Black Butterflies, by David Baute, wins Best Animated Film at the Quirino Awards

The eighth edition of these awards took place at the Leal Theatre in La Laguna, where the Brazilian film “Irmão do Jorel” won the award for Best Series and “Los Capinchos” , by Uruguayan director Alfredo Soderguit , received the award for Best Short Film.

In this way, Baute wins in a category dominated this year by the presence of three Spanish feature films, along with “Buffalo Kids,” directed by Pedro Solís and Juan Jesús García , and “ They Shot the Piano Player,” co-directed by Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba.

The director's debut with Black Butterflies

“Mariposas Negras” is the animation debut of the Tenerife-born director, who has extensive experience in documentary filmmaking, with a film about three women from very different parts of the planet who are forced to migrate to survive as a result of the climate crisis, which had already been recognized with the Goya and Platino awards.

The co-writer of the film Junto with Yaiza Berrocal has admitted that for him, winning the award on his home island is something “very special” , and he has praised the work being done in the world of animation, which “involves many people from the artistic and technical aspects”, which is why he came out on stage accompanied by part of the team that worked on the film.

“It's a film with a powerful and very timely message , that of millions of people suffering the consequences of the climate crisis. Our grandparents, parents, and aunts and uncles left for Venezuela 60 or 70 years ago, and we're lucky to live here now. But many migrants also arrive on the islands every day, and we shouldn't forget them (…) because many are migrants who don't want to emigrate ,” Baute said.

Other winners at the Quirino Awards

On the other hand, the series “Irmão do Jorel” , created by J uliano Enrico and produced by Rio de Janeiro-based Copa Studio together with Warner Bros, has once again been crowned Best Series for its fifth season, after winning the award in 2019, through the story of an extremely creative boy who begins to face the changes of pre-adolescence in the shadow of the popularity of his older brother, Jorel.

Meanwhile, in the Best Short Film category, the winner was writer and director Soderguit, with “Los Capybaras,” which addresses prejudice and friendship through a story starring a family of capybaras forced to abandon their habitat by hunters.

An idea born from the adaptation of the eponymous book written and illustrated by the director, with a recognized career in the animation genre for “Anina” (2013) and for the series “Two Little Birds” , a finalist in this same competition in 2022.

An edition dedicated to Diogo Carvalho

The director of the Quirino Awards, Silvina Cornillón , who made her debut at this edition, highlighted during the ceremony that being in charge of this competition is like being “at the controls of a Ferrari” and dedicated a few words to the Portuguese producer Diogo Carvalho , who passed away in April of this year after a prolific career, while also highlighting the role that cooperation plays in the industry.

A message shared by authorities such as the Vice President of the Tenerife Island Council, Lope Afonso , who announced the launch of Quirino Lab, a training and debate space that will be held in November 2025.

"With this initiative, we aim to shed light on the issues that most concern Ibero-American executive producers (…) Tenerife will host the evolution of the original concept of the Quirino Residency, presented last year; a project that now incorporates the promotion of collective work and incorporates the contributions that emerged from the successful Futures Lab held at this edition of Quirino," said Afonso.

Complete list of winners

As for the rest of the award winners, the Best School Short Film went to “Adiós” by Spanish director José Prats , while in the Best Animated Video category the award went to “My Way” , a production by the Argentine Rudo Company directed by Jesica Bianchi for the band Siamés.

The trophy for Best Commissioned Animation was awarded to the Brazilian film “47” , directed by Paulo García and Natalia Gouvea and produced by Zombie Studio, which also won the award for Best Visual Development.

Finally, completing the list of winners, the award for Best Video Game Animation went to “Neva” , by the Spanish company Nómada Studio, while the award for Best Animation Design went to the short film “Buffet Paraíso ”, directed by Santi Amézqueta and Héctor Zafra (Spain and France, respectively).

And the Best Sound Design and Original Music award went to the short film “Gilbert” by Alejandro Salueña García, Arturo Lacal Ruiz and Jordi Jiménez Xiberta (Spain).

This year's jury was composed of American producer Ben Kalina of Titmouse, Spanish researcher and programmer Carolina López Caballero , and Helena Nylander, children's content acquisitions executive at the Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

As well as Brazilian animation director, screenwriter and animator Daniel Bruson , and Leyla Formoso, CEO of French distributor and producer Prime Entertainment Group.

More participants, more space for Ibero-American animation

In total, 26 works have made it to the final round this year, chosen from 263 applications , ten percent more than the previous year. This growth demonstrates the competition's contribution to building a common space for animation in the Ibero-American region, positioning its headquarters, the island of Tenerife, as a benchmark and meeting point for the sector.

The Quirino Awards are named after Quirino Cristiani , creator of the Argentine production "El apóstol" (1917), the first animated feature film in history, for which 58,000 handmade drawings shot in 35mm were used, and since its creation in 2018, they have received a total of 1,992 nominations from the 23 countries that make up the Ibero-American region. EFE