Decorated filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho began his career as a film critic and transitioned into screenwriting and directing with his feature film debut, "Neighboring Sounds” (2012). He had previously directed a series of short films, including “Recife Frio” (2009), for which he was recognized by the Brazilian Academy Film Awards. His second feature was the drama “Aquarius” (2016), which competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was also the source of much controversy at a time of political upheaval in Brazil. Filho went on to co-direct “Bacurau” (2019), a surreal Western that won him the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His fourth feature film, “The Secret Agent” (2025), starring Wagner Moura, was selected as Brazil’s entry for the 98th Academy Awards and is a political thriller that has been widely acclaimed by critics.