The awards gala took place on May 10th in La Laguna, Tenerife, and was streamed online worldwide. The 26 finalists were chosen from 263 entries, 10 percent more than the previous year. Throughout its eight editions, the Quirino Awards have contributed to the creation 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.
This year’s jury was made up of U.S. producer Ben Kalina of Titmouse studio, Spanish researcher and programmer Carolina López Caballero, children’s content acquisitions executive at Swedish public broadcaster SVT Helena Nylander, Brazilian animation director, screenwriter and animator Daniel Bruson, and CEO of French distributor and producer Prime Entertainment Group Leyla Formoso.
With a strong background in documentary filmmaking, Tenerife-born director David Baute makes his animation debut with Black Butterflies, a feature film that follows three women from very different parts of the world that are forced to migrate due to the climate crisis. The film draws from Baute’s 2020 documentary Éxodo climático and has also been honoured at the Goya and Platino Awards. Co-written by Baute and Yaiza Berrocal, the Quirino’s Best Feature Film is a production by Spain’s Ikiru Films and Tinglado Film (based in Tenerife), alongside Panama’s Anangu Grup.
After winning Best Series at the 2019 Quirino Awards, Brazil’s Jorel’s Brother was again recognised for its fifth season. Created by Juliano Enrico and produced by the Rio de Janeiro-based Copa Studio together with Warner Bros. Discovery, the series is about an extremely creative boy navigating pre-adolescence in the shadow of his older brother Jorel’s popularity.
In Capybaras, winner of the Quirino Award for Best Short Film, Uruguayan writer and director Alfredo Soderguit talks about prejudice and friendship through a story starring a family of capybaras forced to leave their habitat because of hunters. The work is an adaptation of the book of the same name written and illustrated by the director, known in the world of animation for Anina (2013) and for the series Dos pajaritos, finalist in the 2022 Quirino Awards.
The award for Best School Short Film went to Adiós by José Prats, a Spanish director and graduate of the National Film and Television School in England, while in the Best Animated Music Video category, the award went to My Way, a production by Argentina’s Rudo Company directed by Jesica Bianchi for the band Siamés.
Finally, the award for Best Animation Commissioned Film went to the Brazilian 47, directed by Paulo Garcia and Natalia Gouvea and produced by Zombie Studio, which also received the award for Best Visual Development.
Rounding out the awards, Spain’s Neva (Nomada Studio) claimed Best Video Game Animation, while Spain-France co-production Buffet Paraíso by Santi Amézqueta and Héctor Zafra won Best Animation Design. The short Gilbert (Spain) by Alejandro Salueña García, Arturo Lacal Ruiz, and Jordi Jiménez Xiberta earned Best Sound Design and Original Music.
