Cartoon Springboard: the future of European animation, in Madrid

From October 28 to 30, the Ateneo de Madrid hosts the 11th edition of Cartoon Springboard, a training initiative for students and recent graduates of animation schools throughout Europe that aims for selected participants to take their first steps in the industry and strengthen their projects guided by a group of international experts in the sector.

For the fourth consecutive year, Cartoon Springboard is held in Madrid, thus confirming the importance of both the city and the region in promoting the future of European animation. Organized by the Cartoon association, Cartoon Springboard is co-financed by Creative Europe MEDIA and has the support of the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council.

Coming from 11 countries, the 22 selected works They are, for the most part, in their early stages of development. During the event, talents will receive practical advice and guidance by a panel of experts who will support them in the development and production of their projects. Made from 85 applications, a historical maximum in the event's records that represents an increase of 47% compared to last year, the selection includes both feature film projects and animated series.

With six projects, France leads the list of works followed by Spain with four, Italy with three and Germany with two. Greece, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine are, for their part, present with one project each. In terms of formats, TV series are the majority with 18 works in a selection that also includes four feature films. Almost half of the projects are aimed at adult and adolescent audiences (10 projects), while content for children between 6-11 years old, for family audiences and for preschoolers are present with 5, 4 and 3 projects, respectively.

Both the Community of Madrid and the City Council have supported the participation of the four projects from Madrid training centers: the series A Post Apocalyptic Future Where… by Yix Durden and Flor by Alfonso Casado Diez, and the feature films almond eyes by Alejandra Luque and MÜMU™, Forget-me-not by Tania Palma Rodriguez. The projects are signed by students or recent graduates from Madrid educational institutions (Lightbox, Trazos, and U-Tad).

Program with training and creativity

In addition to the sessions pitching, Cartoon Springboard offers a program which includes presentations such as “Dive Into the Deep: Building Worlds Beyond Animation”, in which Reza Memari (Telescope Animation) desvela los secretos detrás del lanzamiento IPs transmedia; “High Expectations, Hard Times: How to survive in the animation industry these days when you’re a young creative?”, a cargo de Joanna Allen (BBC), y “Navigating the Internet’s many platforms and making a living from social media, how does it work?”, por Mei Champeil.

The renowned Spanish director Sergio Pablos will also present a sneak preview of Ember, the long-awaited film project from SPA Studios, while Mark Cumberton (JAM Media), Miklos Weigert, Eliza Plocieniak-Alvarez (blue grapefruit), Barbara Slade (Blue Arrow Productions) y Alba Sotorra Clua (Alba Sotorra) will reflect on the use of AI in animation in the panel “Made by Humans, Made with A.I.”.

With the aim of connecting young talents with the local animation industry, Cartoon Springboard is completed with a Job Fair in which a group of local studies will present their work and the job opportunities they offer. In the same line, the One-to-One meetings, organized for the first time this year, they seek to create a personalized event between young talents and professionals in the sector, including producers and broadcasters, among other key professionals from across Europe.

Cartoon Springboard will close its doors with an exclusive sneak preview from Reza Memari's latest film, The Last Whale Singer (October 30, Palacio de la Prensa Cinema, 8 PM).