WEIRD Animation & Games Market Confirms Hybrid 12th Edition

WEIRD Market, the International Animation, Video Games and New Media Market, will be celebrating its 12th edition in a “hybrid” format, director José Luis Farias confirmed. Scheduled for Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 in Segovia, Spain, WEIRD Market 2020 will combine face-to-face screenings with virtual activities for industry professionals; while short film sessions will limit their capacity to respect public health regulations.

“From the working team we maintain our commitment to the sector, our public and the city, for this reason we consider the celebration of the market by adapting ourselves, with a safe proposal that preserves its essence intact,” said Farias.

The virtual market will have a large program consisting of lectures, presentations, showroom and recruitment. For its part, the international short film festival will begin on September 28 and will retain its physical headquarters at La Cárcel Espacio de Creación; these screenings will strictly follow the plan of measures and control of the Junta de Castilla y León to face the crisis generated by COVID-19.

The organization, which will release more details of the programming in the coming weeks, is thus preparing an edition that ensures the safety of the attendees at the same time that it opens to new audiences through the internet. WEIRD Market has established itself throughout its history as an international benchmark event, which positions Segovia as a focus center for multiple professionals, companies, students and amateurs. In 2020, the event shows its ability to adapt without losing its essence, in a profound act of commitment to the animation sector and the cultural industry.

Both, the screenings in Segovia and the online conferences and presentations will be free and open access.

L-R: Edwina Liard, Jorge Sanz, Melissa Vega and Paula Taborda

WEIRD also revealed the four member of the short film festival jury:

• Edwina Liard is co-founder of the French production company Ikki Films (together with Nidia Santiago). In 2011, both partners started this company that until now has been responsible for such outstanding animation short films as Chulyen, a Crow’s Tale by Agnès Patron and Cerise Lopez, Negative Space by Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter (Oscar nominated in 2018) and Sheep, Wolf and a Cup of Tea… by Marion Lacourt (premiered at Locarno in 2019). Last year they co-produced their first live-action feature film, Sick, Sick, Sick by Alice Furtado, selected at La Semaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes.
• Melissa Vega is a partner of the French distribution and production company Dandelooo, in addition to being its head of international sales for Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. In her decade-plus career, she’s worked at Planet Nemo Animation and Televideo (Bogotá), managing audiovisual content for its online children’s platform. She joined Dandelooo in 2013, where she represents programs honored by the International Emmy Kids Awards and the Annecy Film Festival, among others. Currently, she also runs the company’s offices in Barcelona.
• Paula Taborda is the Brazilian-born Content Director of Planeta Junior (Spain). In this position, she leads the creation of content through co-productions, original productions and acquisitions. Prior to her work for Grupo Planeta, Taborda was responsible for the creative and business part of Globo Group’s children’s channels; her work placed Brazil on the children’s entertainment map with co-production agreement for projects such as Paper Port, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Trulli Tales, Denver, Power Players, Alice & Lewis, Dronix and many others.
• Jorge Sanz, Cultural Technician of the Aguilar de Campoo City Council and, for more than 30 years, director of FICA (Aguilar de Campoo International Short Film Festival). This Valladolid native also coordinates the International Festival of Performing Arts (Aescena) and the International Meeting of Street Artists (ARCA). Chosen last year as the best cultural manager in Castilla y León, Sanz has been President and founding member of the Coordinator of Spanish Short Film. Similarly, in 2011 he was Artistic Director of ANIMAR, the first animation film festival in Reinosa (Cantabria).

WEIRD seeks to continue developing the interaction with its audience and in this sense one of its novelties will go: “The audience talk.” The audience itself will choose two of the edition’s presentations, for which a call for conference proposals has been opened. Attendees can propose topics or presentations that they would like to see (until September 10) through a form that will be accompanied by a brief description, an image and the biography of the interested candidate.

Once the deadline is closed, the organization will select five finalist proposals that will be communicated through WEIRD’s Facebook page and submitted to the public’s vote. Those two proposals that receive the most popular support will be declared the winners, including both in the official program of this edition.

This edition, which already has an official poster produced by the Spanish animation studio Mr. Klaus (www.mrklausstudio.com), thus continues the rhythm of work to be able to announce news and content that meet the expectations and history of the event itself.

Visit weirdmarket.es/en for more information.

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