Weird Market Confirms 36 Short Films in Competition & 12 Companies Participating in The Recruitment Day
Skwigly
The 16th Weird Market has confirmed the 36 animation short films that will be part of its WFest and the 12 companies participating in the recruitment day. The festival and the session dedicated to promoting employment in the sector are two defining features of this animation, videogame and new media market. The festival will be held at the Filmoteca Valenciana (Rialto Building) on October 1st, 2nd and 3rd, while the meetings between talent scouts and industry professionals will take place at Las Naves on the morning of Thursday, October 2nd.
Image: Weird Market
Each year, the WFest presents a full selection of works that attest to the strength and creativity of this industry worldwide. In 2024, there will be 11 productions in the domestic competition and 25 in the international competition.
In the Spanish section there are works for grown-up audiences alongside others of a more familiar nature, established names and new blood. Creators such as Goya winner Víctor Monigote or the pair of directors Carlos F. De Vigo with Lorena Ares, and Omar Al Abdul Razzak with Shira Ukrainitz (all of them nominated for the top awards of Spanish cinema) will have their works in competition.
Other filmmakers featured in the official section are Victor Bonafonte, Nacho Arjona “Naolito” (with his directorial debut) or Valencia’s own Sam Orti. This edition will also feature the premiere of the winning short film of the Weird Market Movistar Plus+ Short Project Award 2022: Buffet Paraíso by Héctor Zafra and Santi Amézqueta.
The list is completed by works such as Pablo Ballarín’s, set in the Belarus-Poland border, Mary Cruz Leo’s adaptation of Fermín Solís’ graphic novel Medea a la deriva, Alex Rey’s tribute to the animation genius Hayao Miyazaki, and Choche Hurtado, a well-known figure in this event.
25 SHORT FILMS REPRESENTING 20 COUNTRIES IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
The international competition will feature 25 short films from 20 countries, a diverse and representative selection of today’s world animation, with submissions covering all types of themes and techniques, such as 3D, 2D, stop motion or paper drawing. Productions and co-productions come from Hungary, the United States, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Chile, Portugal, Iran, Finland, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Japan, and South Korea.
This selection includes works awarded at some of the leading festivals both for animation and film in general: Berlin, Annecy, Clermont-Ferrand, Sundance, Venice, Rotterdam and Cannes. In fact, the latest Palme d’Or short film will be shown: 27 by the Hungarian filmmaker Flóra Anna Buda.
Two other women are also among the prominent figures: Iran’s Yegane Moghaddam and Nina Gantz from the Netherlands. The former is competing at WFest with her Oscar-nominated short Our Uniform, while the latter has a BAFTA nomination to her credit and will present her latest work, Wander to Wonder.
A mixture of established names and debut filmmakers results in “a selection of the highest quality”, says José Luis Farias, director of Weird Market.
12 STUDIOS AND OVER A HUNDRED CANDIDATES FOR THE RECRUITMENT DAY
Weird Market is a multidisciplinary event and in addition to presentations, conferences, networking spaces, screenings and other activities, its spirit as a catalyst for talent is one of its most characteristic hallmarks. The recruitment day is the best expression of this spirit. This year a total of 12 international studios will be looking to complete their work teams. A sizeable group of headhunters will travel to Valencia to conduct interviews on October 2 with more than a hundred candidates.
The Recruitment Day activities will take place in one of this year’s new venues, Las Naves, and a number of companies have already confirmed attendance, including 3Doubles Producciones, Ánima Kitchent, Hampa Studio, Aupa Studio, TV ON Producciones, Studio Kimchi, Lightbox Animation Studios, Arxlight Pictures, Arx Anima, Alkimia Animation Studio, Pixel-Nexus and Flying Bark Productions.
Potential applicants wishing to schedule an interview must complete registration through the event website (https://weirdmarket.es/en/) by September 13rd or until availability is reached.