Take your animation project to the next level by learning the most innovative VR tools, real-time rendering engines or AI.

#WORKSHOP #ANIMATION #VR #INNOVATION #XR #VIDEOGAMES #WORKSHOP
#WORKSHOP #ANIMATION #VR #INNOVATION #XR #VIDEOGAMES #WORKSHOP
#WORKSHOP #ANIMATION #VR #INNOVATION #XR #VIDEOGAMES #WORKSHOP
#WORKSHOP #ANIMATION #VR #INNOVATION #XR #VIDEOGAMES #WORKSHOP
#WORKSHOP #ANIMATION #VR #INNOVATION #XR #VIDEOGAMES #WORKSHOP
#WORKSHOP #ANIMATION #VR #INNOVATION #XR #VIDEOGAMES #WORKSHOP
#WORKSHOP #ANIMATION #VR #INNOVATION #XR #VIDEOGAMES #WORKSHOP
#WORKSHOP #ANIMATION #VR #INNOVATION #XR #VIDEOGAMES #WORKSHOP
#WORKSHOP #ANIMATION #VR #INNOVATION #XR #VIDEOGAMES #WORKSHOP
#WORKSHOP #ANIMATION #VR #INNOVATION #XR #VIDEOGAMES #WORKSHOP
Take your animation project to the next level by learning the most innovative VR tools, real-time rendering engines or AI. Our objectives are to encourage the use of disruptive technologies for audiovisual production; discover and support talent, strengthen the business network and digital entrepreneurship; generate young, highly qualified and quality employment; create new business niches and jobs. We focus on the use of VR, XR and AR tools along with the use of real-time rendering engines for prototyping and animation production.
STEP BY STEP GUIDE
01. Call for applications
Call for applications
Rules

If you have an animation or videogame project and you want to improve it, register for free in our annual call to participate in the Next Lab Generation workshop.

Selection

Among the registered projects we will select the best ones, and we will show you how to use the latest technologies in VR and real-time rendering engines to implement them in your project.

Awards

A jury of experts chooses the winners to present at Annecy MIFA.

02. Workshop
Online
First steps

Once your project has been chosen, you will receive virtual reality glasses for the workshop. You will need to have a computer with a graphics card that allows you to work in VR environments.

Online
Masterclass

For several weeks, you will be accompanied by animation professionals who will teach you how to use these new tools through various tutorships, both in groups and one-on-one.

Online
Prototyping

With everything you have learned, you will have to create a teaser of your project, making the most of the new tools. You will also work on a pitch that you will present to the jury at the final event.

On-site
Feedback

Experts in the field will help you to improve your presentation, as well as the way you present your project, so that you can show your work in the best possible way and make it attractive to the Jury.

03. Event
Tickets

The Next Lab Generation event will take place on February 28 and March 1, 2025 in Madrid, and tickets will be available soon!

Masterclass and lectures

We will have the presence of the most influential people in innovation and new technologies in the world of animation and video games.

Pitch finalists

We will have the pleasure to see the fantastic works of the finalists, all produced during the workshop, using innovative technologies in animation production.

Awards Ceremony

A jury of experts will announce the winners during the in-person event, who will receive various prizes to promote their work.

Annecy

Winners will present at the Next Lab Generation conference at Annecy MIFA 2025 and will have accreditation for a representative of the project.

Generation

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2025
2025
2025
2025
2025
2025
2025
2025
EVENT ON FEBRUARY 28TH AND MARCH 1ST, 2025 IN MADRID
EVENT ON FEBRUARY 28TH AND MARCH 1ST, 2025 IN MADRID
EVENT ON FEBRUARY 28TH AND MARCH 1ST, 2025 IN MADRID
EVENT ON FEBRUARY 28TH AND MARCH 1ST, 2025 IN MADRID
EVENT ON FEBRUARY 28TH AND MARCH 1ST, 2025 IN MADRID
EVENT ON FEBRUARY 28TH AND MARCH 1ST, 2025 IN MADRID
EVENT ON FEBRUARY 28TH AND MARCH 1ST, 2025 IN MADRID
EVENT ON FEBRUARY 28TH AND MARCH 1ST, 2025 IN MADRID
EVENT ON FEBRUARY 28TH AND MARCH 1ST, 2025 IN MADRID
EVENT ON FEBRUARY 28TH AND MARCH 1ST, 2025 IN MADRID

Workshop

Focused on animators or video game designers who want to develop their projects with the latest technology and training with the best professionals. We will soon announce the projects participating in the 2025 edition.

Participants and finalists

Meet the twenty international participants who took part in the fourth edition of the workshop and the twelve finalists.

winner

finalist

Omayra González Pérez and Toni Mortero

Catwalk

Omayra González Pérez and Toni Mortero

Catwalk

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Omayra González Pérez and Toni Mortero

Catwalk

Project description

Trapped in a monotonous life and a shitty job, Maria reluctantly goes out partying with her friends to experience what seems to be another typical night at the disco. After suffering a terrible accident, her conscience travels to the body of a stray cat. Now, stripped of all social and work commitments, she has the opportunity to be free... Or so she thinks.

