Ibermedia Next is attending Annecy with a large delegation of projects selected over the course of three editions

IBERMEDIA NEXT, funded by NextGenerationEU funds from the European Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, concludes after three calls for proposals, with 43 selected projects and the direct collaboration of 16 of the 22 countries participating in the IBERMEDIA Program

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (June 21 – 27) hosts the IBERMEDIA NEXT initiative closing, the innovation and co-production program for Ibero-American animation promoted by the IBERMEDIA Program and the Spanish Ministry of Culture, through the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), and which has benefited from the collaboration of the Ibero-American Animation League (Quirino Awards, Pixelatl, Animation! Ventana Sur).

A delegation representing the projects selected through the three calls for proposals of IBERMEDIA NEXT will be present at MIFA, the festival’s professional market. To facilitate contact with the leaders of the selected projects, IBERMEDIA NEXT will have a booth in the festival’s market area where they will provide firsthand updates on the progress of their projects.

It was at this festival that IBERMEDIA NEXT publicly launched its first call for proposals in 2023 and where the projects from Call 1.0 made their international debut in 2025. This edition of MIFA marks the end of a three-year cycle in which Ibero-American animation has gained a stronger presence, greater visibility, and enhanced connectivity in the most prominent international markets.

Five IBERMEDIA NEXT projects at Annecy 2026

Five selected projects, supported from the outset by IBERMEDIA NEXT, will participate independently in the professional trade circuit, where they will take part in three of the seven pitching market sessions, in the residencies, and—in the case of *Lúcido*—in the festival’s Official Selection.

• Lúcido, in MIFA’s Official Selection

Lúcido (Vier | COLA Animation, Portugal, co-produced by Studio Kimchi, Spain, among other companies), is the only Ibero-American production among the 10 selected for the Immersive Works Competition in the Official Selection at Annecy 2026. This project has received financial support from IBERMEDIA NEXT and was recently part of the Immersive Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

Monday, June 22, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Salle de création, Bonlieu

Tuesday, June 23, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Salle de création, Bonlieu

Wednesday, June 24, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Creation Room, Bonlieu

Thursday, June 25, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Creation Room, Bonlieu

Friday, June 26, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Creation Room, Bonlieu

• Santa Sombra, at the MIFA Feature Film Pitches

Santa Sombra (Paula Boffo | La Mola Studio, Spain / Ojo Raro, Argentina / Fedora Productions, Mexico), has been selected from among more than 700 submitted proposals to participate in the Mifa Pitches 2026 in the feature film category—one of the industry’s largest platforms for financing and co-production, where only a few dozen projects each year are chosen to present to international producers, distributors, and funding organizations.

Wednesday, June 24, 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Salle de la Volière

Parc de l’Impérial Palace, Impérial Palace

• *Las almas de Escazú* at the Mifa Pitches for Series

*Las almas de Escazú* (Nicholas Hooper | CUBHO Audiovisual and Polygonal Factory, Spain / Forward Films, Brazil / Leste, Chile) has been selected for the 2026 Mifa Pitches in the series category. Its director, Nicholas Hooper, noted that the support from IBERMEDIA NEXT “has been a fundamental part of the co-development” of the series, also enabling the project to be pitched in various international markets over the past year.

Thursday, June 25, 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Salle de la Volière

Parc de l’Impérial Palace, Impérial Palace

• Hanta, Call for Entries 2.0, at the Annecy Festival Residency

Hanta (Emilio Ramos | Tourmalet Films, Spain / Fedora Productions and Casadelou, Mexico / Osa Estudio, Argentina) has been invited to the Annecy Festival Residency session on Tuesday, June 23—a forum where the festival tracks the progress of the projects it has supported throughout their development. Hanta, directed by Emilio Ramos, tells the story of a writer who was censored in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and survives by secretly writing about a bookbinder who binds banned books.

Tuesday, June 23, 3:00–4:30 p.m.

Verdi, 3rd floor, Impérial Palace

• Insectario, Call for Entries 2.0, at the Annecy Festival Residency

*Insectario: Despertar* (Sofía Carrillo | Inicia Films, Spain / Pimienta Films, Mexico) marks the feature film debut of Mexican filmmaker Sofía Carrillo, following her , a series of previous stop-motion short films. Prior to its screening at Annecy, *Insectario* had been selected for the Annecy Animation Showcase held at the Cannes Film Market last May. *Insectario* has also been invited to participate in the Annecy Festival Residency.

Tuesday, June 23, 3:30–4:30 p.m.

