The Quirino Awards have revealed the winners of their ninth edition this Friday in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain), with a list of winners distributed among different … countries that would reflect the diversity and creative potential of Ibero-American animation.
The award for Best Feature Film went to the Spanish ‘Decorado’ by Alberto Vázquez; the Colombian ‘There is something behind you’, by Julián Gómez Reyes, won the award for Best Series; while the recognition for Best Short Film went to ‘Cão Sozinho’ by Portuguese director Marta Reis Andrade, according to the Cabildo in a note.
The awards were distributed among five countries with Spain in the lead with three awards, followed by Colombia, Portugal and Brazil with two each, while Argentina obtained one. The winners show a balanced distribution between animation produced in the Peninsula and in Latin America, with five awards per block.
With a marked authorial imprint, the winning works were chosen by an international jury after a selection process to which 265 works were submitted. In addition, works were awarded in the categories of School Short Film, Commissioned Work and Video Game Animation, as well as in three technical sections: Visual Development, Animation Design and Sound Design and Original Music.
The Vice President and Tourism Councilor of the Cabildo, Lope Afonso, has highlighted the strategic role of the event, stating that the Quirino Awards consolidate Tenerife as an “international reference point” for the animation industry. “The celebration of this ninth edition once again demonstrates the island’s capacity to host top-level events that promote creativity, innovation and the external projection of our territory,” he added.
Created in 2018 with the aim of promoting animation from the 23 countries of the Ibero-American region, the Quirino Awards have contributed to the construction of a common space for animation in the Ibero-American region, positioning its headquarters, the island of Tenerife, as a reference and meeting point for the sector. The Quirino Awards have the main sponsorship of the Cabildo de Tenerife through Turismo de Tenerife and the Tenerife Film Commission.
AWARDS
Awarded Best Feature Film, ‘Decorado’, by Galician director, illustrator and graphic novelist Alberto Vázquez, addresses the search for identity and disenchantment in a society that prioritizes appearances. Inspired by the director’s short film of the same name, the film is a co-production between the Spanish companies María and Arnold AIE, Abano Produciones, Uniko and Glow Animation, and the Portuguese company Sardinha em Lata. This is the third Quirino for Vázquez, winner of the Best Short Film award twice – «Decorado» (2018) and ‘Homeless Home’ (2021) -. Additionally, in 2023, he was nominated for his feature film ‘Unicorn Wars’.
The Colombian ‘Something Behind You’ won Best Series. It is an animated production aimed at children with stories of suspense and intrigue that explore everyday fears and inexplicable events. Written and directed by Julián Gómez Reyes and produced by Careloko Producciones from Bogotá, the first season of the series had the support of Abrecámara, a public fund for audiovisual production in Colombia, and was broadcast on six public channels in the country.
The award for Best Short Film went to ‘Cão Sozinho’ by Portuguese director Marta Reis Andrade, which transforms a personal experience into an intimate fable about loneliness and family reconnection. Located on the border between the real and the imagined, this short film made in 2D is a production by BAP – Animation Studio in French co-production of Ikki Films that has been selected in some 40 international festivals.
Other notable awards included the award for Best School Short Film for “Ballad of Fish and Birds” by Anny Uribe and Juan José Arévalo (Colombia-Spain); Best Video Clip for the Portuguese Ana Marta Mendes (Os Filmes do Pinguim) for the animation of “Paulinha”, a song by musician Raul Manarte; Best Custom Animation for “18 Months” by Paulo Garcia and Natalia Gouvea (Zombie Studio, Brazil); and Best Video Game Animation for “Stars in the Trash” by José Ginés Picón López (Valhalla Cats, Spain).
The list of winners was completed with the awards in the three technical categories, which in this edition went to short films: “Safo” by the Brazilian director, screenwriter, animator and illustrator Rosana Urbes (Planta Filmes) won the award for Best Visual Development; co-produced between Argentina and Mexico, “My Gut Friend” by José Manuel Lo Bianco and Mariano Andrés Bergara (Can Can Club, Primo Content, GUT) was recognized for its Animation Design; while the Spanish “El Phantom de la Quinta” by James A. Castillo (Illusorium Films, Martirio Films) won the award for Best Sound Design and Original Music.
The international jury in charge of choosing the winners was made up of the Brazilian animator, director and producer Cesar Cabral, winner of the Quirino Award for Best Film in 2022 with “Bob Cuspe – Nós Não Gostamos de Gente”; the Irish Moe Honan (Moetion Films); the Filipino Marilyn Montano (PlayLab Animation Studio and TeamApp); the Colombian-American Martha Sepúlveda (CAKE Entertainment); and Croatian Kre*imir Zubcic (HRT).
