Last Saturday, in the town of La Laguna on the Canary Island of Tenerife, the eighth Quirino Ibero-American Animation Awards ceremony took place. These awards were created to highlight animated productions from this region, comprising 23 countries (read more). That evening, the feature film produced between Spain and Panama Black Butterflies, directed by David Baute, was named Best Film. Meanwhile, the Brazilian series Irmão do Jorel, created by Juliano Enrico and produced by Rio de Janeiro’s Copa Studio together with Warner Bros. Discovery, received the award for Best Series. The award for Best Short Film went to Los Carpinchos, an adaptation of the book of the same name by Uruguayan filmmaker Alfredo Soderguit.

With extensive experience in documentary filmmaking, Tenerife-born David Baute made his animation debut with Black Butterflies, a film about three women from very different parts of the world who are forced to migrate to survive. Éxodo climático, the director's documentary released in 2020, served as the foundation for this work, which was co-written by Baute and Yaiza Berrocal. The Best Film of the Quirino Awards is produced by Spain's Ikiru Films and Tinglado Film together with Panama's Tunche Films. The film adds this accolade to many others, including the Goya, Forqué, and Platino awards in its category.

The Best School Short Film award went to Adiós, by José Prats, a Spanish graduate of the National Film and Television School in England. In the Best Animated Music Video category, the winner was My Way, produced by the Argentinean Rudo Company and directed by Jesica Bianchi for the band Siamés. The Best Commissioned Animation award was presented to the Brazilian film 47, directed by Paulo Garcia and Natalia Gouvea and produced by Zombie Studio, which also received the award for Best Visual Development.

During Saturday's gala, Lope Afonso, Vice President of the Council of Tenerife and Councillor for Tourism, External Action and Institutional Relations, announced the launch of Quirino Lab, a training and debate space set to take place in November 2025. “With this initiative we aim to shed light on the issues that most concern Ibero-American executive producers. After a process of listening to the sector, Tenerife will host the evolution of the original Quirino Residence concept, presented last year. The new project now promotes collective work and incorporates insights gathered from this year’s successful Futures Laboratory,” he said. This new space is supported by the Council of Tenerife through Tenerife Tourism and the Tenerife Film Commission. Further details, including registration, will be announced in June during the Annecy Film Festival.

The list of awards:

Best Feature Film
Black Butterflies - David Baute (Spain/Panama)

Best Series
Irmão do Jorel (Season 5) - Juliano Enrico (Brazil)

Best Short Film
Los carpinchos - Alfredo Soderguit (Uruguay/France/Chile)

Best Animation School Short Film
Adiós - José Prats. National Film and Television School (Spain/United Kingdom)

Best Commissioned Animation
47 - Paulo Garcia, Natalia Gouvea (Brazil)

Best Music Video
My Way - Jesica Bianchi (Argentina)

Best Video Game Animation
Neva - Nomada Studio (Spain)

Best Visual Development
47 - Paulo Garcia y Natalia Gouvea

Best Animation Design
Buffet Paraíso - Santi Amézqueta, Héctor Zafra (Spain/France) (short film)

Best Sound Design & Original Music
Gilbert - Alejandro Salueña García, Arturo Lacal Ruiz, Jordi Jiménez Xiberta (Spain) (short film)