The movie The Secret Agent (2025) is a political thriller / period drama directed and written by Kleber Mendonça Filho. The film stars Wagner Moura, Alice Carvalho, Gabriel Leone, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Isabél Zuaa, and Udo Kier. Below is everything you need to know about where and how this film was shot.
Set in Brazil in 1977 during the military dictatorship, The Secret Agent follows Marcelo (a technology expert) who arrives in Recife during Carnival week hoping to reunite with his son. But he finds himself spied on, threatened, and caught up in political turmoil as corruption and violence close in.
The film will be theatrically released in Brazil on 6 November 2025. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2025. It is distributed in Brazil by Vitrine Filmes, and internationally by companies such as Neon (North America) and Ad Vitam (France).
Table of Contents
When and Where Was The Secret Agent Filmed?
| Film Name | The Secret Agent (2025) |
|---|---|
| Genres | Political Thriller, Period / Historical |
| Filming Locations | Recife, São Paulo, Brasília (Brazil) |
| Filming Dates | Jun 10, 2024 to Aug 22, 2024 |
| Cinematography by | Evgenia Alexandrova |
| Release Date | 6 November 2025 (Brazil) |
The film’s shooting was done over about ten weeks in 2024, mainly in Recife, Pernambuco. the filming took place from Jun 10, 2024 to Aug 22, 2024 in various Brazilian locations. Additional scenes were shot in São Paulo and Brasília as pick-ups.
📍Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
This is the primary and most crucial location in the film. Many of the main sequences, especially those set during Carnival week, were filmed here.
- Cinema São Luiz: A historic art-house cinema in Recife, used in the film as part of the cinema scenes and interior/exterior shots.
- Capibaribe River: The river plays a role in certain dramatic sequences (e.g. the captured tiger shark element).
- “May 13th Park” (Parque 13 de Maio): Used in outdoor sequences.
- Rua da Aurora (Aurora Street): Near where Recife’s main carnival parades and scenes are recreated.
- Historical buildings & colonial bridges: Many older structures in Recife were used to evoke the 1970s look.
The director is known for deploying the cityscape of Recife itself (its heat, architecture, decaying facades, and urban textures) nearly as a character in the film.
📍São Paulo, Brazil
Some sequences involving characters Euclides and Bobbi were filmed in São Paulo. São Paulo is Brazil’s vibrant economic heart and the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere, a sprawling megacity renowned for its incredible cultural diversity and non-stop energy. It boasts world-class museums, a cutting-edge arts scene, and an unparalleled gastronomic landscape that reflects its global immigrant history. Despite its concrete jungle reputation, “Sampa” is an essential destination for those seeking a taste of modern, dynamic Brazil. (Image: Neon YouTube)
📍Brasília, Brazil
Pick-up scenes (smaller additional shots) were reportedly shot in Brasília in late 2024. Brasília is Brazil’s striking, planned federal capital, inaugurated in 1960 and built in the shape of an airplane or a bird in the heart of the country. Designed primarily by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer, the city is a triumph of modernist architecture, with its distinctive governmental buildings earning it UNESCO World Heritage status. Its unique urban plan separates functions into different sectors, making it a globally significant example of mid-20th-century city planning and design.
Behind the Scenes of The Secret Agent
To make your search for Vitrine Filmes’s The Secret Agent filming even more interesting and enjoyable, we shared a behind-the-scenes photo here.
The movie stars and fans also shared some behind-the-scenes glimpses on their social media account, Instagram:-
The filmmakers strove for authenticity in recreating 1970s Brazil, especially in Recife. Locations like Cinema São Luiz and old bridges, decaying downtown buildings, and the streets of Aurora were used to evoke both nostalgia and tension.
The director, Kleber Mendonça Filho, often returns to his hometown of Recife in his work (seen in earlier films) and wanted to embed personal and political memory into the city’s architecture and social textures.
Scenes of Carnival, political suppression, and public chaos were filmed on actual streets of Recife to heighten realism.
Is there any trailer available for The Secret Agent?
Yes — one month ago The Secret Agent film’s official trailer was released by Neon’s Official YouTube Channel, which you can see here:-
FAQs
Q1: Where was The Secret Agent (2025) filmed?
A1: The main filming took place in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil — with additional scenes in São Paulo and some pickups in Brasília.
Q2: What specific locations in Recife were used in The Secret Agent?
A2: Key locations include Cinema São Luiz, Rua da Aurora, Capibaribe River, Parque 13 de Maio, colonial bridges, and downtown historical buildings.
Q3: When did the filming start and end?
A3: Principal photography was done in 2024 over approximately ten weeks in Recife. Later in 2024, pick-up shots were done, including in Brasília.
Q4: Can I visit the filming locations of The Secret Agent?
A4: Many of the locations are real, public places in Recife (e.g., Cinema São Luiz, Rua da Aurora, bridges). You could potentially tour those sites. However, you should check local access rules and whether the specific buildings are open to visitors.