Bio

Omayra González Pérez:

Falling in love with animated films and video games since she was a child, she began her early years exploring through drawing. After discovering Animayo as a teenager, she decided to make her passion her profession by becoming a student of Arts. Later, she specialized in Illustration and, after a break in life, she studied 3D animation at Pepe School Land. It is there when she realizes the importance of narrative and discovers the desire to follow that path, which leads her to specialize in previs and layout.

Toni Mortero:

Having studied at Joso Comic school, he began his professional career as an illustrator, but soon learned to use Blender in a self-taught way and thus ends up developing a profile as a 3D generalist. In 2018 he joins the animation course at Pepe School Land. He participated in the final phase of the short film "Roberto", by Carmen Córdoba, where he develops the visual style of the render, as well as lighting and compositing the post-production of the project. In 2022 he also worked with Carmen in her next short film "Amarradas", being in charge of the Sound Design, as well as the rendering and 3D animation of the project. In 2020 he started working as an animator in Sauvage.tv, an advertising production company in Barcelona where, some time later, he became Animation Lead. He is currently developing a personal project that he talked about in the last Blender Conference (2023).

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Paula de Abreu and Sergio Miranda

Martina and Guará

Paula de Abreu and Sergio Miranda

Martina and Guará

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Paula de Abreu and Sergio Miranda

Martina and Guará

Project description

Martina e Guará is a multi platform franchise featuring the siblings Martina (a rhea) and Guará (a manned wolf), trying to adapt to their new home Anhangá, a magical island where animals from endangered species seek refuge. For now, there is an animated tv series pilot and a mobile game.

Bio

Paula de Abreu:

With more than 10 years of experience in the audiovisual market of animation and games, Paula has collected many awards in her career. She worked as an illustrator in series for Cartoon Network, Disney and Netflix, Lego, and as art director of the animated series Mytikah, finalist of the ''Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro'' award. The pilot of her first auteur project, Cat the cat, was selected in 60 festivals around the world, but her ultimate goal is to transform one of the auteur projects into an animated series.

Sergio Miranda:

2D animator in several films such as "Unicorn Wars", "Black Butterflies" and videogames like "Neva" and "Summer in Mara". He has also participated as an animator in the Blender Cloud short film "Hero".

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Vernante Amarilla Pallotti and Elisa Maggioni

The Cutting of the Forest

Vernante Amarilla Pallotti and Elisa Maggioni

The Cutting of the Forest

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Vernante Amarilla Pallotti and Elisa Maggioni

The Cutting of the Forest

Project description

Immersive VR short film that deeply explores the delicate balance between humanity and nature. Enter the world of VR, put on your headset and ascend to the top of a majestic tree, discovering breathtaking 360° views. In the distance, the ominous buzz of chainsaws and bulldozers signals an imminent threat. How far will your protest against the impending fall of the revered Mother Tree hold out?

Bio

Vernante Amarilla Pallotti:

Her work as a director includes the TV series "Animal House", broadcast on Rai Gulp, the animated short film "Lucia nella Notte" (2021), presented at Expo Dubai and Giffoni Experience, and the short film "Don't Step on Us" (2020) produced in collaboration with UNICEF Italy. She works as a director for the Italian cartoon factory T-Rex Digimation, creator of such well-known titles as "Gino the Chicken", "Arthur and Kiwi", "Dixiland" and "One Love". In addition to directing, she is the author of children's books ("Banshee: gliamori impossibili non muoiono mai" and "Scilla Zanne di Serpente"). Vernante also writes screenplays for live-action feature films, such as "Gli Assenti" (2024) and "Ferite" (2023).

Elisa Maggioni:

Italian illustrator and conceptual artist 23 years old. She graduated from the European Institute of Design (IED) in the Illustration course in 2022. Then, she started working as assistant director on "ONE LOVE", an animated series aimed at children and made by T-REX Digimation for Rai Kids. In 2022, he also had the opportunity to develop the designs for a new T-REX Digimation series and created the characters and environments. In collaboration with the director of T-REX Digimation, he also worked on the creation of a metaverse for an Italian art group. For this project he created the concepts of the setting. His style is strongly inspired by cyberpunk aesthetics, but he is able to easily adapt to the use of illustration styles very different from his own.

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Alejandro Díaz Vidal and Ruben Manchón Martínez

Nanomia

Alejandro Díaz Vidal and Ruben Manchón Martínez

Nanomia

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Alejandro Díaz Vidal and Ruben Manchón Martínez

Nanomia

Project description

Microplastic lives in the dark depths of the sea until he decides to leave the place in search of something better, guided to a luminous reef by some motes of light. There he is well received but he commits an imprudence, when he tries to touch the heart of the coral, the light goes out. Now, together with his new friend Operario, he will try to return the light to the coral, but along the way he will understand his true nature and face a difficult decision.

Bio

Alejandro Díaz Vidal:

Character Designer and Illustrator from Madrid. He studied art high school and developed in the field of design and illustration. He began his Illustration studies when he met several artists with the same passion for film and animation. He has worked as a freelancer since then in different projects finished and in development. As an illustrator, he has recently done a children's book and some freelance work for companies like Xiaomi. In the field of animation and postproduction, he has worked as Prop Designer for Mascotte+ and currently works as a freelancer for EDGLRD. In addition, he combines his work with the realization of different personal projects, such as NANOMIA, personal illustrative projects and the development of different IP.

