The Quirino Awards for Ibero-American animation have announced the finalists for their seventh edition. Spain takes the lead with 16 entries, showcasing its rich diversity and innovation in animation. Brazil follows closely behind with seven nominations, while Chile adds its unique voice with three entries. Argentina, Mexico and Portugal each contribute two nominations, while Colombia proudly represents with one nomination. The quality and variety of entries underscore the growing influence and creativity within the Ibero-American animation community.

Spanish animation has the most nominations in the Best Feature Film category, with three out of four nominations. Aimed at children, Hanna and the Monsters is the first feature by Galician director Lorena Ares, an adventure film starring a little girl who loves monsters. Another nominee is Isabel Herguera, with Sultana’s Dream [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], a film inspired by the feminist science-fiction story of the same name written in 1905, which became the first European animated film to compete in the Official Selection of the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Rounding off the Spanish participation in this category is Robot Dreams [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], the fourth feature by Bilbao-born Pablo Berger and his first animation work. Argentina’s The Paradise by Fernando Sirianni and Federico Moreno Breser, a film noir based on true events, is the fourth nominee for Best Feature Film.

The nominations in the Best Series category – all developed in 2D animation – are shared between Spain and Brazil. After winning in the same category with Jasmine & Jambo, Catalan director Sílvia Cortés returns with the second season of this musical show aimed at pre-schoolers. Poor Devil [+leggi anche:
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scheda series], an animated series for adults created by Joaquín Reyes, Miguel Esteban and Ernesto Sevilla, and Sex Symbols, a series that addresses the sex and emotional education of children and adolescents, directed by Paloma Mora Iñesta and Alex Cervantes, complete the Spanish nominations. Along with them, two Brazilian series compete for the award in this category: The Wild Hotel of Ana Flor by Andrés Lieban and Alessandro Monnerat, a pair that competed in 2021 in this same section with Conta conmigo, and The Nutty Boy - Season 2, an adaptation of the well-known cartoon by Brazilian cartoonist Ziraldo directed by Michele Massagli and Beto Gomez.

Marcus Vinicius Vasconcelos and Alois Di Leo from Brazil will compete for the Best Short Film Award with their piece Lulina and the Moon, selected in competition at the prestigious Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival. From Portugal comes Almost Forgotten by Miguel Lima and Dimitrije Mihajlovic, which, through different animation techniques, tells the story of a woman who wanders through the memories of her childhood. Completing the list of finalists is To Bird or Not to Bird, in which Galician illustrator, comic author and director Martín Romero offers a critical and kaleidoscopic view of today’s world through the experiences of birds.

In the newly created Best Animation Music Video category, three works are competing that confirm the ability of Ibero-American animation to transcend its own borders. All the Best is a music video by Pablo Roldán for Siamés, an Argentine electropop band; It’s Up to the Future is a song by poet and musician Reynaldo Bessa animated by Brazilian illustrator and animator Nat Grego. Finally, I Inside the Old I Dying by Chilean directors Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña brings to life a song from the latest album by English artist PJ Harvey.

A jury made up of directors José Miguel Ribeiro (Portugal), Marcela Rincón (Colombia) and Wesley Louis (UK), along with Zane Valeniece (head of Acquisitions for the Latvian public television, LTV) and Emmanuèle Petry (co-founder and producer at Dandelooo, France), will be in charge of selecting the winners, which will be announced on 11 May at the Leal Theater in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife.

The Quirino Awards celebrate excellence across a range of categories, from feature films and series to shorts and music videos. The diversity of themes and styles reflects the richness of Ibero-American animation, showcasing its ability to captivate audiences across borders and cultures.

You can find the nominees in every category here.