The Dominican film Sugar Island, directed by Johanné Gómez Terrero, emerged as the standout winner at the 16th Annual Cinema Tropical Awards, taking home the coveted honor for Best Latin American Film of the Year. The ceremony took place on January 7, 2026, at Film at Lincoln Center in New York City, spotlighting a dynamic range of works from across Latin America and the U.S. Latinx filmmaking community.
Top Honors Across Latin American Cinema
Brazilian filmmaker Marcelo Caetano received the Best Director award for his acclaimed feature Baby, while Cuban auteur Miguel Coyula won Best Non-Fiction Film for the thought-provoking Chronicles of the Absurd (Crónicas del absurdo).
In the debut category, Mexican director Ernesto MartÃnez Bucio earned Best First Film for The Devil Smokes (El diablo fuma) — a striking new voice in contemporary Mexican cinema noted for its surreal visual style and bold storytelling.
In the U.S. Latinx category, *Travis Gutiérrez Senger’s Asco: Without Permission was named Best Film, while *Joel Alfonso Vargas’s Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) received a Special Mention. The U.S. segment of the awards continues to celebrate emerging and established Latinx filmmakers contributing to the evolving American indie scene.
The event was hosted by Philip Klint, anchor and producer at Spectrum Noticias, with acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho (The Secret Agent) presenting the top honors. This year’s Latin American winners were selected by a distinguished jury that included producer Juan Pablo Bastarrachea (Cine Tonalá), programmer Luis Felipe Raguá (Cinemateca de Bogotá), and Márcia Vaz (Instituto Moreira Salles).
Jurors for the U.S. Latinx section were Consuelo Alba, director of the Watsonville Film Festival, and Ivonne Cotorruelo, noted film festival programmer.
Complete List of Winners — 16th Cinema Tropical Awards
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Best Fiction Film: Sugar Island — Johanné Gómez Terrero (Dominican Republic)
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Best Director: Baby — Marcelo Caetano (Brazil)
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Best Non-Fiction Film: Chronicles of the Absurd — Miguel Coyula (Cuba)
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Best First Film: The Devil Smokes — Ernesto MartÃnez Bucio (Mexico)
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Best U.S. Latinx Film: Asco: Without Permission — Travis Gutiérrez Senger
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Special Mention, U.S. Latinx Film: Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) — Joel Alfonso Vargas
