The event, which held its fifth edition in La Laguna (Tenerife), is rapidly consolidating its position as a key meeting point for the region's industry

The Quirino gala, held on May 14 at the Teatro Leal in La Laguna, awarded prizes to the best Ibero-American animations in nine categories. The main awards went to the Brazilian production "Bob Cuspe - Nós Não Gostamos de Gente”, for best feature film; the Mexican "Sustos ocultos de Frankelda" for best series; and "Bestia”, from Chile, for best short film.

On the Spanish side, this edition recognized "Las moscas solo viven un día”, by Mauro Luis López, Master in Animation at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, with the award for best school short film, a category that rewards emerging talents in the sector.

Other Spanish finalists were the Goya Award-winning feature film "Valentina", by Chelo Loureiro, produced by Abano Producións, Antaruxa, El Gatoverde Producciones and Sparkle Animation, and the short film "Leopoldo el del Bar”, produced by Joaquín Garralda and directed by Diego Porral.

Also competing for these awards were "Lágrimas de dragón”, by Íñigo Álvarez and Antonio García Tardón, from the U-Tad Centro Universitario de Tecnología y Arte Digital, competing for best school short film, and "Narita Boy", by Eduardo Fornieles, a Studio Koba production that was a candidate for best video game animation.

Now in their fifth edition, the Quirino Awards ratified their importance in the construction of a common space for animation in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.

Industrial side

On the industrial side, the Quirino Awards, sponsored by the Cabildo de Tenerife through the Tenerife Film Commission and ICEX Spain Trade & Investment, also serve as a framework for the Co-Production and Business Forum.

With this forum, the Quirinos have also become a platform for research into the animation sector in the 23 Ibero-American countries. At the recent edition, the Quirino White Paper on Ibero-American Animation; Phase II, Dimension of and Figures for the Sector was presented. This publication analyzes the trends found in the different countries of the region.

It should be noted that this year Ibero-America has placed two productions -one Spanish and the other Chilean- among the candidates for the Oscar for best animated short film, the winner being "El limpiaparabrisas” (The Windshield Wiper), by Spain's Alberto Mielgo.

The White Paper analyzed a total of 180 feature films and animated series submitted to the Quirino Awards between 2018 and 2020.

Among its conclusions was the predominance of co-production not only as a formula for facilitating the financing of projects but also for enriching their points of view. The study indicates that 67% of the companies made co-productions and that there is a greater tendency to co-produce series rather than feature films.

Currently, according to the White Paper, there are around fifty feature film projects and a hundred series at different stages of development, production or completion, with Brazil, Spain, and Argentina as the main producers of animation in the region.

The Quirinos also hosted the 41st Conference of Ibero-American Cinematographic and Audiovisual Authorities (CAACI) and the 20th Summit of the Intergovernmental Council of Ibermedia, the pan-regional film and television support fund.

RTVE Projects

Public TV operators in the region also held meetings to evaluate their role in promoting animation. For his part, Yago Fandiño, director of children's content at RTVE, announced the participation of Spain's leading public broadcaster in six new animation projects and two season renewals. The new series include "Samuel",produced by France's Arte France and Les Valseurs, and Spain's Pikkukala, which was a hit at this year's Cartoon Movie, "My Brother is a Trez", by Mr. Klaus Studios, and "Zebra with Polka Dots", by Sygnatia & Parrocha Studio.

Among the objectives of the Co-Production and Business Forum is the promotion of the development, co-production, and circulation of animation projects and works from the Ibero-American region.

From May 12 to 14, more than 90 companies from 19 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay) took part in this industrial event.

The most notable companies included Adult Swim, Anima, Animoon, Cartoon Italia, Barley Films, BigFatStudio, Blue Zoo, Cake Entertainment, Cartoon Saloon, Cinema Management Group, Cloth Cat Animation, Dandelooo, DeAPlaneta Entertainment, El Reino Infantil, Ikki Films, Indie Sales, Kidglove, KIKA, Lupus Films, LatinX in Animation, Miyu Distribution, Momakin, Nieko Play NTV, Pakapaka, PGS Entertainment, Production L'Unité Centrale, RTP, RTVE, Señal Colombia, Sesame Workshop, Showlab, Studio 100, The Walt Disney Company and Toonz Media.

The B2B meetings between animation producers, buyers, distributors, TV channels and investors had a customized agenda based on the format, technique, and target preferences of each project.

More than 730 one-on-one meetings were held during the Forum, with a dynamic that allowed each producer the freedom to present the projects or services they considered most appropriate at each of the meetings.