Quirino Awards to “Bob Spit” and Frankelda “Beast” Writers

“Bob Spit: We Don’t Like People” by Cesar Cabral, “Frankelda’s Book of Spooks” by Roy Ambriz, and “Beast” topped the Quirino Awards for Ibero-American Animation, which took place on May 14 in San Cristobal de la Laguna, on the Canary Island of Tenerife.

It is no coincidence that the three main awards went to stop-motion work. The acclaim provides further evidence of the growing mastery of this technique in Latin America, as well as the high level and exceptional artistic diversity of Latin American animation titles, which are increasingly being recognized in international markets.

“Bob Spit: We Do Not Like People,” produced by Coala Films and Cup Films in Brazil, was nominated for the recent Platino Awards and won the 2021 Contrechamp at the Annecy Int’l Film Festival. Outsider Pictures handles the global distribution rights to the animation.

Also receiving awards for sound design and original music, “Bob Spit” is a documentary about one of the most famous Brazilian cartoonists, Arnaldo Angeli Filho. It’s also a hallucinogenic road movie with an ambitious artistic approach that connects formal and narrative actions like Angeli’s Q & As with its graphic novel characters.

Remarkably, all of the titles nominated in the Film category were directorial debuts, marking the emergence of new talent in the region as well as the building of the industry.

Major fame for the animated series and animation design went to “Frankelda’s Book of Spooks,” a production by the rapidly growing Mexican studio Cinema Fantasma, behind the Guillermo del Toro-backed movie “Revoltoso.” HBO Max has secured the rights in the US although its local release has yet to be announced despite the demands of the fan base on social media.

A stop-motion fantasy for all audiences and a true Mexico phenomenon, “Frankilda” follows a mysterious ghost writer, always accompanied by her haunted book, which tells stories of children’s encounters with monsters, helping children confront their inner fears in the process. Five seven-minute episodes are designed as an anthology to introduce the genre to children.

This year’s Oscar-nominated “Beast” took home the award for Best Short-Term Visual Development. Directed by Hugo Covarrubias, it is the second Chilean short film to receive an Academy Award nomination after Punkrobot Studio’s “Bear Story” which won an Academy Award in 2016. Produced by Tivo Diaz, “Beast” received a slew of festival picks and awards including These include the Grand Jury Award in South by Southwest (SXSW), the Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject, and the Connexion Award at the Annecy Festival.

Based on true events, “Beast” focuses on a female executioner, represented by a vintage porcelain figure, working for the Chilean Intelligence Directorate (DINA) during the early years of Augusto Pinochet’s brutal dictatorship.

“There is a remarkable maturity displayed in this edition, not only in terms of the level of nominations and awards but also due to the participation of film bodies and institutions, something that reinforces the Quirino event as a major think tank for Ibero-American animation,” said Jose Luis Farias, Quirino Awards Director. diverse.

Backed by ICEX Spain Trade & Investment, the country’s inward export and investment board – which has been a major supporter of Spain’s massively expanded Malaga offering – the Quirinos co-production and business forum has attracted more than a hundred companies, including production groups such as Adult Swim and The Walt Disney Company and Cinema Management Group (US), Anima’s Mexico, Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon, Miyu Distribution, Dandeloo, Indie Sales (France), and Toonz Media (India).

40 diverse institutions and sectoral lobbies participated in various events organized around the Quirino event, which also hosted the 41st Conference of Ibero-American Audiovisual and Cinematic Authorities (CAACI) and the 20th Summit of the Intergovernmental Council for Ibermedia, which has a multi-million dollar cost. A regional fund that supports cinema and television throughout Spain, Portugal and Latin America.

Publishers in the region also celebrated a meeting to assess their roles in helping to promote animation. Yago Fandiño, Head of Children’s Content at Spanish publisher RTVE, announced the participation of Spanish Public Television in six new animated TV shows and two season renewals. Some of the new series are Arte France’s “Samuel,” France’s Les Valseurs, and Spain’s Pikkukala, which has been a hit in the latest episode of Bordeaux. This year’s cartoon, “My Brother Therese” is produced by Mr. Klaus Studios, and “Cybra con Lunares” is directed by Sygnatia & Parrocha Studio.

The largest supporter of the Quirino Awards is the government of Tenerife’s Cabildo, directing its support through the Tenerife Film Commission and the island’s tourism district.