Ruben Manchón Martínez:

3D modeler and surface artist from Madrid and Lead Look Dev of this project. He studied Fine Arts and began to take his first steps in the world of 3D. He has always considered himself a creative person with a lot of passion for art and cinema. He has worked in different fields of 3D, from advertising, metaverse and projects focused on films and series for companies like Garnier or Mobelium. Currently, he is working on a project for Sébastien Bruneau and Cédric Schmitt while collaborating in the development of different IPs.

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Alejandro Muñoz Fernández and Fernando Llor

The Whistler

Alejandro Muñoz Fernández and Fernando Llor

The Whistler

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Alejandro Muñoz Fernández and Fernando Llor

The Whistler

Project description

The Whistler is doomed to wander aimlessly until he is summoned to reprimand someone. It has always been like that. However, this time it is different. He is called upon to eliminate the Governors of each of the cities on the Continent. That causes him doubts, he feels that something is not as it should be, someone wants to take advantage of his curse and his power for acts that may be far from justice.

Bio

Alejandro Muñoz Fernández: 

After working in the video game industry as an art director for 8 years, he decided to embark on the world of animation and prepare a bible of a personal project, which has been presented to the Next Lab Generation workshop. Previously, he published the comics: Teluria 108 by Editions Babylon; and Korabaku by Editions Paquet. Also the videogames Temtem from the company Crema; A Gummys Life from the company EP Games; and Immortal Redneck from the company Crema.  

Fernando Llor:

Fernando Llor (Vigo, 1982) has been a comic scriptwriter since 2014. He has published up to 23 different titles in Spain, France, USA and Portugal among which stand out: "Ojos Grises" (Panini, 2016), "El espíritu del escorpión" (Panini, 2018), "La confesión" (The Rocketman Project, 2019), "Subnormal, una historia de acoso escolar" (Panini, 2020), or "Soma" (Planeta, 2023). He won the Best Spanish Screenwriter Award at the José Sanchis Grau Awards and the Splash Award for Best Screenplay. He has been nominated for Best National Screenwriter on multiple occasions, such as the Carlos Giménez Awards and the Critics' Awards. He is president of the Asociación Profesional de Guionistas de Cómic, and has been teaching screenwriting for a decade.

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Almu Redondo

East of the Sun, West of the Moon

Almu Redondo

East of the Sun, West of the Moon

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Almu Redondo

East of the Sun, West of the Moon

Project description

Sun and Moon fight for the dominion of the days. The fate of the conflict will be decided in the encounter between the warrior of the twilight and the warrior of the dawn in the palace east of the Sun and west of the Moon.

Bio

Winner of the Primetime EMMYAWARD for Best Production Design and nominated for the Annie Award for Best Feature Film Production Design. She collaborates with numerous directors such as Tomm More, Ross Stewart, Nora Twomey, Mamoru Hosoda or Rodrigo Blass. An architect by profession, she started working in VFX on films such as Jason Bourne, Aladdin or Doolittle, until she switched to CG and 2D animation. Her work includes production design for Cartoon Saloon for "Star Wars, Visions", art direction for League of Legends "Tales of Runeterr" at Axis for Riot Games and visual development and color script artist for Cartoon Saloon's "Wolfwalkers" and "My Father's Dragon", and production designer for the collaboration between Cartoon Saloon and Momoru Hosoda for his film "Belle".

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Beatriz García de Leániz González

Lazarus

Beatriz García de Leániz González

Lazarus

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Beatriz García de Leániz González

Lazarus

Project description

After losing his body in a terrible accident and being rescued as a spirit by a tyrannical post-apocalyptic nomad, a nameless boy will have to find a new body before his holographic soul disintegrates.

Bio

Digital artist from Madrid interested in visual development, illustration, character design and the development of new stories. She has a degree in digital animation (U-tad) and participated in an expert program in character design. In 2021 she participated in the Concept&Scriptwriting EU program at La Poudrière, where they had to develop and pitch two animation projects based on existing IPs. He has interned at Cartoon Saloon as Outfit&Prop Design and participated in an intensive cleanup program at Spa Studios. In 2022 her project "Lazarus" was selected to be featured on Cartoon Springboard. She currently works as a freelance character designer and illustrator while developing her projects and looking for new opportunities.

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Carlos Gómez Salamanca and León Felipe Carrizosa

DISPOSABLE

Carlos Gómez Salamanca and León Felipe Carrizosa

DISPOSABLE

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Carlos Gómez Salamanca and León Felipe Carrizosa

DISPOSABLE

Project description

DESECHABLE is an animated film that articulates reality with fiction, to reflect the rawness of life in the streets; an exciting story that offers a brutal panorama of the social reality in Colombia from an artistic perspective.

Bio

Carlos Gómez Salamanca:

Audiovisual artist whose work explores the relationship between audiovisual languages and painting. The reconstruction of images and visual archives is an important part of his work, bringing a documentary perspective to fictions that address different social and cultural aspects of his country. In 2013 he founded the art and animation studio NOCROMA, currently focused on the development of immersive narratives. CARNE (2013), his first animated short film, premiered at the Annecy Festival and was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Havana Film Festival.... YUGO (2021), his most recent short film, won the Special Jury Prize at the SESIFF Festival (Seoul, KR).

