Spain, Brazil, Uruguay Dominate Quirino Awards as ‘Black Butterflies' Wins Top Prize
Animated works from Spain, Brazil and Uruguay topped the eighth Quirino Awards, the premier celebration of Ibero-American animation.
Spain's David Baute scored best feature with his debut 'Black Butterflies,' a migration-themed climate drama that has already won praise at Annecy, the Goyas and the Platino Awards. Brazil's irreverent 'Jorel's Brother' clinched best series for its fifth season, while Uruguay's Alfredo Soderguit took best short for 'Capybaras,' an allegory of prejudice and friendship.
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Known for his documentary background, Tenerife-born director Baute crafts a sweeping tale of three women from different corners of the world, each forced into migration by the climate crisis. The feature builds on Baute's 2020 doc Climate Exodus and has already claimed prizes at the Goya and Platino Awards. Co-written with Yaiza Berrocal, 'Black Butterflies' is produced by Spain's Ikiru Films and Tinglado Film, in collaboration with Panama's Anangu Grup.
Brazil's beloved 'Jorel's Brother' captured best series for its fifth season, marking its second Quirino win following an initial nod in 2019. The show, created by Juliano Enrico and produced by Rio de Janeiro's Copa Studio in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, tracks the adventures of a creative young boy overshadowed by his popular older sibling.
Uruguay earned best short film for Alfredo Soderguit's 'Capybaras,' a narrative that tackles prejudice and friendship through the experiences of a displaced family of capybaras. Soderguit, known for the celebrated 'Anina' and 'Dos pajaritos' a finalist at the 2022 Quirino Awards adapted the film from his own illustrated book. The production involved Uruguay's Palermo Estudio alongside collaborators from France and Chile.
Additional winners included Spain's José Prats for the student short 'Adiós' nominee at the BAFTA's and winner of the same award at the Annie's; Argentina's Jesica Bianchi for the animated music video 'My Way'; and Brazil's Zombie Studio, whose film '47' won both best commissioned animation and visual development.
In other categories, Spain's Nomada Studio clinched best video game animation for 'Neva,' while the Franco-Spanish co-production 'Paradise Buffet' earned best animation design. Spain's 'Gilbert' also took honors for sound design and music.
This year's international jury featured Ben Kalina (Titmouse studio, U.S.), Carolina López Caballero (Spain), Helena Nylander (SVT, Sweden), Daniel Bruson (Brazil), and Leyla Formoso (Prime Entertainment Group, France).
During the Gala Lope Afonso, Vice President of the Tenerife Council, who sponsor the Awards through Tenerife Tourism, announced the Quirino Lab, a new training and discussion platform set to launch in November 2025. Building upon the Futures Lab initiative, this new endeavor aims to deepen collaborative strategies across Ibero-American animation.
Some takeaways:
Commercial Clout or Arthouse Cred?
Quirino draws big names precisely because it offers something Cannes and Annecy don't, a breather and space for quality relationship building over a few days. Industry voices observed many of the projects pitched to them this year skewed heavily arthouse, some concerned they lack the commercial muscle to win over major distributors or streamers. Others were excited to see this many projects pushing the boundaries feeling, they could break into new audiences craving originality. The trick now is balance. Films like Pablo Berger's 'Robot Dreams' prove it's possible to marry creative ambition with audience reach but too much tilt toward a niche, and the storytellers risk narrowing global appeal. While arthouse animation might find a specialist home, the distribution model simply isn't there yet, and it's unlikely to emerge soon.
Location, Location, Location
The Canary Islands now boasts 10 animation studios and some of the world's best tax incentives but as several execs at Quirino stressed, talent needs more than a studio and a rebate. You can't live in a studio, and with the islands still geared overwhelmingly toward short-term tourism, finding housing for long-haul talent remains a potential bottleneck. On-the-ground infrastructure will be critical for accelerating growth. Although many who try it don't go back, figuring the lifestyle upside is well worth the other hassles.
Trump 2.0: An Uninvited Guest
No one at Quirino wanted to dwell on President Trump but his jabs, just prior to the event, at foreign production tax breaks came up at every coffee break. With the Canary Islands offering among the richest rebates on the planet, the fear is less about immediate policy and more about the ripple effect of uncertainty. Investors are skittish, and animation, with its long timelines and high upfront costs, needs predictable ground to thrive. Even a stray Trump social media post without action can send wobbles through fragile co-financing stacks.
Finding purposeBoth the Futures Lab and Women in Animation sessions showed a clear longing from producers, and filmmakers to discuss their challenges. 'We asked them to reflect on the things they had to sacrifice to move forward in their careers; and also at a personal level, to connect with their purpose, the things that give them butterflies in the stomach.' Silvina Cornillõn, director of Qurino Awards, told Variety of the Women in Animation gathering. There was comfort in the comradery shown. 'Sometimes when you try to go that deep, some people might pull back but they stayed, they listened, they were moved.' she concluded.
Ibero-America's Big Meet-Up
One of Quirino's biggest quiet victories? The sheer geographic spread of its guests. Filmmakers, producers, and executives came not just from Spain and Portugal but from virtually every corner of Latin America, giving the event real Ibero-American weight. And having Argentinian Cornillõn at the helm of a Spanish based festival sends a positive message. It's a testament to the organizers' sustained efforts and a sign that Quirino has matured into more than just a regional showcase. It's now one of the key platforms where the Ibero-American animation world comes together to form ideas. Collaboration continues to thrive and the fruits from the numerous programmes over the last few years are bringing high quality projects to the pitching tables within a former Convents environs.
2025 QUIRINO AWARDS WINNERS
BEST FEATURE'Black Butterflies,' (David Baute, Spain, Panama)
BEST SERIES'Jorel's Brother – Season 5,' (Juliano Enrico, Brazil)
BEST SHORT FILM'Capybaras,' (Alfredo Soderguit, Uruguay, France, Chile)
BEST ANIMATION SCHOOL SHORT FILM'Adiós,' (José Prats, Spain, UK)
BEST COMMISSIONED FILM'47,' (Paulo Garcia & Natalia Gouvea, Brazil)
BEST MUSIC VIDEO'My Way,' (Jesica Bianchi, Argentina)
BEST VIDEO GAME ANIMATION'Neva,' (Nomada Studio, Spain)
BEST VISUAL DEVELOPMENT'47,' (Paulo Garcia & Natalia Gouvea, Brazil)
BEST ANIMATION DESIGN'Paradise Buffet,' (Santi Amézqueta & Héctor Zafra, Spain, France)
BEST SOUND DESIGN AND ORIGINAL MUSIC'Gilbert,' (Alejandro Salueña García, Arturo Lacal Ruiz & Jordi Jiménez Xiberta, Spain)
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