For the second year in a row, a Brazilian feature swept top honors at the annual Ibero-American awards event Premios Platino, dubbed the Platinos Xcaret after its venue in the Riviera Maya, Mexico this year.
Kleber Mendonça’s “The Secret Agent” took home best feature, director, screenplay and actor (Wagner Moura) honors and in four other categories, topping last year’s “I’m Still Here” by Walter Salles, which won in three. The crime drama was nominated for four Oscars and snagged four prizes in Cannes, including director and actor.
Spain’s San Sebastian Golden Shell winner “Sundays” (“Los Domingos”) took home the audience prize, bestowed during a pre-awards ceremony the day before, where prizes to 21 categories, many of them newly introduced this year, were doled out.
Enrique Cerezo, president of Spanish rights group Egeda and the Platino Awards highlighted the upsurge of production in Colombia and other Latin American countries before presenting Argentina’s Guillermo Francello the Platino Honorary Award. Francello is renowned for his roles in such Argentine classics as the Oscar-winning “The Secret in their Eyes” and Pablo Trapero’s “The Clan.”
“This award recognizes a lifetime’s journey,” said Francello, adding that he was “deeply grateful for the respect and significance this Gala represents.”
It was also a duel between Spain and Argentina among the technical awards, with Spain’s “Sirât” by Oliver Laxe grabbing awards in special effects, cinematography and sound while on the TV side, Argentina’s “The Eternaut” and Spain’s “Anatomy of a Moment” duked it out.
“The Eternaut,” Netflix’s most ambitious series in Argentina, hooked seven awards, including best series and actor for its star, Ricard Darin.
‘The Eternaut’ Courtesy of K& S Films
Marcos Ludevid / Netflix
Dolores Fonzi snagged a supporting actress gong for her pivotal role in the Oscar-shortlisted “Belén,” which she also directed, as well as the Film & Education in Values recognition for her harrowing story of a woman arrested for having a miscarriage.
Brazil also won out in the series category with “Scars of Beauty,” a big local hit. The award marks further recognition of both creator-writer Raphael Montes, king of crime fiction in Brazil, and in this case HBO Max Latin America’s first original telenovela as global streamers move very successfully into the long series format.
The May 9 event was shaken the day before by a political skirmish that, for the first time, spilled into the proceedings.
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum and the visiting president of the Madrid regional government Isabel Díaz Ayuso had been clashing mainly over politics, ideology and Spain’s colonial legacy in Latin America. Díaz Ayuso, a conservative Spanish leader, has repeatedly criticized Mexico’s left-wing government, calling Mexico a “narco-state” and rejecting demands that Spain apologize for abuses committed during the conquest, while defending aspects of Spain’s historical role in the Americas.
Tensions escalated during Diaz Ayuso’s visit to Mexico, where she accused the Mexican government of fostering a boycott campaign against her visit and pressuring organizers of the awards, although those specific allegations were not independently confirmed.
In a preemptive move, event host Grupo Xcaret issued a communique “categorically” denying that they had received any threats or instructions from Sheinbaum or any government official regarding the awards.
“Due to the unfortunate statements made by the representative of the Community of Madrid over the past few months, culminating in a political tour in Mexico in the days leading up to the Platino Xcaret Awards, we have requested that the organizers revoke their invitation in order to prevent the event from being used as a political platform rather than as the celebration intended to honor the Ibero-American film industry,” it declared.
The gala, now on its 13th edition, is co-sponsored by the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council. The Xcaret resort in Cancun shares hosting duties every other year with the city of Madrid, which will host in 2027.
Full List of Winners:
FILM
Best Feature
“The Secret Agent,” Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazil)
Director
Kleber Mendonça Filho, “The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
Lead Performance, Actor
Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
Lead Performance, Actress
Blanca Soroa, “Sundays” (“Los Domingos”) Spain
Screenplay
Kleber Mendonça Filho, “The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
First Feature
“Sorda,” Eva Libertad (Spain)
Best Feature Comedy
“The Dinner” (“La Cena”), Manuel Gómez Pereira (Spain)
Original Score / Music
Tomaz Alves Souza, Mateus Alves, “The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
Supporting Role, Actor
Alvaro Cervantes, “Sorda” (Spain)
Supporting Role, Actress
Dolores Fonzi, “Belén” (Argentina)
Animated Feature
“Olivia & the Clouds” (Tomás Eduardo Pichardo Espaillat, Dominican Republic)
Documentary Best Feature
“Apocalypse in the Tropics” (Petra Costa, Brazil)
Original Music
Tomas Alves Souza, Mateus Alves, “The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
Editing
Eduardo Serrano, Matheus Farias, “The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
Art Direction
Thales Junqueira, “The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
Cinematography
Mauro Herce, “Sirât” (Spain)
Sound Direction
Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas, Yasmina Praderas, “Sirât” (Spain)
Costume Design
Helena Sanchis, “La Cena” (Spain)
Special VFX
Pep Claret, “Sirât” (Spain)
Makeup & Hair
Ana Lopez- Puigcerver, Belén Lopez-Puigcerver, Nacho Diaz, “The Captive” (Spain)
Film & Education in Values
“Belén,” Dolores Fonzi (Argentina)
HONORARY AWARD
Guillermo Francella (Argentina)
TELEVISION
TV Best Series
“Scars of Beauty” (“Beleza Fatal”) Raphael Montes (Brazil)
Best Limited Series
“The Eternaut,” Bruno Stagnaro (Argentina)
Creator/Showrunner
Bruno Stagnaro, “The Eternaut” (Argentina)
Actor
Ricardo Darín, “The Eternaut” (Argentina)
Actress
Paulina Gaitán, “Las Muertas” (Mexico)
Supporting Actor
César Troncoso, “The Eternaut” (Argentina)
Supporting Actress
Andrea Pietra, “The Eternaut” (Argentina)
Original Music
Federica Jusid, “The Eternaut” (Argentina)
Editing
Alejandro Brodershon, Alejandro Parysow, “The Eternaut” (Argentina)
Art Direction
Pepe Dominguez del Olmo, “The Anatomy of a Moment” (Spain)
Cinematography
Alex Catalán, “The Anatomy of a Moment” (Spain)
Sound
Daniel de Zayas, “The Anatomy of a Moment” (Spain)
Costume Design
Fernando García, “The Anatomy of a Moment” (Spain)
Special VFX
Ezequiel Rossi, Pablo Accame, Ignacio Pol, “The Eternaut” (Argentina)
Makeup & Hair
Marcos Cáceres, Dolores Giménez, “Menem” (Argentina)