Leon Felipe Carrizosa:

Digital sound and image designer focused on exploring new forms of audiovisual storytelling using immersive and interactive digital technologies. He works in collaboration with Latin American artists and educators for storytelling, using virtual and augmented reality as a platform for cultural dissemination. He has also worked in the coordination of training processes in the use of digital tools for audiovisual and interactive creation.

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Douglas De La Hoz and Daniel Hincapié

The highest ruin

Douglas De La Hoz and Daniel Hincapié

The highest ruin

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Douglas De La Hoz and Daniel Hincapié

The highest ruin

Project description

Hundreds walk towards adventure when a passage opens up to unexplored lands. Among them is Klutch, who, seduced by the promise of fame and glory, decides to set out on his first journey. Along the way he meets the giant Bopen, an outcast who seeks inspiration for his art. Together they will travel to The Highest Ruin, where beauty, dangers and mysteries will make them rethink their motivations and the reasons why they keep on walking.

Bio

Douglas De La Hoz:

Digital artist born and based in Bogota, Colombia. Passionate about creating worlds since he was a child. He has worked for over 6 years in animation and video games, in projects such as Rick and Morty, Star Hunters (Pilot for Cartoon Network) and Degrees of Separation, as well as animated videos for artists such as Bad Bunny, Miley Cyrus, Kenya Os, Tayla Parx and animated spots for Hulu and Ted ed. The constant search for new challenges has led him to hold positions as art director, Concept artist, Illustrator, Comic Colorist, Vis-Dev Artist and Fondist for animation. 

Daniel Hincapié:

Colombian artist with six years of experience in the graphic industry, in various projects for comics, commercials, animated series, films and video games. He has participated in projects for Nike, Harry Styles, Señal Colombia, among others.

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Isabella Papa and Baboo Matsusaki

Parallel Lines at Infinity

Isabella Papa and Baboo Matsusaki

Parallel Lines at Infinity

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Isabella Papa and Baboo Matsusaki

Parallel Lines at Infinity

Project description

Naiá is a young woman who has become too lonely. In order to have some kind of connection, she chooses to use a biotechnological gadget that allows her to meet alternate versions of herself in other dimensions.

Bio

Isabella Papa:

Brazilian director, animator and illustrator. She is a versatile artist who explores diverse techniques and styles to bring out the best in a story.

Her career began as an experimental animator at MTV. Later, she worked with advertising agencies, television networks and currently focuses on animated television programs.

In 2014, he attended the Gobelins Summer School in Paris and fell in love with European animation production. Consequently, he packed his bags and moved to Europe in early 2016, having the opportunity to collaborate with different countries and participate in various productions.

Last year he worked for London studios and participated in the Emmy-winning children's series "The Adventorous of Paddington".

Baboo Matsusaki:

Founder of HildaMotion, she created a studio that reflects not only her career as an artist, but also her vision of a more equal world for all. She has been working in the animation market for over 15 years and during this time has had the honor of creating the opening and closing credits for "The Boy and the World" (the first Brazilian animated film to be nominated for an Oscar). He directed the project "Children against Zika" (which received numerous awards) and also created the visual identity for Anymotion (the largest Motion Design festival in Latin America). www.hildamotion.com

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Isidora Fajardo and Felipe Guzman

Las Almas de Escazú

Isidora Fajardo and Felipe Guzman

Las Almas de Escazú

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Isidora Fajardo and Felipe Guzman

Las Almas de Escazú

Project description

8 grieving souls of environmental activists who have died in suspicious circumstances in 8 Latin American countries, seek to resolve what was left pending in their earthly lives through a dialogue with their loved ones: existential doubts, family dilemmas and the eternal battle for the injustice that exists in the defense of territories.

Bio

Isidora Fajardo:

Audiovisual director from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Largavista is her debut as an experimental short film, where she is co-director, producer and actress. Interested in portraying social issues, she explores new languages with a focus on direct work with the territory. Her main areas of interest are production and cinematography. Among other projects, she has been executive producer of two interactive projects, Flotando en la Talagante and Mujeres en Cuarentena; and winner for best short film at the WIP de Cine Lebu. She is currently executive producer of the animated documentary series Las Almas de Escazú and general producer at Galgo Storytelling, a creative lab that seeks to develop projects with technology.

Felipe Guzman:

He has a degree in audiovisual direction and is a self-taught visual artist, he has worked in different roles within animation projects. From illustrator for TV series to participating in the animation of an animated feature film, he is gradually looking to open a space in Chile for animation aimed at an adult audience. Link to see more of his work: https://www.artstation.com/felipeguzman

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Jamil Lahham

Zoe & Chill

Jamil Lahham

Zoe & Chill

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Jamil Lahham

Zoe & Chill

Project description

When unsupervised 5-year-old Zoe runs away from home to attend the Imperial State Fair, she embarks on a challenging journey to win a giant teddy bear. Throughout her quest, and against all odds, Zoe learns a great lesson in ingenuity and resilience when she cleverly turns her father's bad habit into her big win and discovers that her journey was ultimately about providing the care her dysfunctional family failed to offer.

