Quirino Awards Confirm Industry Dates, New Talent Drive
The Quirino Ibero-American Animation Awards has confirmed the dates of its key upcoming industry hybrid online-in-person events, plus its major new talent drive.
Running May 19-20 online and May 28-29 on-site, the Quirino Awards‘ Co-Production and Business Forum has a new home this year, after relocating to headquarters in La Laguna on the Canary island of Tenerife.
Executives from more than 100 companies in 19 countries will attend the awards either online or in person. Among the largest are Adult Swim, Discovery Kids channel, VOD service Filmin, Spanish public pubcaster RTVE, YouTube channel El Reino Infantil, kids channels Pakapaka in Argentina and KiKa in Germany.
Other attendees take in French sales agent Indie Sales, Indian animation giant Toonz Media Group, distributors such as France’s PGS and French producer-distributors Dandelooo and Sola Media.
In a pattern which looks to be repeated at late spring and early summer events across Europe, the lion’s share of on-site attendees is likely to be sourced from Europe itself; in the case of the Quirino Awards’ industry tivities, from Spain and France.
The Awards kick off on May 10, when the nominees for best short and student short film will be made available via Latin America’s Retina Latina and Filmin platforms in Spain, Portugal and Mexico. The presentation will also include a pitch of “Olivia and the Mysteries,” a coming-of-age 2D puppet feature directed by first-time feature director Juan Carve and produced by Uruguay’s Chucho.tv, which won the best feature and La Liga Awards at last year’s Ventana Sur.
“At the Quirino Awards, we’re focusing on emerging talents, making them accessible to everyone and, above all, betting on the short format as a breeding ground for future features and series,” Quirino Awards director José Luis Farias told Variety.
He added: “Our main objective is to structure the Ibero-American animation sector. That’s a comprehensive task that ranges from [creating] industry foundations and talent to financing and distribution.”
Titles vying for best short, a section which looks particularly strong this year, take in Alexandra Ramires’ Toronto-player “Elo” (Portugal, France), Alberto Vázquez’s Annecy Jury Award-winner “Homeless Home” (Spain, France) and Carmen Córdoba’s “Roberto” (Spain).
The Co-Production Forum features two panels. On May 11, Welaw lawyer Francisco Menéndez will moderate the first, on financing models for animation projects. Panelists are Natixis Coficine Director Christophe Vidal, Yago Fandiño, director of Kids Content at Spanish pubcaster RTVE, Marta Hernández Calzada, the finance director at Spain’s Tandem Films and Pato Escala, CEO of Chile’s Punkrobot.
At the second panel, on May 18, three sales agents – Juan Torres at Spain’s Latido Films; Florencia Gasparini, representing the L.A. and Paris-based Cinema Management Group; and João Antunes at Portugal’s Big Picture – will reflect on paradigm change in distribution. The session will be moderated by Ventana Sur Animation! coordinator Silvina Cornillón.
The 4th Quirino Awards winners will be announced at a May 29 prize ceremony.
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