Call For Entries: Ideatoon Seeks Latin American Animation Projects For 2018 Edition
Ideatoon by Pixelatl, the Latin American pitching contest and summit, is now accepting submissions for its sixth edition.
A key component of the event is mentorship. The event helps emerging studios and creators in Latin America to develop series and feature film ideas with the guidance of experienced industry professionals. It also connects younger companies with major studios and networks that can help with funding and production of concepts.
The program’s first five years have proven to deliver results, with at least three ideas pitched at the event having moved into production, and numerous other projects either optioned or acquired for international representation.
The competition happens in multiple stages. In the first round, twenty projects will be chosen to participate in the Ideatoon bootcamp in May, where participants will will receive advice from veteran consultants, directors, and international artists to improve their projects. Free lodging will be provided to the winners.
Then, the field will be whittled down to ten pitch bibles, and those projects will move on to the Ideatoon Summit, taking place this September at the Pixelatl Festival in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
At the Summit, the ten finalists will pitch their ideas to potential buyers, investors, and broadcasters, and the winners will be chosen by a group of industry executives and producers.
In past years, the Summit has included the participation of Disney, Cartoon Network Latin America, Disney Junior, Netflix, Amazon Studios, CBBC, and Maker Studios, as well as executives from Sony Pictures Animmation, Discover Kids Latin America, Televisa, TV Azteca, and Canal Once.
This year, the grand prize winner will receive a grant of around USD$5,500 to further develop their project, in addition to access to Cartoon Connection Canada and a trip to visit animation studios in Los Angeles.
The call for entries and submission guidelines can be found here (link is in Spanish). The deadline to submit a project is Monday, April 16. While the event is only open to Latin American entrants, non-Latino projects may apply through a partnership with a Mexican or Latin American studio.
(Pictured at top: “Elie the Unicorn Witch,” created by Karina Cisneros and Marco Molina, was one of the award winners at the 2017 edition of Ideatoon.)
