The 2025 version of Martín Fierro Latino detonated an unsuspected crack in APTRAand what seemed to be an international relaunch gala ended up being a resounding internal breakup.
The ceremony, held in the luxurious hall of the JW Marriott Brickell in Miami, under the organization and marketing of the Argentine producer Oscar Posedenteand led largely by the United States-based journalist, Ronen Suarcpromised to be a luxury gala, with a red carpet, international guests and open nominations that encompassed more than 30 categories between radio, television, streaming and digital productions.
The point is that not even the most pessimistic of haters believed that everything could fail in the way it did: technical failures, absent celebrities, stage improvisations and even complaints about the purchase of statuettes led to a true civil war between the prize’s leaders, namely, its president Luis Ventura, its opponent Pilar Smith and the bishops Daniel Gómez Rinaldi, Daniel Ambrosino and Laura Ufbal.
Live and direct. Returning to the broadcast of the Martín Fierro Latinos, from the beginning, the red carpet broadcast by América TV, with the duo of hosts Andrea Estévez and Alejandro Dávalos, portrayed a display of nervousness that spread confusion as the awards ceremony progressed: signal cuts, frozen screens, interrupted audio, disorganization of who went up on stage and who came down, and envelopes with the shortlists delivered in haste, in some cases even written with a pen. The result, an extensive ceremony until 1:30 in the morning on Monday, which closed with the Gold statuette to the Chilean driver (and unknown to the Argentine public) Martín Cárcamo.
Pilar Smith, partner and candidate for president in the next elections at APTRAin dialogue with NOTICIAS states: “Martín Fierro Latino was poor, lackluster, untidy, disorganized and without renowned figures.”. It is a horror that they charge for nominations because it distorts the spirit of the award. Ventura gives the brand to the unpresentable Oscar Posedente to do his show, but the ones who are in the wrong position are us partners.” And he warns: “If I ever become president of the entity, I would follow Ventura’s line, because generating the fashion, film and theater awards was a success, but it would not open much more. There are limits and with the Latino they exceeded their limits.”
At the other end of Smith, the historic partner Karim Gonzalez With more than 30 years in the institution and author of the books “Mina de rock” and “Between hippies and bohemians”, she defended the continuity of the Ventura management: “In recent years, he raised the award, generated a lot of income and thus helped many members, for example, by paying their social work.. Separating the award into different areas such as radio, television and cable was a success and those for film and theater, a discovery. It is true that the Latino was a little lackluster, but it is only the third one that has been made, I estimate that it will improve over time.”
One of the points that generated the most controversy was the payment of nominations. But the truth was that what was paid was the registration, as happens in the United States with awards like the Grammys and the Emmys, and not in Argentina with the ACE (theater), Cóndor de Plata (cinema) and HUGO (musical theater). In fact, sources close to the television producer Posedente tell NOTICIAS that registration is no guarantee of being shortlisted: “There are categories that have seven registered and only three remain.” A winner admitted to NOTICIAS that he paid $260 for registration, was nominated and won the statuette: “My advertiser paid me for it, knowing that I might not win it.”
Winners. Among the Argentine awards, the statuette to Luis Ventura for his program “True Secrets” generated many suspicions, while the Cordoba native Hernan Lirio He was excited about what he received his pet Ramoncitodog influencer who has 249 thousand followers on Instagram.
Contacted about the unexpected award, Lirio responded: “I am happy about Ramoncito. He is my son, he is already 11 years old. And well, as I said in the thank you, he has a disease called Cushing’s and thank God we are overcoming it.” Regarding his “son”, as he defined him in the talk, he adds: “If everything goes well, in January we will start recording an eight-episode miniseries for a very important platform.”
After hours and back to Buenos Aires, the partners who were present in the northern country, far from calming the waters, raised the bet. Daniel Gomez Rinaldialso a member of APTRA and present at the ceremony in Miami, responded harshly to all those who criticized the award. In radio statements, He did not hesitate to describe Guido Zaffora, Yanina Latorre and Pilar Smith as “ridiculous”, whom he called “the Susana Giménez of NET”.
Or King. Another who raised his voice was himself. Fortunewho boasted on Moria Casán’s program on El Trece, about the success of “his” brand. In a serious tone and without hesitation, he stated, before the astonished gaze of everyone present, that “The Martín Fierro Latino gala turned Hollywood’s ear upside down”.
To investigate further into the Association’s internal affairs, NOTICIAS spoke with one of the oldest members, who asked not to reveal his name. And surprised by the virulence of his peers and omnipotence of his president, he reflected: “Martín Fierro Latino seemed like a bargain to me. They are paid prizes, I don’t know who chose them, none of us voted. The essence is being lost. Now they want to do the one about real estate, the one about dance and the one about pets. I don’t think there is any jury in APTRA suitable to vote on dance. If we celebrate anything, our prize is discredited. “What happened on Sunday was a farce.”
In the face of discontent, the rift within APTRA appears deeper than ever. What for some was a bold attempt to internationalize the award, for others was a stumble that, if repeated, could be a lethal fall. The division between those who defend economic restructuring and those who call for a return to origins threatens to redefine the course of Martín Fierro. And although the controversy is just beginning, they handed out the awards for the best of Cable 2025 and have already made the Martín Fierro shortlist for cinema official, this time, without prior payment.
