Deployment of talent and Spanish professionals from the animation industry at Pixelatl, a reference event for the sector in Latin America

Spanish animation will be the protagonist in the 11th edition of Pixelatl (Guadalajara, Mexico), the most important international animation, comic and video game festival in Latin America. Under the Animation from Spain seal (a brand created by ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones to promote the internationalization of the Spanish animation industry) a 'country focus' will be presented in which more than 30 professionals from the sector and about twenty studios and production companies specialized in animation. The focus is organized by ICEX and ICAA, in coordination with DIBOOS, WEIRD and PIXELATL, and with him support from the Spain Audiovisual Hub, the European Funds of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and Spanish Cultural Action.

Between September 6 and 10, 2022 in the Mexican city Prominent professionals from the Spanish animation and visual effects industry will participate in a series of activities aimed at promotion and networking. The  spanish delegation will be made up of 34 professionals from production companies, animation studios, institutions, and emerging talents.

Among the talks that professionals from our animation industry will offer is a masterclass on the Making of 'The Monkey', winner of a Goya from the Spanish Academy for best animated short film, taught by Xosé Zapata (Sygnatia); a talk by Carlos Zaragoza about production design focused on the case of the animated musical 'Vivo'; and another about the production process of 'Unicorn Wars' directed by its producer Iván Miñambres (UNIKO), a film that premiered at the Annecy Festival 2022 and has announced its Spanish premiere at the Sitges Festival.

Additionally there will be a panel of leaders of the Spanish animation industry with prominent representatives of the animation and visual effects ecosystem in which Chelo Loureiro (ABANO PRODUCIONES), Álvaro García (HAMPA STUDIO), Iván Miñambres (UNIKO) and Nathalie Martínez (WISE BLUE STUDIOS) will participate.

Animation director Carmen Córdoba will share her experience as an engineer that transformed her professional career and achieved his dream of successfully dedicating himself to animation. Spanish animation for adults will be a case study: Sergio Jiménez (Pinkman) will share the experience producing 'Jíbaro', the Emmy-winning episode of the series 'Love, Death and Robots'.

In addition, there will be a I find that under the title SPAIN LAND OF ANIMATION will present the ecosystem of the Spanish animation and visual effects industry. In it, José Luis Farias, representing DIBOOS, will also present the different market news and there will be an opportunity for networking, which may continue in various events organized so that prominent international professionals in the industry can share relaxed moments with the Spanish delegation and establish synergies. Also on this panel was Jara Ayucar, head of Spanish Screenings, will present the news from Spanish Screenings On Tour 2022, which will be held in Ventana Sur and in which Spanish animation will also have an important presence.

Pixelatl will also have a Spanish talent panel, with the participation of Diego Porral, María Luquero and Enric Sant. Virtual reality (VR) and immersive narratives will be protagonists from a panel led by James Castillo. They will complete the Animation from Spain programming at Pixelatl a masterclass on illustration and concept art of board games, directed by Igor Heras (Monsters Pit); and a masterclass with the keys to making a good project pitch for platforms, taught by Joaquín Garralda.

In addition, the Spanish animation Screenings at Pixelatl will be made up of the following 5 titles:

THE MONKEY (Dir. Xosé Zapata & Lorenzo Degl'Innocenti, Spain / Portugal)

UMBRELLAS (Dir. Jose Prats & Alvaro Robles, Spain / France)

SPRING ALWAYS COMES BACK (Dir. Alicia Núñez, Spain)

UNICORN WARS (Dir. Alberto Vázquez, Spain / France)

VALENTINA (Dir. Chelo Loureiro, Spain)

The Spanish animation sector not only is it a true talent pool around the world, but has also been able to grow steadily over the last decade, creating quality, stable and young jobs. Although this is only 4% of the total audiovisual companies, The animation industry in Spain generates more than 20% of employment in the sector, with almost 8,000 active professionals and with practically 90% of their income coming from exports (data from Diboos – Spanish Federation of Animation Production Companies).

Link to diptych with all the information about Animation from Spain's participation in Pixelatl: here.