Quirino Awards Announces Winners of 4th Ibero-American Animation Honors

The Quirino Awards for Ibero-American Animation announced the winning films for its fourth edition on Saturday, capping the hybrid event with an in-person gala held in the Leal Theatre in San Cristobal de La Laguna, Tenerife, and broadcast live around the world.

Adventures starring people with disabilities, children who question the world of adults and stories with social undertones stand out in a list of winners from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico and Portugal. Among these films, 2D animation predominates, with winning films tailored to both children/family audiences and adults. With the support of the Council of Tenerife through the Tenerife Film Commission, this new edition of the Quirino Awards confirms the event’s central relevance in the construction of a shared space for animation from the 23 countries in the region.

The Mexican film Un disfraz para Nicolás (A Costume for Nicholas), the debut work from Eduardo Rivero, written and produced by Miguel Angel Uriegas, received the award for Best Full-Length Film. The film tells the story of Nicholas, a child with Down syndrome who, with the help of different costumes his mother left him, embarks on an adventure in a kingdom where chaos reigns. The main character was voiced by Fran Fernández, who was also born with Down syndrome. After The Incredible Story of the Stone Child (2015) and The Angel in the Clock (2017), this is the third from Fotosíntesis, an animation production company seeking to raise awareness about different issues through family-oriented films.

In the Best Series category, the award went to Petit Season 2 by Bernardita Ojeda, a Chilean production from the Pájaro company in collaboration with Argentina and Colombia, that was nominated in the last edition of the International Emmy Kids Awards. An adaptation of Petit, the Monster, illustrated by Isol, this series aimed at preschoolers narrates the adventures of a five-year-old child that is able to resolve conflicts from his own original perspective. The director was previously a finalist in the 2019 Quirino Awards with the first season of this same series.

After winning Best Short Film in the first edition of the Quirino Awards, Galician director Alberto Vázquez lifted the trophy again with Homeless Home. Produced by Uniko with French cooperation from Autour de Minuit, the short film conveys a social message through a fantastic parable — with witches, orcs, sorcerers and ghosts as protagonists. The short film received the Quirino Award after having been selected by over 50 festivals across the world, and winning the Jury’s Choice Award in the last edition of the Annecy Festival.

Beyond these three main categories, six other films received awards, including Memories for Sale, the debut work by Manuel López recognized in the Best Animation School Short category. Produced by Veritas University using traditional 2D techniques, the film marked the first time a piece from Costa Rica participated in and won an award at the Quirino Awards. The Argentine film Rutas (Routes), directed by Alejandro Imondi and produced by Osa Estudio, won the award for Best Commissioned Animation, whilst GYLT, developed by the Spanish studio Tequila Works, was recognised as Best Video Game Animation — a prize awarded for the second time after the creation of the category last year.

To round out the award ceremony, three prizes were awarded in technical categories, with Best Visual Development going to the Portuguese short film Elo (Tie) by Alexandra Ramires; Best Animation Design going to the Spanish short Umbrellas, co-directed by José Prats and Álvaro Robles; and Best Sound & Original Music Design for Loop, an Argentine short film directed by Pablo Polledri and produced by Uniko in Bilbao.

The finalists were selected from a total of 265 works from 17 countries and the jury was made up of Jean François Tosti from France (TAT productions), Joana Toste (illustrator and producer) from Portugal, Paula Taborda from Brazil (Planeta Junior) and Sergio Jiménez from Spain (Pinkman.TV). The gala event also paid tribute to Cuban illustrator and animated film director, Juan Padrón, creator of classics such as Elpidio Valdés and Vampiros en La Habana (Vampires in Havana).

Prizes were awarded by Beatriz Navas, General Director of ICAA, Institute for Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts; María Peña Mateos, Delegate Counselor from ICEX, Spain Exports and Investments; Rubén Pérez Castellano, Director General for Culture from the Government of the Canary Islands; Yaiza López Landi, Council Member for Culture and Citizen Participation; Alejandro Krawietz, Counselor and General Director for Culture in the Council of Tenerife; and David Pérez, Delegate Counselor for Tourism Tenerife.

See the full list of competing Quirino Awards finalists here.

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