Bio

Jamil Lahham started his career in 2008 as a junior animator on "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs", and then became the animation supervisor on the Oscar winning short film "The fantastic flying books of Mr. Morris lessmore". In 2012 he moved to New York, where he got his first break in directing video game commercials and cinematics, while working on his own personal short film "Dirty Laundry Day". In 2020 he was introduced to the world of virtual reality and in less than a year created many VR experiences, the latest and most popular of which was an homage to a Syrian TV show titled "Rise and Shine".

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

José Antonio Vaca Cerezo and Adrián Andújar Jiménez

DIBUS

José Antonio Vaca Cerezo and Adrián Andújar Jiménez

DIBUS

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José Antonio Vaca Cerezo and Adrián Andújar Jiménez

DIBUS

Project description

Nico is a 6 year old boy with a great imagination and a love for drawing. When he gets bored at home or has an idea, he takes out his pencil and dives into the world of drawing. There, together with his particular friends Moni, Bato and Chan, he will live a thousand adventures in the most varied places, he will meet curious and bizarre characters and will face a lot of challenges and dangers.

Bio

José Antonio Vaca Cerezo:

Graduated in Fine Arts and Audiovisual Communication from the University of Salamanca. He has worked as a 3D animator in children's series such as "Niloya" and "Cleo y Cuquín".

As a creative director and supervisor, he has been part of the "lncredits" and "Animacars" team at Birdland animation studio. He has worked for the animation studio Futurum as creative director in their project "Charlie's Ark" and "Ling Ling". He has published comic strips in various national media and is the author of three books: "El cuento de contar que merece ser contado", "el retorno del Dr. Jekyll" and "Gaudeamus Igitur. Five years fly by".

Adrián Andújar Jiménez:

Lover of animation and illustration; after studying at the Graphic Design School of Valencia, he enters the world of 2D animation and from there he does not stop learning and interested in any kind of art related to the visual, both in 3D and 2D. Motiongraphics is his strong point, he likes any project where he has to express himself through various techniques. He is a generalist artist that handles several softwares and different techniques. 

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Jose Ignacio Molano Silván (Mol)

Dream Jobs Agency

Jose Ignacio Molano Silván (Mol)

Dream Jobs Agency

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Jose Ignacio Molano Silván (Mol)

Dream Jobs Agency

Project description

A group of dream agents helps children around the globe discover, explore and experience their dream work, encouraging them to ignite the flame of their true calling and make it grow.

Bio

Spanish illustrator and creator based in Madrid. He studied art at the Escuela de Arte 10 in Madrid and has been working as an illustrator for more than 15 years, during which he has collaborated with different publishers, animation studios and advertising agencies. In the last two years he has dedicated himself to character design, concept art and the creation of animation shows, such as T-Rey (Lion Forge Animation).

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Luis Felipe Verástegui Ríos

Tales of Vichaya

Luis Felipe Verástegui Ríos

Tales of Vichaya

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Luis Felipe Verástegui Ríos

Tales of Vichaya

Project description

360° animated mini-series opening, the various characters that make up the plot are presented in a dynamic and coherent way with the qualities of each one. Kang as the protagonist, his allies, and the antagonist of the story are presented in a dynamic and captivating way in conjunction with an original song.

Bio

Peruvian digital artist with university training in Animation. He did his Bachelor's thesis on animation production in Quill. Trained to contribute efficiently in the various stages of production and departments of an animation pipeline, specializing in the areas of concept art, character design, storyboarding, sculpture and 3D modeling. Experience in the international market and proficiency in multiple languages. Passionate about technology and constantly exploring new tools, styles and workflows to expand my skill set. Currently working as Digital Art Director at Pict Estúdio, in São Paulo, Brazil.

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Miguel Medrano Malo and Lucía Sampedro

Are there any dead people in the room?

Miguel Medrano Malo and Lucía Sampedro

Are there any dead people in the room?

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Miguel Medrano Malo and Lucía Sampedro

Are there any dead people in the room?

Project description

If a funeral were like cooking, the most important ingredient would be the dead person. Is there a dead person in the room? is a little story where, in a humorous way, we see how a town decides to celebrate a funeral without any of its neighbors having ever been to one and without the most important thing: a dead person.

Bio

Miguel Medrano:

He always remembers living more in his imagination than in reality, drawing and entertaining. Graduated in Fine Arts (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and specialized in 3D animation (Master of Animation, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia). He has been telling stories since he was a child, such as the book El diamante de Mercurio (Mercury's Diamond), which he published when he was 11 years old. He has participated in audiovisual works such as Perros or Tesoro. He also works as a modeler and promotes murals as a tribute to farmers in La Rioja, the land where he was born. He has recently directed the short film Marcharse.

Lucía Sampedro:

Graduated in Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts at TAI school. She specializes in editing, postproduction and production with works such as the documentary Mujeres de viento, tierra y ganado (co-director and co-director). Her path with that of Miguel Medrano came together in 2022 in the master's degree in 3D animation at the UPV in Valencia. In short, a couple of friends and professionals eager to carry out many projects, always trying to stir something and, above all, have fun along the way.

