When Penélope Cruz announced "I'm Still Here" as the winner of the Oscars, early this year, something in the Brazilian movie industry was reborn stronger. Brazilian filmmakers came back as award winners from Berlin and Cannes, national movies stood out internationally, and the Academy understood: Brazil is back on the world stage.

Onward to the 98^th edition of the Oscars, Brazil picks back up the race for a new statuette with ‘The Secret Agent’, by Kleber Mendonça Filho, starring Wagner Moura, in a tune indicating that the country will be even more present in the upcoming awards. And after the frenzy around Walter Salles’ movie, and the strength that Mendonça Filho’s production has garnered in the international scene, Oscar’s organizers have chosen to visit Brazil.

“There is a refreshing enthusiasm in your cinema that is unique, and it looks like it will carry on”, said Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in an interview with EXAME. The executive came to this year’s Rio Festival to accompany behind the scenes and understand the current state of the Brazilian movie industry. “This market in Brazil has caught our attention”.

Although he didn’t directly comment on The Secret Agency, following the rule forbidding the Academy from commenting on possible Oscar candidates, Kramer has commented about the perception of Brazilian culture in the United States, which he sees as part of a unifying process of the seventh art in the global market.

“The year in which Parasite won the best movie award was a type of pivot, a crucial moment for the Academy. The borders between countries, in terms of movie making and watching, are becoming undone”, he commented. “If you keep on making authentic stories, cultural and Brazilian, the rest of the worldwide movie lovers will answer. There is an authenticity in Brazil’s film production that I think the public loves to see”.

An international Brazil in the Trump administration?

"I'm Still Here" global acknowledgement and the good company of "The Secret Agent" abroad could have begun in international cinema festivals – such as Venice and Cannes, already famous for the diversity of participating countries – but the ascension in the United States, especially in the Academy, has more to do with internal voting in the organization.

There are a total of 11,000 members, of whom more than 20% live outside the United States. In Latin America, there are about 200 voters, 60 in Brazil, an expansion effort that Kramer is proud to have been a part of — and encourages.

“The Academy is becoming increasingly global as an organization, and I hope it will become more diverse in the coming years. It would be great to have more Latin American and Brazilian voters, because we have noticed a global movement to follow cinema outside the United States,” he explained.

However, the arrival and rise of international films in Los Angeles, as well as their presence at the Oscars, may run counter to demand. Last week, President Donald Trump announced that he intends to impose 100% tariffs on all films produced outside the United States, which would significantly affect the diversity of the awards that Kramer advocates.

Among the Academy's requirements for Oscar-eligible films is that the production must be publicly screened in theaters for at least seven consecutive days in one of the major metropolitan areas of the United States (Los Angeles, Bay Area, New York, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, or Miami), with a minimum of three daily screenings, one of which must be between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Without mentioning Trump or current US politics, Kramer noted that public demand will remain largely independent of socio-political changes in the rest of the world.

“The global nature of our film industry will not change. Streaming has a significant impact on creating demand and increasing access to international cinema, which naturally leads to Oscar nominations. It's what the public wants. I'm not worried.”

The globalization of the Academy goes hand in hand with internal changes. Since 2020, a series of rules has been implemented to ensure diversity in terms of gender, race, and geographical origin among films competing for awards. In 2024, a new measure was introduced to allow refugee filmmakers to submit their films to other countries without losing their authorship credit, for example.

The change ensured the victory of "No Other Land," by Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra, in the Best Feature Documentary category. Norway submitted the film.

As for streaming, the Academy's CEO argues that this is one of the ways that has popularized the American public's contact with international productions.

“Someone told me about 'Aquarius' the other day, a Brazilian movie of which we really haven’t talked about in the USA for a long time, but it is an amazing classic with Sônia Braga. It has a very Brazilian DNA. And we talked about it because it is easier to watch it now anywhere in the world, thanks to streaming”, commented the executive.

The Oscars: a US$1 Billion business

Brazil and politics aside, Kramer told EXAME Casual about some other changes the Academy has been preparing for the centenary Oscar edition, which will take place in 2028 and will feature an award dedicated exclusively to stunt doubles. News about the entity’s history will also be announced shortly.

For the CEO, the arrival of the first century comes with a responsibility to unite cinema with business, and managing the Academy on all fronts has been a necessary challenge for the longevity of the awards and the industry.

In addition to the Oscars, the Academy also awards honorary Oscars, science and technology awards, and the Student Academy Awards, and manages the world's largest global film museum, which contains over 52 million items.

“We are the largest film-related nonprofit organization in the world, but we have $1 billion in assets. My annual budget is $180 million. My job as CEO is to oversee all of this and ensure that we have a diverse support base so that we may exist for another 100 years,” explains Kramer.

Part of this support came from a new $500 million fundraising campaign launched earlier this year, which is scheduled to conclude in December 2028. To date, $220 million has been raised.

“We do a lot, but everything from the perspective of being an organization that celebrates and preserves cinema, inspiring new generations to become filmmakers and film lovers around the world. We have created a sustainable business environment in which to thrive, and so far, we are doing very well.”