Get to know more about the most memorable moments of their careers and the impact of the award and the artists not only for Brazil, but also for the entire Latam people.
When it comes to the cinema industry, Europe and South America are always equipped with privileges, and usually get more recognition for their productions. However, Latin America is definitely gaining a bigger visibility space in this conversation, and bringing a lot of productions full of international impact. As a part of Latam, Brazil carries a big responsibility in its industry and is the house for a lot of big names from the artistic cenario, just like Fernanda Torres that got attention worldwide this year thanks to her protagonism on “I’m Still Here”, and Wagner Moura, another brilliant name for the hall of fame of important Brazilian artists.
Fernanda Torres: A Family legacy translated through art
Daughter of Fernanda Montenegro, the “Great Lady of Brazilian Dramaturgy”, and Fernando Torres, actor and director, Torres has art running through her bloodline. Fernanda Torres was born in 1965 in Rio de Janeiro and started her career when she was 13, beginning as a stage actress. 4 years later, when she was 17, Fernanda was part of the cast of “Baila Comigo”, a soap opera that consolidated her career on TV, but her first audiovisual participation was in a film called “Inocência”.
All her work and progress on TV and Theater made her a great actress, building a woman and actress who, later in history, would bring such a big representation to the country. The recognition of her work came early, when she was 20, back in Cannes, when she won the best actress award for her participation in “Eu sei que vou te amar”, a movie by Arnaldo Jabor, turning her on the youngest woman to win a Cannes award, and also the first Brazilian to win it. After that, she participated in a lot more big productions, such as “Com licença, eu vou a luta”, “Jorge, o Brasileiro”, “Sexo dos anjos” and more. Torres also won other national awards, like Troféu Candango at the Brasilia Festival of Brazilian Cinema.
In 1991, Fernanda Torres got married to Andrucha Waddington, a director and scriptwriter. Together, they worked on a film called “Casa de Areia”(2005), but not only the movie counted with the hard work of the couple: Cláudio Torres, brother of Fernanda Torres was also a part of the production of the movie, while her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, was also part of the cast. The movie received many awards at festivals like Sundance film festival, Camerimage, Brasilia Festival of Brazilian Cinema and more. Entering the 2000’s, Fernanda worked on “Os normais”, a humor production that defined the modern Brazilian humor productions. At first, it was a sitcom, which then became a movie because of its success.
Then, by 2015, Fernanda worked on the production that would be until then the biggest milestone of her career: Fernanda was cast as Fátima from“Tapas & Beijos”, one of the biggest Brazilian Rom-Coms. The characters Sueli (played by Andrea Beltrão) and Fátima captivated the public and brought many laughs and emotions. After that, Torres participated a lot more in soap operas, movies and many kinds of productions, where she was mainly consolidated as a potential humorist.
But, it was in 2004 that she first crossed paths with another one of the greatest names of Brazilian audiovisual: Wagner Moura. Moura and Torres worked together in a film called “Redentor”, which also starred other great names such as Pedro Cardoso, Miguel Falabella and Camila Pitanga. The movie was written and directed by Cláudio Torres, once again proving the decades of bloodline partnership and recognition. The production had Moura as the protagonist, and even that his character didn’t relate much with Fernanda’s during the story, the crossover between their worlds created an artistic bond that was later better seen in a comedy movie called “Saneamento Básico”, that also brought some awards for Torres.
Wagner Moura: A Brazilian voice known all around the globe
You may know Moura for his memorable work in “Tropa de Elite”, where he plays the famous “Capitão Nascimento”, a character that got famous all around the world and a movie that turned to be one of the biggest Brazilian productions of all time, very much awarded inside and outside of the country. But for sure, that was not the only Moura’s memorable production, and you may not remember at first, but you sure know a lot of his career.