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Nacho Campa Martínez and Guillermo G. Fidalgo

Socks

Nacho Campa Martínez and Guillermo G. Fidalgo

Socks

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Nacho Campa Martínez and Guillermo G. Fidalgo

Socks

Project description

On a long road in the middle of nowhere, two mafia agents argue over the stink coming out of their car. They get so out of hand that they end up getting into a heated argument about whether it is more important to start dressing by the socks or the underpants, completely forgetting about the situation inside the car. It is when one of them hurts the other's feelings that the conversation is interrupted when they hear a cry coming from inside the car.

Bio

Nacho Campa:

He graduated in animation in the summer of 2023, although he already has a long background in high-level projects such as DragonKeeper (Dragoia Media), Ember (The SPA Studios) or Spellbound (Skydance Animation). He has experience in various departments and aspects of a production (production, clean-up, 3D animation...), which gives him a clear and broad vision of each project and pipeline. Recently he was producer and, together with Guillermo G. Fidalgo, he led the animation of a short film titled Ciao Peskao (2023), which will soon begin its tour of festivals. 

Guillermo G. Fidalgo:

Spanish animator graduated from U-tad in 2023. He has made several solo animated short films such as "Gus" (2017), "Kill Kurt" (2018) and most recently directed "Ciao Peskao" (2023) together with a team from U-tad which includes his partner Nacho Campa as producer. He currently works as a 2D animator at Sunshine Animation studio, and trained as a Clean-Up artist on the Netflix film "Ember" (The Spa Studios). He is mainly interested in the animation, storyboarding and directing departments, the latter being his biggest professional goal.

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Nacho Subirats Morate and Nuño Benito de Castro

Welcome to Fucking Rainbowland

Nacho Subirats Morate and Nuño Benito de Castro

Welcome to Fucking Rainbowland

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Nacho Subirats Morate and Nuño Benito de Castro

Welcome to Fucking Rainbowland

Project description

Adam, an anti-depression agent, and Jimmy, the happiest unicorn on earth, come to the conclusion that the happy town of Rainbowland is hiding something shady from its inhabitants. After following the trail of some missing people, they accidentally discover that there is a huge hidden landfill. In it are exiled all the people who do not follow the ideal Rainbowland lifestyle. Decadence, vices, indecent amounts of sugar...

Bio

Nuño Benito de Castro:

In 2012 he founded his production company MoA Studio, working as art director of animation projects, animator and head of postproduction among other fields. He has made animated pieces for Disney Channel, Repsol, Google, Mercedes-Benz, Ebay, Coca-Cola or Santillana among others. He has also participated in music videos for India Martinez or Sidonie and for programs such as La Resistencia or Premios Feroz. Recently he has been head of VFX in Neverfilms and Bajo la Red (winner of the Golden Globe for Best European Digital Series at the Hamburg festival), both for RTVE-Playz; and Flipante Noa for Disney Channel.

Nacho Subirats Morate:

He has just finished his work as Assistant Director in the multi-awarded Robot Dreams, by Pablo Berger. Animation Director, Illustrator and 2D animator. His drawings can be seen in campaigns for Fnac, Biotherm, Malibú, Movistar, Coca-Cola, L'Oreal or El Corte Inglés. Regular collaborator with publishers such as Penguin Random House, McGraw Hill, SM and Vaughan. Illustrator of the children's saga "Jurásico Total", which has sold thousands of copies. Director of the short film "Oldie but Goldie", Co-director of the animated short film "Yaku", nominated to the Goya Awards. He has collaborated as an animator in Headless, Disney and the short films "Blue & Malone. Casos imposibles", winner of the goya 2021 and "I Wish" nominated to the Goya 2018.

Pitch Next Lab
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winner

finalist

Pablo García-Munté

WHORE BARCELONA

Pablo García-Munté

WHORE BARCELONA

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Pablo García-Munté

WHORE BARCELONA

Project description

A letter of love and hate to the city through fantasy and its own imaginary. It deals with the extremes experienced by large European cities in the globalized world in which we live. Unaffordable housing prices, overcrowded city centers, alienated young people with no future prospects... However, it also contains countless stories and anonymous characters, who, despite everything, instill hope for a better future.

Bio

After about 5 years working as a freelancer, he has worked mainly in the world of advertising, as an illustrator and animator. He has made illustration pieces for brands such as Panini, animation pieces for clients such as McDonalds, and storyboards for clients such as Primavera Sound and Cupra. Animator in the series Jasmine and Jambo (produced by Teidees, and broadcasted on TV3 among other televisions) winner of the Quirino award for best series. He has also participated in the short film IBIS as 2D animator. He is also a professor at Tecnocampus University, where he teaches illustration and 2D animation.

Pitch Next Lab
LinkedIn

winner

finalist

Yura (Georgiy) Boguslavsky

Maybe yes, maybe no

Yura (Georgiy) Boguslavsky

Maybe yes, maybe no

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Yura (Georgiy) Boguslavsky

Maybe yes, maybe no

Project description

The film is based on a funny poem about 3 wise men from a Jewish village called Helom. One of them has faced a real miracle in the forest - there was a huge pile of snow with a hole in it, and out came a steam. After that the man could neither eat nor sleep anymore. Was it true or a lie, would they find an answer? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Bio

Born in 1987 in Moscow, Russia. Animation director, animator, scriptwriter, animation teacher, producer and co-founder of Invisible Friends creative team and Tsekh Animacii studio. He graduated from SHAR animation school in 2011.

