Maxance Vincent
This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is giving its first Oscar for achievements in casting. It’s a historic moment for casting directors, who have long waited for such an honor, and even more historic for Gabriel Domingues, whose work in Kleber Mendonça Filho‘s The Secret Agent was recognized by the Academy, making him the first Brazilian to be nominated in the category.
The Secret Agent has made awards history ever since Kleber Mendonça Filho became the first Brazilian filmmaker to win the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival since Glauber Rocha, in 1969, for O Dragão da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro (also known as Antonio Das Mortes). The momentum has since continued, with the film nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Casting.
Reflecting on his nomination, Domingues tells Awards Radar on Zoom that he is “overwhelmed by this nomination. I’m super happy because I think casting is so full of vibrant people and Brazilian faces. The Academy’s recognition is a testament to the power of Brazilian faces and our cast. They have many different origins. They’re from everywhere, and they are shining. The movie is so joyful. Their presence is on the screen. And I’m really happy for this recognition. I’m not only happy for myself, but also for Kleber and [producer] Emilie Lesclaux. I’m really happy for the whole cast, the ensemble, the whole thing, because they are really amazing.”
As the first Brazilian casting director to be nominated for the award, Domingues recognizes how significant it is for him and for Brazilian cinema as a whole, stating, “I spent a week in Los Angeles and in New York. I spoke with many people in the industry and met many casting directors. They were fascinated with the casting of the movie. I was also fascinated to meet them because they’re so experienced and have such expertise, having been in the profession for so long. All of this makes me even happier, because it is a massive deal to be a part of the Academy Awards in the first year of this category. I understand that they struggled a lot to create this. People who work in the casting business tried very hard to get this recognition. To be a part of this is amazing for me and for Brazil.”
Of course, there was a lot to discuss in the process of casting the film’s many faces, and we had the opportunity to talk about it in the full audio conversation, which can be heard below:
[Some of the quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity]
Comments
Loading…