Born in Salvador, 1976, Wagner Moura could not start on a different path: In theater, as a stage actor, back in 1993, when he was 17. But that was not the life plan of Moura, yet, he wanted to be a journalist and in fact, in 1996, he graduated the communication course in UFBA (Universidade Federal da Bahia), and even worked as a journalist. It was back on 1998 when he got really into the artistic world, that from then to now, would make great difference for the Brazilian culture: Moura was casted for a play called “A Máquina”, together with two other great names, Lázaro Ramos and Vladimir Brichta.
Two years later, Moura’s history started in audiovisual by his participation in a movie called “Sabor e Paixão”, a production that he got to be in a curious way: Helping Lázaro Ramos with the auditions in english, since Ramos was not really into the language. After that, Wagner was casted for many productions, such as “Abril Despedaçado”, “As Três Marias”, “Deus é Brasileiro” and many more. During the period of 2003 to 2005, Moura got more of the national and international attention, since he participated in significant films for the history of cinema, titles like “Carga Pesada”, “A Lua Me Disse”, “Paraíso Tropical” and mainly the pretty much know “Carandiru”.
Later, during 2007 to 2010, Wagner Moura starred in his most life and career changing production, it was finally time for his star to shine brighter on “Tropa de Elite”, playing “Capitão Nascimento” as already mentioned. With his work, Wagner won the award for Best actor on the Great Award of Brazilian Cinema, also, the Vogue magazine chose him as the “Man of the Year” during 2007. An important fact about that is that not only the movie got famous during those years and more, but also became a sequel, that also got hugely famous worldwide.
Skipping to 2013, Wagner was casted to the Hollywood movie “Elysium”, together with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, achieving even more recognition outside of the country. Moura then got main attention on international cinema for the following years and was casted to other international productions, like “Sete Homens e um Destino”, “Narcos” By Netflix, where he plays “Pablo Escobar” and for that got an indication to The Golden Globes, “Wasp Network”, “The Gray Man” “Civil War” and more. In 2021, Wagner became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood, and got the right to vote for the Oscars. In the same year, “Marighella”, a movie directed by Wagner Moura was released, winning many awards and getting international attention. And then, if even after that you think you do not know him, now for sure you remember his voice: He was voicing the wolf who is revealed to be the crazed The Forty Thieves in the animated adventure “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”.
In recent years, Moura starred in “Santo” on Netflix and finally “O Agente Secreto”, in 2025. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or, marking another important moment for Brazilian cinema on the international scene.The film won him the Best Actor Award at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, effectively making him the first Brazilian to receive the Best Actor award at the festival.
The influence of Fernanda and Wagner for national cinema and the visibility for Latam
Fernanda Torres and Wagner Moura are two of the most influential figures in Brazilian cinema, each contributing uniquely to the evolution of national storytelling. Both helped to elevate the global perception of Brazilian cinema as capable of producing introspective and sophisticated narratives.
With productions like “I’m Still Here”, winner of an Oscar this year, these and many more Brazilian artists become a vital symbol of Latin American presence in global cinema. Also, it is important to notice that the roles played by Fernanda and Wagner often highlight systemic injustices, social inequality, and political tension, giving visibility to Latin America’s complex realities.
Together, Torres and Moura have not only strengthened Brazilian cinema’s artistic credibility but also expanded its reach, contributing to broader visibility for Latam in the global audiovisual landscape. And it goes beyond the screens: both also play crucial roles behind the scenes, shaping narratives and advocating for creative autonomy in Latin American productions. Their multidimensional involvement in the arts fosters a space where Brazilian stories are not only told but carefully constructed to resonate with local and global audiences. This intellectual engagement reinforces the importance of national voices in a media environment often dominated by external narratives.
Their outspoken stance on democracy, inequality, and racial justice further amplifies the political role of Latin American artists in global spaces. Together, Moura and Torres exemplify how national talent can defy borders, not just by being present in international productions, but by insisting on authenticity, depth, and political consciousness in every project they touch.
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The article above was edited by Camilly Vieira.
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