He has been producing animation since the age of 8 and conducting animation classes for children since the age of 18. Since 2010 he has also conducted animation workshops in Russia and other countries (Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Germany, France, Italy, Serbia and Israel).

After the protest against the war in Ukraine he had to leave Russia and moved to Armenia.

He has also participated in numerous short animated films, feature films, music videos and

advertisements as a director, animator, artist and scriptwriter, and in some theatrical performances as a video artist.

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Professors

Meet the professionals who accompany the workshop participants to get the most out of the tools.

Character Animator and VR artist

Daniel Martín Peixe

A character animator with 12 years of experience at Disney ("Tangled", "Zootopia" and "Moana", the latter two Oscar winners), he currently works at Moon Studios as a cinematics animator. Daniel has worked in the animation industry as a traditional 2D and CGI animator in a variety of projects and locations around the world. Mentor of the professional online workshop Animsquad since 2017. Writer, director and creator of the virtual reality short film "The Remedy" (2019), created entirely with the virtual reality app "Quill".

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Character Animator and VR artist

Daniel Martín Peixe

Bio

A character animator with 12 years of experience at Disney ("Tangled", "Zootopia" and "Moana", the latter two Oscar winners), he currently works at Moon Studios as a cinematics animator. Daniel has worked in the animation industry as a traditional 2D and CGI animator in a variety of projects and locations around the world. Mentor of the professional online workshop Animsquad since 2017. Writer, director and creator of the virtual reality short film "The Remedy" (2019), created entirely with the virtual reality app "Quill".

LinkedIn
Art direction & production design

Enric Sant

After graduating in Fine Arts, he starts his career as a multidisciplinary artist between classical techniques and digital art, he enters as a Junior Artist in the videogame studio Digital Chocolate, there he will gain experience until he reaches the senior category and will found his own studio, Omnidrone where he will carry out the art direction of various projects. Simultaneously, Enric continues to mature his artistic work, whose interest revolves around existentialism and other philosophical concepts. After more than 10 years involved in the video game industry, Enric decides to give a turn to his career and deepen the audiovisual field, leaving the production of video games to focus on making his own projects, focused on animation and CGI, assuming the role of art director and director, doing work for film and advertising, among his current projects are "IBIS" and "Lumen", VR animation series awarded at Annecy 2023.

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Art direction & production design

Enric Sant

Bio

After graduating in Fine Arts, he starts his career as a multidisciplinary artist between classical techniques and digital art, he enters as a Junior Artist in the videogame studio Digital Chocolate, there he will gain experience until he reaches the senior category and will found his own studio, Omnidrone where he will carry out the art direction of various projects. Simultaneously, Enric continues to mature his artistic work, whose interest revolves around existentialism and other philosophical concepts. After more than 10 years involved in the video game industry, Enric decides to give a turn to his career and deepen the audiovisual field, leaving the production of video games to focus on making his own projects, focused on animation and CGI, assuming the role of art director and director, doing work for film and advertising, among his current projects are "IBIS" and "Lumen", VR animation series awarded at Annecy 2023.

LinkedIn
Real Time VFX Supervisor at Reel FX

Federico Moreno Breser

He studied filmmaking at the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, later specializing in animation doing 3D short courses at Image Campus and finally returning from Animation Mentor in 2009. In 2005 he founded Mcfly Studio, one of the leading animation studios in Buenos Aires working for a wide range of clients and projects during all these years such as Legendary Pictures, Disney, Fox, Netflix, Ubisoft, Unicef, Bradesco, Marvel, Boca Juniors, Ford, among others. In 2009 he founded Moushon! a monthly magazine specialized in animation that spread animation in Latin America. Federico is the creator and director of the award-winning animated series Tierra de Rufianes, and the co-director of El Paraíso, an Epic Mega grant winning animated feature film noir that will hit theaters in September 2022. Towards the end of 2021 he released REBELS in association with Facebook Oculus, a virtual reality narrative story that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021. Federico is currently based in Montreal working for Reel Fx as VFX Supervisor in the new Virtual Production department where they have just launched on Netflix, Super Giant Robot Brothers, the first animated series created using virtual production under the direction of acclaimed director and Pixar veteran, Mark Andrews.

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Real Time VFX Supervisor at Reel FX

Federico Moreno Breser

Bio

He studied filmmaking at the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, later specializing in animation doing 3D short courses at Image Campus and finally returning from Animation Mentor in 2009. In 2005 he founded Mcfly Studio, one of the leading animation studios in Buenos Aires working for a wide range of clients and projects during all these years such as Legendary Pictures, Disney, Fox, Netflix, Ubisoft, Unicef, Bradesco, Marvel, Boca Juniors, Ford, among others. In 2009 he founded Moushon! a monthly magazine specialized in animation that spread animation in Latin America. Federico is the creator and director of the award-winning animated series Tierra de Rufianes, and the co-director of El Paraíso, an Epic Mega grant winning animated feature film noir that will hit theaters in September 2022. Towards the end of 2021 he released REBELS in association with Facebook Oculus, a virtual reality narrative story that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021. Federico is currently based in Montreal working for Reel Fx as VFX Supervisor in the new Virtual Production department where they have just launched on Netflix, Super Giant Robot Brothers, the first animated series created using virtual production under the direction of acclaimed director and Pixar veteran, Mark Andrews.

