{"id":746961,"date":"2026-06-19T15:42:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T15:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/746961\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T15:42:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T15:42:22","slug":"bruno-simoes-pablo-neruda-alice-eca-guimaraes-catalonia-at-annecy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/746961\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruno Sim\u00f5es, Pablo Neruda, Alice E\u00e7a Guimar\u00e3es: Catalonia at Annecy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe next from Bruno Sim\u00f5es<\/a>, whose \u201cPip,\u201d when released, became YouTube\u2019s all time most-watched animation short with 540 million views. \u201cWinnipeg, Seeds of Hope,\u201d a chronicle of Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda<\/a>\u2019s finest achievement. And Tallinn Grand Prix winner, \u201cBecause Today is Saturday,\u201d from Portugal\u2019s Alice E\u00e7a Guimar\u00e3es<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tAll three Catalan animation titles play at Annecy this year, in an 11-title spread, counting both the festival and MIFA, which captures the rich range, talent and spirited co-production drive of Catalonia<\/a>\u2019s still fast-growing animation sector. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThis year\u2019s Annecy Mifa market will also open a window on the dazzling achievement and potential of projects put through artistic tech program Ibermedia Next. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEzcaz\u00fa Souls,\u201d for example, used Blender\u2019s Grease Pencil module, \u201ccombining trad 2D with a 3D world, working in symbiosis with Geometry Nodes, that produces spectacular results,\u201d notes producer Laura Dauden. Photos or videos of real environments were digitally reimagined, the texturing of characters and props achieved by \u201cpainting directly onto the models \u2013 a technique we use to evoke the aesthetic of Latin American muralism,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

\n\tWatch out too for emerging talent such as the co-directors of \u201cThe Journey,\u201d Susana Casares, ex-head of creative talent development and investment for Netflix Spain and Portugal, and J\u00falia Francino, who founded and directed Barcelona film school ESCAC\u2019s Animation and VFX Department for a decade and was a writer on the 2026 Goya-nominated short \u201cParadise Buffet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA closer look at most of the Catalan titles selected for this year\u2019s Annecy Animation Film Festival or its MIFA market:<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBecause Today is Saturday\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Because Today is Saturday\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Catalan Films<\/p>\n

\n\tDirector: Alice E\u00e7a Guimar\u00e3es<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Animais AVPL (Portugal), La Clairi\u00e8re Ouest (France), Studio Kimchi (Spain)<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom E\u00e7a Guimar\u00e3es, a Variety Portuguese Animation Talent to Track<\/a>, playing Annecy\u2019s Perspectives and Tribeca. It\u2019s Saturday, a day of rest. A woman wakes up early to give herself a gift: time. But every time a moment of inspiration arises, she is interrupted \u2013 the children, the laundry, the meals. \u201cWomen continue to carry a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic work, leaving them chronically tired and with little opportunity for personal growth, creativity, or reflection,\u201d says Guimar\u00e3es. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA Dangerous Journey\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018A Dangerous Journey\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Catalan Films<\/p>\n

\n\tDirectors: Lucija Stojevi\u0107, Carla Melo, Iulia Voitova, Laura Gin\u00e8s<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Noon Films, Spain; Avec ou Sans Vous, France\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tSet for Annecy\u2019s Women in Animation from Spain Pitch, a first of two projects at Annecy this year from Barcelona\u2019s rated Noon Films, which made the Doctors Without Borders short \u201cLost at Sea,\u201d seen at Annecy in 2023. This transmedia project portrays three children classified as \u201cundesirables,\u201d interned at the Rivesaltes concentration camp in France during World War II. Co-directed by Colombia\u2019s Melo \u201c(\u201cLa Perra\u201d),\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s Voitova (\u201cLongue Distance\u201d) and experimental animator Gin\u00e8s (\u201cSalvaxe, Salvaxe\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEscaz\u00fa Souls,\u201d(\u201cLas Almas de Escaz\u00fa\u201d)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Escaz\u00fa Souls\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Catalan Films<\/p>\n

\n\tCreator\/Showrunner: Nicholas Hooper H. Directors on individual episodes: Nicholas Hooper H; Laura Dauden and Maria Weis; Sergio Mej\u00eda; Anais Taracena; Rita Basurto.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Forward Films, Spain; Cubho Audiovisual, Chile; Polygonal Factory, Spain; Leste, Brazil<\/p>\n

\n\tA projected animated doc anthology series plumbing the lives and suspicious deaths of six environmental activists in Latin America, now finalizing a pilot episode, part of Ibermedia Next 2.0 and in advanced discussions with potential co-production partners. \u201cThis is an ambitious international series,\u201d says producer Laura Dauden. \u201cThe heart of these stories is the love people have for their communities and territories, and how that relationship is transformed by violence,\u201d she adds.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Factory Beyond the Hill,\u201d (\u201cA Usina Atr\u00e1s do Morro\u201d)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018The Factory Beyond the Hill\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Catalan Films<\/p>\n

\n\tDirector: Ricardo Kump, Lucas Abrah\u00e3o,<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: LPB Content, Brazil; Noon Films, Spain<\/p>\n

