writer Xico Sa, who lived through the vibrant Recife of the 1970s, the awards and Oscar nominations reflect the consolidation of Brazilian cinema's status in the world and is a great incentive for young generations to make films in Pernambuco and throughout Brazil."

Brazil is competing for a second consecutive Best Picture Oscar on March 15 with The Secret Agent, a thriller directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho and starring Wagner Moura. The film, set during Brazil's 1977 military dictatorship, has garnered four nominations including Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Leading Actor, and Best Casting. Over two million Brazilians have seen the film following its Cannes premiere and critical acclaim. Another Brazilian film, Train Dreams, competes for Best Picture and Best Cinematography. This success follows I'm Still Here winning Best Picture last year. Winning consecutive Best Picture Oscars would be historic, as no country has achieved this in nearly four decades. The achievement would represent significant growth for Brazilian cinema's global standing and inspire future filmmakers.

Read at english.elpais.com