previous page
TOC
Return of the Spanish Screen Pixelatl panels provide a healthy picture of animation produced in Spain.
S
panish animation and VFX studios will have a strong presence at this year’s virtual Pixelatl festival this month. “Spain is once again present at the event with a virtual stand that will include a Who’s Who of animation and VFX in Spain, promotional videos, information on news of tax incentives, as well as a directory of accredited studios and companies, such as Wise Blue Studios, Peekaboo Animation, El Ranchito, 3Doubles and Paramotion Films,” says Tito Rodríguez, director of marketing for Spain’s Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA). On September 2 at 10 a.m. Mexico City time (CST) / 5 p.m. Central European Summer Time (CEST), the ICAA in collaboration with Diboos, the Federation of Spanish Animation Associations, will offer the panel “Spain: Your Animated Mate … New Spanish Tax Incentives” in which the participants will discuss the benefits of the country’s latest new tax incentives. In addition, together with WEIRD - Animation, Video Games and New Media Market, the org will present short films by young animators in a panel titled “3 Projects by New Spanish Animation Emerging Talents” (Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. CST, 8 p.m. CEST). Last, but not least, the Quirino Awards will once again bridge the animation scene between Spain and Latin America, presenting a report on “Resilience in Ibero-American Animation” in the framework of the League of Ibero-American Animation (formed by Quirino, Animation! Ventana Sur and Pixelatl).
A Tax Haven for Toon Producers “Since May 2020, Spain has increased its tax incentives,” notes Rodríguez. “We have now a very competitive 25% to 30% tax rebate for international productions (5% more than in previous years), having lowered the minimum expenditure for animation and VFX projects to 200,000 euros, and raising the maximum amount of the deduction to a total of 10 million euros. Also, the Canary Islands, thanks to their special Economic and Tax Regime authorized by the E.U., offer several tax incentives for the animation and VFX industry that are 20 points higher than in the rest of Spain. Specifwww.animationmagazine.net
TOC
ically, a 50% - 45% tax rebate for international productions and a 50% - 45% tax credit for Spanish productions or co-productions.” Among the many eagerly anticipated features coming out of Spain in the near future are Tad, The Lost Explorer 3 (Lightbox Studios Animation), Unicorn Wars (UniKo), and MiBots (Wise Blue Stu-
“Highlights also include Hero Dad (Wise Blue Studios), the first real-time animated show that begins now its worldwide distribution with WildMarina Donderis, Brain, and Cry Tito Rodríguez Núria Poveda & Babies (Hampa Marina Cortón’s Becarias Studios), currently a hit on Youtube, with a strong merchandising strategy,” adds Rodríguez. “And of course, Homeless Home by Alberto Vázquez, produced by UniKo and Autour de Minuit, which received the Jury Prize at Annecy earlier this year, which is also part of Pixelatl’s official program.” The director also points out that 2020 started on a very positive note for Spanish Alberto Vázquez’s Animation with Sergio Pablos Animation Homeless Home Studios receiving an Oscar nomination and seven Annie Awards for the feature Klaus. Despite the delicate pandemic situation, companies in the animation sector have continued to work and maintained jobs at a very high level. As Diboos presidentNico Matji stated earlier in the year, “The animation and visual effects industry in Spain, although affected by the global pandemic of COVID-19 like the rest of Génis Rigol’s He Ran the cultural sectors, has demonstrated its Towards His Comrades strength and capacity to recover in this crisis. We have been able to move to teleworking with relative ease because we are eminently digital companies, accustomed to constantly learning and innovating.” Rodríguez says Spanish studios are now experiencing a “new normal.” “Office work is combined with working remotely from home, ” he adds. “Productions have restarted, and dios). In addition, Clan, the children’s channel of Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, has selected international projects have been carried on unseven animated series in their 2020 call for der strict sanitary regulations. Festivals are comproject support. The projects are Get Along Gang ing back as physical or hybrid editions, cinemas (Tomavision), La Granja Feliz (Motion Pictures), I, are reopening and the box office is recovering, Elvis Riboldi (Peekaboo), Bumpy the Bear (Koji), slowly. Thanks to initiatives like improving the Sunny-Side Billy (Imira), Annie and Carola (MB tax incentives, for example, and increasing our and Mondo International) and the second sea- public grants, we are experiencing a bit of fresh son of Momonsters (Big Bang Box and 3Doubles). air and seeing more international investment These seven projects sum up a total of 326 ep- and national audiovisual productions.” ◆ isodes and more than 50 hours of top-quality, family-friendly Spanish animation. For more info, visit icaa.es.
30
september|october 20
previous page
