2026 Platino

Diego Lerer is a journalist, film critic and programmer. He is the editor of Micropsia, a website dedicated to current film news, and also contributes to publications such as La Agenda and Tiempo Argentino. He is also a film programmer for the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) and hosts the podcasts Filma & Aclaración and Drinking Buddies.

The Ibero-American audiovisual industry is going through a curious, contradictory period, reflecting the distinct realities of each of its countries. Its strengths are evident: its films are nominated for multiple Academy Awards, its series are watched both within and outside the region and its industry is constantly expanding. This year, films like The Secret Agent and Sirât were part of the conversation leading up to the Oscars —even receiving several nominations— and Ibero-American cinema regularly takes up significant space at film festivals. This year, for example, three Spanish films will be part of the official Cannes competition —the new films by Pedro Almodóvar, both Javis [Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi], and Rodrigo Sorogoyen—, something unprecedented in the history of that film festival. And the rest of the region’s countries will be represented in the event’s other sections.

However, it’s not all good news. Some countries are suffering severe cuts to their film budgets or are embroiled in political disputes over the funding of their respective audiovisual industries. In most cases, the growth of streaming platforms —with their focus on supporting local and regional productions— has filled in these gaps, providing space and opportunities for film industries that need this push to overcome their specific challenges. Thus, even countries that currently lack strong film industries have high-quality films and series circulating internationally.

In this sense, the Platino Awards democratically celebrate these diverse realities, give the region a boost, promote it on an international stage and raise it to the level it deserves. The four films nominated for Best Ibero-American Film of the year clearly reflect this trend, including titles from film industries currently experiencing growth alongside those facing crises. The Secret Agent (Brazil), Sirât and Sundays (Spain), Belén (Argentina) and It Would Be Night in Caracas (Venezuela) represent the breadth of registers, talent, genres and socio-economic situations that Ibero-America is currently experiencing.

‘Sundays’ is nominated for eleven of the 2026 Platino Awards, including the Award for Best Actress for Patricia López Arnaiz. © vía EGEDA

Films and TV series in the audiovisual industry

Films and TV series in the region are also going through different phases. Films continue to suffer from a decline in consumption that never fully recovered after the pandemic, and they are increasingly distributed on streaming platforms, where they find the market they unfortunately lost in theatres. There are exceptions —The Secret Agent was a tremendous success in Brazil— but today, the strongest numbers come from streaming at home. On the other hand, TV series are expanding since streaming is a natural format for them. While not everything is rosy —platforms are reassessing investments following some unexpected flops— the scene is in better shape in this respect. You just need to listen to the ads on the main platforms —Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime— to realise that they all have big plans and projects for the different countries in the region. The Platino Awards reflect this broad representation, including series that arrive through streaming platforms. The miniseries competing in the main category are Spanish (The Anatomy of a Moment), Mexican (Chespirito: Not Really on Purpose and The Dead Girls), and Argentinian (The Eternaut), while the best long-form series category features Brazil (Scars of Beauty), Spain (The Vow and Sueños de libertad), and the United States (Velvet: The New Empire).

Since series have moved to streaming platforms, the Platino Awards have grown in impact, reach and influence throughout Latin America. This is not only due to the awards themselves, but also to the viral videos circulating on social media and the appearances of celebrities from across the continent, intertwined in a way not usually seen on screen. This has allowed celebrities to gain recognition outside their own countries, as is more common in the music industry. It is these same social media platforms, thanks to the rise in popularity of streamers and influencers in recent years, which have achieved something that films and television series could not always do on their own: birth stars that shine beyond local borders.

‘A Poet’, starring Ubeimar Ríos, is one of the big revelations to come out of the Latin American audiovisual industry. © Courtesy of EGEDA

The impact of social media

In turn, prizes like the Platino Awards attempt to emulate the phenomenon achieved by football and other sporting events: they bring all Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries together on social media. While the atmosphere surrounding these exchanges isn’t always the best —aggression is known to be the most viral—, social media has given a new boost in popularity to some cultural events. In fact, Brazilian social media users were so relevant and influential during the recent Academy Awards that they garnered several articles in US media outlets. The sports narrative may not be the healthiest for cultural events, it is true, but it works in terms of media coverage. In comedies, a genre usually with greater commercial reach, this competition can be even more obvious, with contenders like Homo Argentum (Argentina), The Dinner (Spain), A Loose End (Uruguay) and A Poet (Colombia), all successful films in their respective countries.

And this is even more noticeable with actors and actresses. Thus, the nominations for Best Actor in film pit Argentinian Guillermo Francella (Homo Argentum) against Brazilian star Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent), Spaniard Alberto San Juan (The Dinner), and Colombian Ubeimar Ríos (A Poet). Meanwhile, in the Best Supporting Actor category, Venezuelan Edgar Ramírez (It Would Be Night in Caracas), Argentinian Juan Minujín (Sundays), Brazilian Rodrigo Santoro (The Blue Trail), and the recent Goya winner in this same category, Spaniard Alvaro Cervantes (Deaf), are all vying for the nomination. Among the women, Colombian actress Natalia Reyes (It Would Be Night in Caracas) faces off against Argentinian Dolores Fonzi —star and director of Belén— and Spaniards Blanca Soroa and Patricia López Arnaiz (Sundays) in the Best Actress category. The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are Camila Pláate and Julieta Cardinali (Belén), Dira Paes (Manas), and Nagore Aranburu (Sundays).

The inclusion of television series in the awards ceremony significantly expands the presence of celebrities, since the various categories include performances by Ricardo Darín (The Eternaut), Javier Cámara (Yakarta), Leonardo Sbaraglia (Menem), Eduard Fernández (The Anatomy of a Moment), Candela Peña (Rage), Griselda Siciliani (Envious), Paulina Gaitán (The Dead Girls), Yalitza Aparicio (Unburied), and Lorena Vega (Envious), among many others. In addition to these awards, six Audience Platino Awards and the 2026 Platino Honorary Award will be presented, which this year will be awarded to Guillermo Francella.

Who will be a hit at the gala?

The winners of the 21 “technical” categories have already been announced, giving a hint as to which films and series will be vying for the main awards. These awards will be presented on the 7^th of May at a pre-gala ceremony. In the film category, Sirât has already taken home three awards —for sound, cinematography, and special effects— the same number as The Secret Agent —for music, art direction, and film editing—, suggesting that the big winner of the night in the film category will be one of these two. In the series category, the battle seems to be between the Argentine science fiction series The Eternaut, which has already won two acting awards and three more for music, film editing and special effects, and The Anatomy of a Moment, the Spanish series that has already won four awards: for cinematography, costume design, sound and art direction. Which will take home the Award for Best Miniseries? That will be decided on the 9^th of May at the Platino Awards ceremony, which will take place at the Gran Tlachco Theater inside Xcaret Park, Riviera Maya (Mexico), and will be broadcast on TNT and HBO Max. Don’t miss it!