The contest will celebrate its 13th edition between September 24th and October 2nd with La Cárcel_Segovia Creation Center as the headquarters

The event will bring together 13 leading companies in the sector that will seek talent in the ‘recruitment’ day

The commitment to local talent, the return of the Peque 3D Wire and the GIFs contest are some of the highlights of the program, along with presentations, round tables and other activities

Segovia, September 21st, 2021 Weird Market, International Animation, Video Games and New Media Market and 3D Wire Fest, International Animation Festival, reveals all the details of its 13th edition that will be held between September 24th and October 2nd, one hundred percent on-site (with reduced capacity due to the current epidemiological situation). The event, established as a benchmark for the animation, video games and new media sector, thus recovers its essence as a meeting point thanks to a program with presentations, screenings for all audiences, a recruitment session, various round tables and an animated gifs contest, among other activities. “Weird Market has always been described by its participants as a unique meeting place on the calendar and that is why it is so important to be able to announce this return to the on-site format both for the sector at a national and international level, as well as for professionals from all over Castilla y León” says José Luis Farias, director of this market. The presentation ceremony had the support of the sponsoring institutions headed by Clara Luquero, mayor of Segovia; Jesús García Zamora, Councilor for Economic Development and Employment; and José Ramón González, General Director of Cultural Policies of the Junta de Castilla y León.

This year, the event renews its commitment to young talents and organizes once again a ‚recruitment‘ session on the morning of Thursday, September 30th. Recruiters from a total of 13 important companies in the sector will come in search of the best candidates to fill their vacancies. El Ranchito, Ánima, Skydance, Wise Blue, Mago Production, Orca Studios, Hampa Studio, Arcadia Motion Pictures, 3 Doubles, Everguild, Nu Boyana FX, Verjim and The Glow are the companies confirmed for this edition. „This day will make Segovia one more year a place that generates employment, an important international showcase and especially for local talent“ explains Jesús García Zamora.

The new headquarters located in La Cárcel_Segovia Centro de Creación will host the various presentations and round tables; In it, two of the most globally awaited animation productions of recent months will be the protagonists of the day on Friday, October 1st. My Little Pony: A New Generation arrives to Netflix on September 24th and it will be José Luis Ucha (director) and Graham Gallagher (animation director and head of character) who will talk about the process of creating the feature film and the challenge that involves adapting these popular toys. In the afternoon, it will be the turn of Vivo by Sony Pictures Animation and with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton); Carlos Zaragoza (production designer) and Aurora Jiménez (visual development artist for the film) will go deep into the visual development of this colorful animated musical.

Another topic for this 2021 will be the origin of the idea of a project and the synergies between countries. The talks “IP is at the hearts of it all” and “Animation co-productions between Spain and Portugal” will analyze both aspects; In fact, in the Portuguese-Spanish sphere, Weird Market has become a bridge between the two countries and producers such as Xose Zapata, Diogo Carvalho and Roger Torras will attest to this.

SUPPORT OF THE TALENT OF CASTILLA Y LEÓN

On Saturday, October 2nd, in addition to announcing the short films and projects list of winners of this 13th edition, Weird Market has organized a round table to analyze the talent linked to the animation sector residing in Castilla y León. Various companies in the region will analyze the situation, their projects and how professionals can use a greater implementation of teleworking to create a much more consistent network throughout the territory and to fight against the ‘emptied Spain’. „The local administration is working from all areas for the development of the territory and, as it couldn’t be otherwise, culture is one of the key axes in these policies“ says José Ramón González.

The local capacity and creativity will have another showcase with the GIF contest. All kinds of creators will be able to send their proposals until October 6th with emblematic places of the city of Segovia as a reference. Under a free theme and technique, the works must be original pieces and make use of one of the backgrounds provided by Turismo de Segovia. The prizes, of an economic nature, will have an amount of €250 and will be two: Best Castilian y Leon Young Creator Gif and Best Gif.

THE PEQUE 3D WIRE IS BACK: CREATING NEW AUDIENCES

The contest has spent years working for the literacy and creation of new audiences among the younger public, two essential elements that are combined in the Peque 3D Wire. A section that once again occupies a privileged place in the program with two sessions: the first on Saturday September 25th and a second on Sunday 26th. “The city of Segovia together with Weird Market and 3D Wire Fest work side by side for culture and innovation, and with these initiatives we seek to serve especially the younger audience”, declares the mayor of the city, Clara Luquero.

The short films will be the first to be screened and will tell four different stories: La extraordinaria historia de Bruna by Anna Solanas and Marc Riba, Goodnight Spa by Emilio and Jesús Gallego, The Ducks by Ángela Arregui (also included in the national competition) and Fly by Carlos Gómez-Mira. For its part, the second session will feature the work of the brilliant painter Joan Miró; the Mironins series, produced and directed by Mikel Mas Bilbao and written by Celia Rico Clavellino, will approach the art of this well-known Catalan through three drops of paint.

Parallelly, this weekend, from September 24th to 26th, the screenings of the international 3D Wire Fest will take place. Both the Peque 3D Wire sessions and the international 3D Wire Fest sessions will take place in the Julio Michel Room in La Cárcel and admission is free until full capacity is reached.

A high-level program with derived figures that guarantee the potential of the appointment. A total of 200 projects selected for its catalog, 19 of them presented on-site, 37 short films from 15 countries at the 3D Wire Fest (27 productions in international competition and 10 in national competition) are just some samples of its strength. An edition that also has a poster designed by Pakoto, a famous Spanish illustrator who has worked together with great names such as Guillermo del Toro and who has done an illustration work reminiscent of medieval engravings and iconic elements of the city such as the aqueduct.

3D Wire Fest screenings program HERE

Weird Market’s Programming Agenda HERE