Brazil announced today Pequeno Segredo / Little Secret by David Schurmann will be representing the South American country at the 89th edition of the Academy Awards in the Foreign Language category over favorite Aquarius, the sophomore film by Kleber Mendonça Filho.
Brazil's Oscar race has been deeply contested and questioned over impartiality in the selection process after the appointment of a film critic to the selection committee, who has ferociously condemned the political protests by the filmmakers and cast of Aquarius in its world premiere at Cannes. With its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, its upcoming U.S. premiere at New York Film Festival, a confirmed theatrical run in the U.S. this fall, and universal acclaimed for its leading actress Sonia Braga, Aquarius had largely been considered a natural candidate to represent the South American nation at the Oscars.
Little Secret is based on the story of the filmmaker's adopted sister, who died of AIDS at the age of 13, is a three-part movie that narrates the lives of three families that interacted with her.
