Animation projects from around the world take their first steps at the 5th Bridging The Gap Laboratory in Tenerife

For the third consecutive year, the animation laboratory will promote a new generation of animation works from Tenerife. Latin America leads the selection followed by Spain (4) and the Philippines (1).

During this week the fifth edition of Bridging the Gap – Animation Lab (BTG), animation laboratory in which thirteen projects from Latin America, Spain and the Philippines will take their first international steps.

Created with the objective of strengthening and promoting international projects feature films and animated series coming from all over the world, BTG is an intensive workshop organized by Bridging the Gap, an initiative promoted by different animation professionals, and which has the main sponsorship of the Cabildo of Tenerife through the Tenerife2030 Area and INtech Tenerife and Turismo de Tenerife and the collaboration of Spanish Cooperation.

Over the course of a week, the directors and producers of the selected projects will share various training, networking and individual advice from professionals in the sector to strengthen their projects and promote their insertion in the industry. In addition, each participant will have the opportunity to receive private consultations about their project. As a closing, participants will have the opportunity to present their projects to professionals and decision-makers in the industry.

Among the experts who will advise the projects are producers, scriptwriters, consultants and executive producers such as Belli Ramírez (Mr. Cohl), Carlos Bleycher (The Guy Who Writes), Edwina Liard (Ikki Films), Guadalupe Arensburg (Movistar+ Spain), José Luis Farias (Premios Quirino/3D Wire), Paco Rodríguez (Media Training Consulting), Shamik Majumdar (The Walt Disney Company), Eva Garrido (MediaPro) and Iván Agenjo (Peekaboo Animation).

Latin America, Spain and the Philippines

The selected works were chosen from a total of 97 proposals received from 16 countries. With eight projects, Latin American animation leads the selection followed by Spain (4) and the Philippines (1). With two projects, Argentina is the most represented Latin American territory, followed by Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela, all with a participating work. On the other hand, it is worth noting that, of the four Spanish projects, two are from Tenerife creators.

This year's BTG selection includes feature films Beyond Legend, by Marília Feldhues (Brazil); Bululu, by Federico Gutiérrez Obeso (Mexico); Fire Islands, by José Miguel Pérez Alonso (Spain) and Risue, by Mario Forero (Colombia).

Nine series complete the selection: Alphabesties, by Neema B. Ejercito (Philippines); The Call of Mystery, by Víctor López Aguado (Spain); Cowbots, by Alfio D'Antona (Argentina); Krako y Koshan show, by Esteban Erazo and Paul Morales (Ecuador); Hallow Hollow, by Pablo Cortina (Spain); Karetabla, by Carlos Zerpa (Venezuela); Lily & the Fishboy, by Niels Andersen Dolmer (Spain); Witch business, by Alejandra Jaramillo (Chile) and Ori y Gen, by Javier Ignacio Luna Crook (Argentina).

Tenerife, isla cartoon

This will be the third time that BTG is organized in Tenerife, reflecting the determined commitment that is being made to animation on the island with the support of training activities like this one, as well as hosting reference events such as the Quirino Awards and the Ibero-American Animation Co-production Forum, attracting new companies and supporting the flourishing local sector. As part of this policy, the Cabildo and the Tenerife Film Commission have launched the brand Tenerife Isla Cartoon, with which they seek to promote the island as a place for the production of animation works.

BTG also includes in its program different activities open to Tenerife professionals such as the Presentation and Networking Day (which took place on July 18) and the final Pitch of Bridging the Gap 2019 projects (July 20 from 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Hotel NH Tenerife).

Since its first edition in 2015, BTG has strengthened and promoted fifty feature film and animated series projects from 19 countries internationally, many of which continue to advance in their production process; while others are already finished, such as the Chilean feature film Homeless, premiered at the last edition of the Annecy Festival.

Participation in the laboratory of several of these projects is possible thanks to scholarships and support offered by different companies and institutions.

BTG, has the support of 3D Wire, International Market for Animation, Video Games and New Media; DIBOOS, Spanish Federation of Animation Production Companies Associations; SAVE, Canary Islands Association of Companies and Professionals in the Animation, Video Games and Visual Effects Sector; U-tad University Center for Technology and Digital Art; House of America; Proimagenes Colombia FDC; South Window Animation!; INCAA; and Film Development Council of the Philippines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoMyyh6aae4