Verdi, 3rd Floor, Impérial Palace

The Legacy of IBERMEDIA NEXT

Well-received by the industry, the impact of IBERMEDIA NEXT has helped strengthen a sector that has traditionally been viewed as a service provider but has, for years, been creating and investing in the development of its own intellectual property.

The three rounds of IBERMEDIA NEXT have highlighted the creative and technical potential of studios and professionals in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal, establishing IBERMEDIA NEXT as a key platform for innovation in Ibero-American animation.

The three IBERMEDIA NEXT calls for proposals have effectively contributed to strengthening ties among companies and professionals in the animation sector on both sides of the Atlantic—a growing sector that requires resources to invest in technological processes that optimize its results. It has also generated new partnerships that will enable the medium-term development of intellectual property from more than ten different countries.

Although these three calls for proposals were time-limited due to the availability of European funds, support for the Ibero-American animation sector will continue through the Program’s regular streams that accommodate animated projects: Feature Film Co-development, Series Co-development, and Co-production.

Projects from Edition 3.0

1. A veces silencio (Álvaro Robles | Filmakers Monkeys, Spain / Carltz, Peru / Pista B, Chile). A romantic musical drama set in 1990s Madrid, presented as the first animated film accessible to both hearing and deaf audiences. Created entirely in Blender.
2. Avispa y colibrí (Aïda de Solar | Take it Easy, Portugal / El Taller del Chucho, Mexico / Waso, Bolivia / Trazos Animación, Peru). An experimental fable celebrating women’s resistance in the 19th century, with thread as the technological backbone of the production pipeline.
3. Is There a Dead Person in the Room? (Miguel Medrano Malo and Lucía Sampedro | Inaudita Films / La Mola Studio / Saltarinas, Spain / Sísmica Estudio, Mexico). A rural short film with absurd humor about death and traditions, using open-source software throughout the entire production process.
4. The Mysterious Island (Bruno Simões | Studio Kimchi, Spain / Boipeba Filmes, Brazil / COLA Animation, Portugal). An adaptation of Jules Verne set in a refugee camp. It uses Blender, Unreal Engine, and AI for motion capture.
5. La Venganza Rodríguez (Jorge R. Gutiérrez | Hampa Studio, Spain). A tribute to women set in the world of professional wrestling, featuring generative AI and an open pipeline. From the director of The Book of Life.
6. Lily & Kyle (Giu Nishiyama | Alopra Estúdio, Brazil / Mago Production, Spain / Apapacho Films, Mexico). A series for preschoolers with a picture-book aesthetic and self-hosted open-source software.
7. Los Mukis (Cecilia Sueiro Mosquera | Apocalipsis Producciones, Spain / Desfase Films, Peru / Tunche Films, Panama / IntiFX, Ecuador). A fantasy comedy about identity and cultural appropriation, featuring Andean worldviews and Blender / Wonder Dynamics technology.
8. Lucila (Bernardita Ojeda | Pájaro, Chile / Wood Producciones, Chile / Cornelius Films, Spain / Copa Studio, Brazil / Sardinha em Lata, Portugal). A feature film about Gabriela Mistral’s childhood, created using Blender plugins that will be released to the community.
9. Nosé. A Story of Self-Love (July Naters and Manu Larios | Pataclaun, Peru / 12 Pingüinos, Spain / IntiFX, Ecuador / Soda Producciones, Venezuela) – An adventure comedy inspired by the philosophy of the clown, created using Grease Pencil and Unreal Engine.
10. Olivia and the Mysteries (Juan Carve and Valentina Echeverría | Érase una vez Films, Spain / Chucho.tv, Uruguay / Chatrone, Brazil / Espacio de Animación Peruana, Peru). A family film exploring emotional ups and downs, created entirely in Blender.
11. Pido pausa (Rosario Carlino and Nicolás Conte | Sardinha em Lata, Portugal / Osa Estudio, Argentina). A stop-motion pilot for a children’s series, integrating Blender, Unreal Engine, and a sustainable production model.
12. Pinkooland (Luis Usón | VANOVA Films, Spain / MATTE CG, Ecuador). An adult science fiction film that combines 3D with real-time video game technology: Maya, Blender, and Unreal Engine.
13. Santa Sombra (Paula Boffo | Ojo Raro, Argentina / La Mola Studio, Spain / Fedora, Mexico). A transfeminist fantasy adapted from the creator’s own graphic novel, using Blender for environments and featuring significant transmedia potential.
14. Tagamanom. Hidden World (Pere Clos Muntsant and Diana Rodríguez | OuO Time, Spain / IntiFX, Ecuador / Studio Z, Brazil). A family-friendly 3D adventure influenced by the Waorani worldview, featuring AI for motion capture.