Quirino Awards: ‘Tad, The Lost Explorer’ Leads The Way With 3 Nominations – Full List

The first-ever Quirino Awards, honoring Ibero-American animation achievements, announced their final nominations today.

The most nominated project is the Spanish feature Tad, the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas, which is a finalist in three categories: feature film, animation design, and sound design/original music. Tad was the fifth-highest grossing release in Spain last year, outgrossing American releases like Coco, The Fate of the Furious, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. It won Spain’s Goya Award last month for best animated feature.

A total of 24 productions from nine Ibero-American countries are in contention for the event’s nine awards. The productions hail from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and Uruguay. Spain leads with 12 nominations, followed by Colombia and Mexico with five apiece.

The Quirinos have also announced its international jury that will select the winners. The jury will be comprised of film historian Giannalberto Bendazzi, producer/distributor Eleanor Coleman, producer/consultant Joan Lofts, and directors/animators David Feiss and Raúl García.

Here are the nominees for the inaugural Quirinos:

Quirino Award for the Best Ibero-American Animation Feature Film

• Ana y Bruno, directed by Carlos Carrera. Produced by Altavista Films, Lo Coloco Films, in co production with Ítaca Films, Ánima Estudios, Five 7 Media, Argos Servicios Informativos (Mexico)
• Deep, directed by Julio Soto Gurpide. Produced by The Thinklab, in coproduction with The Kraken Films (Spain)
• El Libro de Lila, directed by Marcela Rincón González. Produced by Fosfenos Media, in co production with Palermo Estudio (Colombia, co production with Uruguay)
• Tad, the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas, directed by Enrique Gato & David Alonso. Produced by Telecinco Cinema, Telefonica Studios, 4Cats Pictures, Tadeo Jones y el secreto del Rey Midas AIE, Ikiru Films, Lightbox Animation Studios (Spain)

Quirino Award for the Best Ibero-American Animation Series

• Old Folk’s Tales – 3rd season, directed by Marcelo Dematei & Carlos Smith. Produced by HierroAnimación, Piaggiodematei, Señal Colombia (Colombia, coproduction with Spain)
• Pocoyo – 4th season, directed by Alex Hidalgo. Produced by Zinkia Entertainment (Spain)
• Paper Port, directed by Alvaro Ceppi & Hugo Covarrubias. Produced by Zumbastico Studios in co production with Gloob, Señal Colombia, ANTV, Pakapaka, TVN (Chile)
• The Tiniest Man in the World, directed by Juan Pablo Zaramella. Produced by Les Films De L’Arlequin, JPL Films, Can Can Club (Argentina, coproduction with France)

Quirino Award for the Best Ibero-American Animation Short Film

• Afterwork, directed by Luis Uson & Andres Aguilar. Produced by Matte CG, in collaboration with Uson Studio, Apus Estudios (Ecuador, coproduction with Spain and Peru)
• Cerulia, directed by Sofia Carrillo. Produced by Nahuyaca Films (Mexico)
• Decorado, directed by Alberto Vázquez. Produced by UniKo, in coproduction with Autour de Minuit (Spain, co-production with France)

Quirino Award for the Best Ibero-American Animation School Short Film

• A Day in the Park, directed by Diego Porral. ESNE, Escuela Universitaria de Diseño, Innovación y Tecnología (Spain)
• Tantalus, directed by Juan Facundo Ayerbe & Christian Krieghoff. UBA, Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina)
• We Are the Immigrants, directed by Catalina Matamoros. University of Southern California (Colombia, coproduction with USA)

Quirino Award for the Best Ibero-American Animation Commissioned Film

• Sing with meaning, a biography of Violeta Parra, directed by Leonardo Beltrán. Produced by Plastivida & Niño Viejo (Chile)
• Uterine Death and Life, directed by Daniel Bruson. Produced by Daniel Bruson (Brazil)
• Solar City: How Energy Gets to You, directed by Mariano Bergara & Becho Lo Bianco. Produced by 1stAveMachine & Tronco (Argentina)

Quirino Award for the Best Ibero-American Animation Innovative Work

• Mayan Archaeoastronomy: Observers Of The Universe, directed by Milagros Varguez. Produced by Frutos Digitales (Mexico)
• Blank Canvas, directed by Albert Sherman. Produced by Albert Sherman (Spain)
• The Many Pieces of Mr Coo, directed by Nacho Rodríguez. Produced by Nacho Rodríguez (Spain)

Quirino Award for the Best Visual Development of Ibero-American Animation Work

• The Aeronauts. Produced by IMCINE & Outik (Mexico)
• Here’s the Plan. Produced by María José Barros (Chile)
• El Libro de Lila. Produced by Fosfenos Media, in coproduction with Palermo Estudio (Colombia, co production with Uruguay)

Quirino Award for the Best Animation Design of Ibero-American Animation Work

• Way of Giants. Produced by Sinlogo Animation (Brazil)
• Cerulia. Produced by Nahuyaca Films (Mexico)
• Tad, the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas. Produced by Telecinco Cinema, Telefonica Studios, 4Cats Pictures, Tadeo Jones y el secreto del Rey Midas AIE, Ikiru Films, Lightbox Animation Studios (Spain)

Quirio Award to the Best Sound Design and Original Music of Ibero-American Animation Work

• Way of Giants. Produced by Sinlogo Animation (Brazil)
• The Neverending Wall. Produced by Abano Produccións (Spain)
• Tad, the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas. Produced by Telecinco Cinema, Telefonica Studios, 4Cats Pictures, Tadeo Jones y el secreto del Rey Midas AIE, Ikiru Films, Lightbox Animation Studios (Spain)

The award ceremony is set to take place on April 7 in the Spanish city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the Canary island of Tenerife.

In addition to the awards, the event will have a co-production forum and a congress with academic papers exploring the artistry and techniques of Ibero-American animation. To learn more about all the activities taking place during the Quirinos, including information on how to attend, visit the event’s official website.