IBERMEDIA NEXT OFFERS AT PIXELATL A POSITIVE ASSESSMENT OF ITS CALL WITH MORE THAN 100 SUBMITTED PROJECTS

IBERMEDIA NEXT has presented at Pixelatl the first conclusions for its call to promote the potential and creativity of the Ibero-American region, whose deadline was 21 August. The 104 submitted projects reveal the interest that this initiative, financed with NextGenerationEU funds, has awoken in the sector.

This has been revealed by its representatives present at Pixelatl: Jara Ayucar, Director of Marketing Policies at the Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute (ICAA, Ministry for Culture of Spain); José Luis Farias, Executive Producer of the Quirino Awards; together with Silvina Cornillón, Manager of Animation! Ventana Sur Latam Audiovisual Market.

Of the total number of projects, 71 have been submitted from Spain, 22 from Italy and 11 from Portugal. The 104 main production companies of the three European countries have allied with companies, professionals and owners of Latin American IP from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru and the Dominican Republic.

One of the most innovative aspects of this initiative is the opening to projects with demonstrative purposes. A gamble made reality considering the type of projects submitted, which include teasers (33), pilots (22) and prototypes (16). Applications have also been received for the development of short films (25), videoclips (1) and other formats (7). The selected projects will receive support in the form of non-refundable financing as well as through a comprehensive consultancy, communication and promotion programme.

“We are very satisfied with the result of the call. It has had a great reception with shows that the alliance with The Ibero-American Animation League to design the aid directly with the sector has been a successful strategy and that it is really going to be of benefit to this industry”, declares Jara Ayucar, Director of Marketing Policies of the ICAA.

José Luis Farias, Executive Producer of the Quirino Awards, points out that “the Assessment and Consultancy Committee has a big job ahead of it to assess the applications and select the most solid and cutting-edge projects. Ibero-American animation has a lot to say now and in the future of the sector, and we have in our hands the evidence that proves it”.

For his part Víctor Herreruela, Coordinator of the Technical Unit of the IBERMEDIA Programme, explains that “the quantity, quality, diversity and number of countries involved in the projects received has exceeded our expectations, which were already high. We are able to affirm that this initiative is going to mean an important boost to the immediate future of Ibero-American animation”.

Another of the positive data of this initial assessment is the abundance of registrations on IBERMEDIA NEXT PLAZA, the free platform designed to facilitate the meeting among sector professionals on both sides of the Atlantic. Registration on IBERMEDIA NEXT PLAZA, which has recorded 630 individual users with 334 active files during the open period of the call, has proven to be much more than the first effective step to submit a project for funding.

The countries most represented by their professionals on the IBERMEDIA NEXT PLAZA platform are Spain (101), Argentina (51), Italy (29), Mexico (29), Colombia (28) and Brazil (18). Beyond this call, companies and producers from Spain, Italy or Portugal and creators from all the member states of the Ibermedia Programme can continue networking on IBERMEDIA NEXT PLAZA, completely free of charge.

Continuing with the schedule of the initiative, after closing the period for receiving applications and having completed the first assessment, the status of the applications can be checked on the website www.ibermedianext.com. The results of the call will be decided before the end of the year.

IBERMEDIA NEXT is an initiative of the IBERMEDIA Programme that hosts pilot lines that support productions other than those traditionally supported by the Programme. The call is aimed at the application of new technologies in the field of digital animation and audiovisual content with a high percentage of animation. It is part of Component 25 ‘Spain Audiovisual Hub of Europe’ of the European Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and is financed with NextGenerationEU funds.

It also has the collaboration of the Quirino Awards for Ibero-American Animation and the Ibero-American Animation League, to which the Quirinos belong together with Animation! Ventana Sur and the Pixelatl Festival.