Yahoo Lifestyle Animation! at Ventana Sur: Climate Change Titles, Multiple Women’s Voices and New Films by Hugo Covarrubias and Pablo Aguëro
Hugo Covarrubias’ “Baptism,” Danna Galeano’s “Foldara” and Ricardo Kump and Lucas Abrahão “The Factory Beyond the Hill” feature in a powerful lineup of titles at this year’s Animation! Pitching Sessions which take part at Ventana Sur, staged in Montevideo over Dec. 2-6.
The showcase of animation titles from Latin America also features a project, “Gravityland,” from Argentina’s Pablo Aguëro, director of upcoming “Saint-E,” starring Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger y Louis Garrel, as well as “Hua Awakens,” the multiple producers of which include Magdiela Hermida Duhamel whose credits include “Trollhunters.”
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Also in this year’s Animation! mix is Coty Luzoro, writer of Oscar winning outfit Punkrobot Studio’s “Wow Lisa” and Ecuador’s Keila Cepeda, behind fest fave “Chimborazo.”
“Baptism” marks the feature film debut of Chile’s Covarrubias whose scored an Academy Award-nomination for best animated short in 2022 for “Beast.” The feature looks set to explore the same sense of disavowed disconnect between daily life under Augusto Pinochet and the ghastly deeds carried out by his regime.
Drawing projects from nine countries across the breadth and length of Latin America, from Costa Rica to Chile – which “underscores the growth of animation production hubs beyond traditionally dominant markets,” says Animation! head Silvina Cornillón – this year’s lineup features multiple ecology-themed titles. These range, however, from eco mystery thriller “The Factory Beyond the Hill” to allegory, such as “Foldara,” which won the Animation! prize at Pixelatl and pictures an origami world which begins to unfold disastrously.
“One interesting aspect of 2024’s selection is the strong presence of projects led by women, including three projects from the Mentorship Program for Creators. This trend is seen in both features and series, reflecting an ongoing transformation of sector in an industry traditionally dominated by masculine voices,” said Cornillón.
A drill-down on individual titles:
Feature Films
“Baptism,” (“Bautizo”) (Hugo Covarrubias, Chile)
After losing a VHS tape of his baptism, Héctor attempts to fill-in the gaps of his childhood memories, which ran parallel to the military dictatorship. Produced by Lucas Engel at Chile’s Pista B and written by Covarrubias and Alejandra Moffat, the stop-motion project “questions the subjectivity of memory, whether the truths we cling to are shields fabricated to guard us from trauma,” Covarrubias states.
“The Factory Beyond The Hill,” (“A usina atrás do morro.” Ricardo Kump & Lucas Abrahão, Brazil)
Animated feature by LPB Content and Noon Films is set in a remote Brazilian village which is disrupted by the building of a factory. Two teens start digging around to expose the scheming behind its construction. Based on J.J. Veiga’s short story whose “portrayal of Brazil’s rural heartlands is unmatched,” said Abrahão. “Our goal is a distinctive visual style, using collage and painting techniques to bring Brazil’s countryside to life in animation, faithfully capturing Veiga’s world,” said Kump.
“Hua Awakens,” (“El despertar de Hua,”) ( Daniel R. Chang Acat, Peru)
Peruvian-born Chinese teen,Cheng, struggles with his dual identity. After arguing with his father, he’s transported to an ancient Chinese village where he battles a dark spirit to reconcile his roots. The CGI title, “brings the rarely depicted experience of the Chinese-Latin American diaspora to life, highlighting the Asian minority experience in Latin America,”producer Saul Anampa explained.
“Gravityland,” (Pablo Agüero, Argentina, Spain)
Investigating Earth’s gravity field, a speleologist disappears- after a gravity shift, her children climb into the planet’s core to find her. Produced by Sol Cifuentes, Maximiliano Monzon and Nicolás Britos of Spain’s Mil Monos Cine and Argentina’s Cosmic Brew Studios, the 2D project offers, “a chance to bring to life deeply human characters struggling to find their place in a world that’s changed beyond recognition,” said Britos.
“Penelope’s Unusual Journey,” (El insólito viaje de Penélope”), (Luah Garcia, Franco Dadone, Juan Cunha, Tiago Grigor, Brazil, Peru)
Up against a myriad of challenges, three animals return a young blue whale found in the Amazon to the sea. Produced by Brazil’s Cactus Kid Studio alongside Peru’s Bullabesa Films, Dadone and Grigor wrote the script that aims, “to humorously and seriously emphasize the importance of environmental care,” Garcia relayed.
Series
“Dani’s Fiction Rules,” (“Dani explica la ficción,” Coty Luzoro, Chile)
Stop motion animated series follows Dani who knows she’s a fictional character and revels in the freedom to create her own stories on a blank page. Said producer Kika Ortega of Pataka: “This isn’t a show about a single story, it’s more like the ultimate guide to discover why storytelling is so awesome.” Backed by Chilean Script Development Fund and won the Animond Award toward its inclusion in the Animond catalog at the ’24 Animarkt Pitching Sessions.