\n\tSeen by two teenagers, a faceless company sets up near a hamlet, building a factory so huge that it overshadows the village, leaving it in permanent night. It is an absurdist\u00a0 psychological thriller and dark comedy whose visual language is rooted in Goya\u2019s black paintings and the red earth of S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s rural interior, say Kump and Abrah\u00e3o. Already a 2024 Ventana Sur Animation! buzz title and now bound for Annecy\u2019s prestigious MIFA Feature Film pitches.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHunger,\u201d (\u201cHambre\u201d)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Hunger\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Catalan Films<\/p>\n

\n\tDirector: Imanol Ortiz L\u00f3pez<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Orlok Films, Mil Monos Cine, Kabiria Films<\/p>\n

\n\tWheelchair-bound Eloy tries to persuade wife Mary to kill their baby son Dani who has claw-like hands. Based on a short story by David Jasso, a psychological horror drama shot in widescreen black and white and set in a post-apocalypse world of empty streets and burning cars. \u201cThis story is deeply human and universal. Here, we address hunger on a dramatic level to highlight the dilemmas parents face when raising their children,\u201d says director Ortiz L\u00f3pez. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cImpossible!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Impossible!\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Catalan Films<\/p>\n

\n\tDirector: Bruno Sim\u00f5es<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Studio Kimchi (Spain), Cosmo Giantwheel (U.K).<\/p>\n

\n\tA Mifa TV Special Pitch. Dog yearns to see the sea. \u201dImpossible!\u201d he sighs, until a lost crab asks him for help getting home. Adapting Tracey Corderoy and Tony Neal\u2019s book, \u201con the surface, it\u2019s a charming and colourful adventure filled with memorable characters and playful comedy. Beneath that, however, lies a deeply relatable story about fear and self-discovery,\u201d Sim\u00f5es tells Variety.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Journey,\u201d (El viaje\u201d)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018The Journey\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Catalan Films<\/p>\n

\n\tDirector: Susana Casares, J\u00falia Francino<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Desarrollos Medi\u00e1ticos Internacionales (WKND), Dos Soles Media (Spain); Nu Boyana (Portugal)<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter a period devoted to motherhood, Agus sets off for a long yearned-for trip to Japan with dear friend Loly. \u201cBut buried fears and a hidden secret threaten the journey, turning an exotic adventure into a heartfelt reckoning eased by humor, friendship, and self-forgiveness,\u201d the synopsis says. A 2D Women in Animation From Spain pitch based on the graphic novel by Agustina Guerrero, \u201ca warm and engaging narrative, addressing complex subjects such as reproductive choice, unrealized dreams of motherhood, and the existential uncertainty that emerges when life diverges from our expectations,\u201d say Casares and Francino.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMonster Mia\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Monster Mia\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Catalan Films<\/p>\n

\n\tDirector: Verena Fels<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Arx Anima, Arxlight Pictures<\/a>, Monstruosa Mia AIE, Peng!Boom!Tschak! Films, Arx Anima MD<\/p>\n

\n\tExpelled student Mia and her pet rat Quentin arrive at Rotwood Academy, where she\u2019s the only human among monster classmates. With Principal Van Vlad\u2019s hatred of humans, she must team up with monsters to thwart his schemes. A weighty spooky high-school family-targeting comedy CGI animated feature, with a declared \u20ac9 million ($10.4 million) budget, which has scored promising pre-sales for Sola Media. Co-produced out of Spain by Spanish animated feature locomotives Nicol\u00e1s Matji of Arxlight Pictures and Edmon Roch of Barcelona-based Ikiru Films<\/a>, behind the \u201cTad the Lost Explorer\u201d film series. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWho Killed Cock Robin\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Who Killed Cock Robin\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Catalan Films<\/p>\n

\n\tDirector: Romina Marti O\u2019Toole<\/p>\n

\n\tProducers: Frog Animation and Alhena Production<\/p>\n

\n\tCock Robin is found hanging dead from the balcony of his country house. \u201cWho killed Cock Robin?\u201d the villagers ask in shock. \u201cI,\u201d Sparrow replies calmly. As the funeral unfolds, however, the village\u2019s dark secrets slowly emerge. From Frog, set up in 2023 by Montse Cap\u00f3n, Mireia Hern\u00e1ndez and Xavi Carmona, and veteran Norbert Llamas at Alhena (\u201cThe Coffee Table\u201d). A potentially shrewd portrait of power dynamics. \u201cEven when the visible face of power disappears, the system that created it will always find a replacement, allowing the cycle to continue,\u201d Marti O\u2019Toole tells Variety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The next from Bruno Sim\u00f5es, whose \u201cPip,\u201d when released, became YouTube\u2019s all time most-watched animation short with 540…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":746962,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[359135,359136,64,63,359137,15943,134,359138,344,359139],"class_list":["post-746961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-alice-eu00e7a-guimaru00e3es","tag-arxlight-pictures","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-bruno-simu00f5es","tag-catalonia","tag-entertainment","tag-ikiru-films","tag-movies","tag-pablo-neruda"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=746961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/746962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=746961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=746961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=746961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}