Latin American filmmakers from Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Chile had a powerful showing at this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, winning in three different categories and reaffirming the region’s creative force within the global independent film landscape.
Brazil scored one of the night’s most significant victories as The Secret Agent / O Agente Secreto, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, won Best International Film. The award further consolidates the film’s extraordinary awards-season trajectory and underscores Brazil’s continued prominence within contemporary world cinema.
Set in the late 1970s, during the final years of Brazil’s military dictatorship, The Secret Agent is a taut political thriller that follows a former intelligence operative drawn back into a tightening web of surveillance, state violence, and personal reckoning. Blending genre elements with a sharp political conscience, the film revisits a dark chapter in Brazil’s recent history while resonating powerfully with contemporary global anxieties.
Another major Brazilian moment came with cinematographer Adolpho Veloso, who won Best Cinematography for his luminous work on Train Dreams, directed by Clint Bentley. The film also received the awards for Best Feature and Best Director, marking one of the night’s most decisive sweeps and placing Veloso’s visual achievement at the center of its success.
The celebration of Latin American voices extended to Puerto Rico, where Esta Isla (This Island), directed by Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian Carretero, received the John Cassavetes Award, the Spirit Awards’ honor for the best feature made for under $1 million. The visually striking and emotionally mature drama follows young lovers Bebo and Lola—who come from opposite social circles in Puerto Rico—as they flee to a remote part of the island in the wake of a heinous murder. The film previously won three awards at the Tribeca Festival, including Best New Narrative Director, a Special Jury Mention for Best U.S. Narrative Feature, and Best Cinematography.
Chile was also represented among this year’s winners. Editor Sofía Subercaseaux won for her work on The Testament of Ann Lee, the epic historical musical drama directed by Mona Fastvold. Subercaseaux has previously collaborated with Chilean director Sebastián Silva on films including Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus, Nasty Baby, and Rotting in the Sun, further solidifying her reputation as one of the most accomplished Chilean editors working internationally.
The 41st edition of the Film Independent Spirit Awards was held last night at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.