“Foldara,” (Danna Galeano, Mexico)
Three unlikely heroes venture through treacherous realms to save their fragile origami habitat from forces determined to unravel it. Created by Galeano, Addi Rosales and screenwriter Alina Stempa, and produced by Dream in Motion Studio, “‘Foldara’ is a refreshing return to manual creativity and the beauty of handmade art,” Galeano said about the 2D, 3D series-which won the Ventana Sur Animation! Prize at 2024’s Pixelatl Fest.
“Knight TV,” (Nat Solis, Costa Rica)
A foolhardy rescue attempt ensues as a squire and headstrong knight deem local witch Amalia is in need of a savior. To their dismay, she’s conversely hired a dragon to keep them from disturbing her peace. Written by Solis and Marco Rodriguez, the series will employ 2D cutouts and is billed, “a fantasy adventure story about challenging stereotypes,” according to its director.
“Married With Celu,” (“Casados con Celu,” Dalmiro Buigues, Argetina)
Set up at Argentina’s Buda.tv, behind quaint Quirino Award winner “Mate,” about a couple which becomes a throuple, living with an AI that knows them better than they do. Mixing 3D environments with expressive 2D characters, creating a collage-like look reflecting today’s digital-analog world, a “spicy adult comedy that dives into relationship struggles, human connection, and the digital age,” says Buigues.
“Pipa and Snail,” (“Pipa e Caracol,” Alex Ribondi & Ricardo Makoto, Brazil)
2D cutout animation 26 x 11” series from Brazil’s award-winning Mesinha Amarela follows twins Pipa and Snail as they embark on adventures in a magical forest where a flying whale marks the passage of time and stars appear as butterflies. Ribondi: “It’s a series where fun and philosophy go side by side.” Presented at Rio2C, Animacoaching, SAPI and Brasilia Film Fest in 2018.
“Sacha,” (Keila Cepeda, Ecuador)
Sacha, a kind of Amazonian sasquatch, half-man, half-beast, half-plant, half-Greta Thunberg, with loyal companion Nuna, a gullible capybara, creates dysfunctional and absurd plans to make humans leave their bountiful home and stop their takeover. See at Mexico’s Pixelatl and at Spain’s Weird Market, “Sacha” is a “project born from a desire to redefine our relationship with the environment, that breaks from traditional narratives by using humor as a tool,” says Cepeda.
“Screenheads,” (“Tevitos,” Maria Coello, Chile)
2D cutout animation series aimed at 7-9 year olds teaches about the pitfalls of confusing real life with fiction through the misadventures of pals Felipe and Diego. Produced by Chile’s Rayo Purpura, it’s backed by a grant from the Chilean Audiovisual Fund. “’Screenheads’ explores the influence of media on children, covering themes from cinematic genres to new technologies and viral trends,” said producer-creator Fabian Flores.
“Superchance,” (Juan Gallo, Uruguay)
Series lead produced by Uruguay’s Cine HHH with Argentina’s Osa Estudio is set in a supermarket which entraps people who repress their desires. The captives band together to find ways to escape. For helmer-scribe Gallo, the story reflects on family, collective parenting and bodily transformations from a queer perspective. Won Uruguay’s ICAU and PUA development prizes. Participating in Argentina’s APA Lab.
Animation! Mentorship Program for Creators Pitching Sessions
“The Adventures to Terraverde,” (“Las Aventuras Hacia Terraverde,” Poli Verrua, Argentina)
From Pururú Studio, founded in 2022, founded in Argentina’s Córdoba, a series using stop motion in 2D, 3D, exploring new ecosystems inhabited by different flora and fauna in each episode as Huillín, a kindly river otter, Chipi, a grumpy pudú and Guazú, a wise aguará guazú, displaced from their natural habitat make the long journey to Terraverde, a natural reserve. A development lab favourite, winning three prizes at the 2023 SMOF lab.
“S’Up, Xmas,” (“Jaé, Natal,” Camilha Padilha, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico)
Lead produced by Rio de Janeiro’s Coqueirão Pictures, behind Erik Rocha’s “Cinema Novo,” a Cannes L’Œil d’or best doc winner in 2016, the series takes place on an island where every day is Carnaval. A mischievous girl rebels against the adults to celebrate a strange party she discovers while rummaging through her deceased mother’s belongings: Christmas! Selected by WIA Story x Woman 2024 to pitch in Annecy this year as well as at the Panama Aerea Ibermédia Lab at the 2024 Premios Quirino.
“The Treasures of Marta,” (“Los tesoros de Marta,” Antonia Venegas González, Martin Sanchez Olguin, Chile)
A 12 x 11” series from Supahpure Studios, project follows three scouts who find the journal of their scout heroine, Marta, and embark on a hunt for the treasures she secreted across Chile. Presented at Annecy Animation Festival and now exploring financing options and applying for other development labs in Latin America. Premiering a pilot episode on the web in March.
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