The winner of the Best Foreign Language Film award was announced during the red carpet arrivals of the Critics Choice Awards 2026. During the star-studded ceremony, show host Chelsea Handler informed film producers Emilie Lesclaux and Kleber Mendonça Filho that there was a very special surprise for them. She revealed that the Best Foreign Language Film goes to The Secret Agent and handed over the trophy.
Soon, social media platforms, including X (formerly known as Twitter), became flooded with criticisms from Netizens. A social media user shared the clip on X (formerly known as Twitter) with the caption - "I find it insulting that E! announced the winner for Best Foreign Language Film on the #CriticsChoiceAwards red carpet. It makes it seem like they didn't deserve to receive the award on the main stage with a proper speech."
Shortly, the comments section was filled with opinions from people worldwide. Several netizens supported the social media user, while a few others agreed with the award show organizers. The messages ranged from "Totally agree", "Fully agree", and "You're right they seem sort of disappointed too" to "Ridiculous", "This was so weird. Like get the whack out of here", and "Agree!!! It's was really a f*** you".
Meanwhile, a social media user wrote, "A lot of award shows do this unfortunately, it s***s but there are more popular awards that they have to fit in the main show". Another Netizen shared, "The Secret Agent winning Best Foreign Language film but not getting to get the award on stage or give a speech...like..."
"It's wrong. Don't do award shows if you're not gonna do it right. It screams superiority toward USA films. No one wants that. Especially not the dedicated, talented filmmakers from other countries," a third person opined.
The Secret Agent is a neo-noir historical political thriller film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2025. Written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, the movie stars Wagner Moura as Armando, a former professor caught in the political turmoil in the last years of the Brazilian military dictatorship. Emilie Lesclaux co-produced the film with Mendonça Filho.