LinkedIn
Experimental Animation Teacher

Joaquín Martínez

He studied Fine Arts in Madrid, but ended up moving to the digital field, doing a master's degree in 3D animation. He also ended up moving to London, where he has developed most of his professional career. He lived and worked there for about 5 years, animating TV series for children, but always trying to cover other areas. In 2020 he returned to Spain, where he was part of the team of animators for the new installment of Tadeo Jones: "Tadeo Jones 3: Curse of the Mummy". That same year he participated in the first call of Next Lab, where he ended up being one of the 3 winning projects with "Going Down". Since then he works as a freelance collaborating in different animation projects as a VR artist or animator. He combines this with teaching experimental animation at the U-TAD university in Madrid, where he continues experimenting and developing new working methodologies.

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Experimental Animation Teacher

Joaquín Martínez

Bio

He studied Fine Arts in Madrid, but ended up moving to the digital field, doing a master's degree in 3D animation. He also ended up moving to London, where he has developed most of his professional career. He lived and worked there for about 5 years, animating TV series for children, but always trying to cover other areas. In 2020 he returned to Spain, where he was part of the team of animators for the new installment of Tadeo Jones: "Tadeo Jones 3: Curse of the Mummy". That same year he participated in the first call of Next Lab, where he ended up being one of the 3 winning projects with "Going Down". Since then he works as a freelance collaborating in different animation projects as a VR artist or animator. He combines this with teaching experimental animation at the U-TAD university in Madrid, where he continues experimenting and developing new working methodologies.

LinkedIn
CTO at HAMPA STUDIO

Raúl Colomer

During the last few years he has been linked to Pinkman.tv studio as senior lighter and CG Supervisor with three projects completed, among them the Oscar winning "The Windshield Wiper", and the two Emmy winning "Jibaro", both directed by Alberto Mielgo. He has also been CG Technical Supervisor at In-Efecto, with the series project "Tara Duncan", where he was part of the studio's pipeline design team. He is currently the CTO of Hampa Studio, with more than ten projects in parallel in different states, focused on the development and implementation of proprietary and free software in workflows with "realtime" technology in 2D and 3D animation.

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CTO at HAMPA STUDIO

Raúl Colomer

Bio

During the last few years he has been linked to Pinkman.tv studio as senior lighter and CG Supervisor with three projects completed, among them the Oscar winning "The Windshield Wiper", and the two Emmy winning "Jibaro", both directed by Alberto Mielgo. He has also been CG Technical Supervisor at In-Efecto, with the series project "Tara Duncan", where he was part of the studio's pipeline design team. He is currently the CTO of Hampa Studio, with more than ten projects in parallel in different states, focused on the development and implementation of proprietary and free software in workflows with "realtime" technology in 2D and 3D animation.

LinkedIn

Jury

An international jury of four industry professionals will select the three winning projects.

Senior Consultant at Bureau G

Morten Thorning

Morten Thorning started as a musician, writer, producer and director of radio dramas at Danmarks Radio. From 1988 to 2019, he was founder and CEO of The Animation Workshop, transforming it into a visionary international center for education and development of the art of animation. This included founding the artist residency Open Workshop (1997), the incubation house Arsenalet (2012), the Viborg Animation Festival (2012) and the National R&D Center for Animation, Visualization and Digital Storytelling (2017).

He has been awarded the Danish Bodil Award (2017) and the Norwegian Golden Gunnar Award (2021) for lifetime achievement in animation, and the Hanne Hansen Award (2016) and the Ping Award (2020) for his work for the Danish graphic novel.

Morten currently works in the fields of animation and VR as a screenwriter, creative producer, director and artistic advisor through his companies, Bureau G and SCRPT.

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Senior Consultant at Bureau G

Morten Thorning

Bio

Morten Thorning started as a musician, writer, producer and director of radio dramas at Danmarks Radio. From 1988 to 2019, he was founder and CEO of The Animation Workshop, transforming it into a visionary international center for education and development of the art of animation. This included founding the artist residency Open Workshop (1997), the incubation house Arsenalet (2012), the Viborg Animation Festival (2012) and the National R&D Center for Animation, Visualization and Digital Storytelling (2017).

He has been awarded the Danish Bodil Award (2017) and the Norwegian Golden Gunnar Award (2021) for lifetime achievement in animation, and the Hanne Hansen Award (2016) and the Ping Award (2020) for his work for the Danish graphic novel.

Morten currently works in the fields of animation and VR as a screenwriter, creative producer, director and artistic advisor through his companies, Bureau G and SCRPT.

LinkedIn
Senior Lighting Artist. Blender

Pablo Vazquez

Argentine artist creator of the animated series Caminandes, lighting, shading, and rendering in Blender Foundation short films (Cosmos Laundromat, Agent 327, Spring, Sintel) for more than 15 years, and freelance illuminator (Watch Dogs: Legion by Pinkman.tv, among others). Currently living in Amsterdam working at Blender HQ as part of the UI and UX team, tool development and communication.

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Senior Lighting Artist. Blender

Pablo Vazquez

Bio

Argentine artist creator of the animated series Caminandes, lighting, shading, and rendering in Blender Foundation short films (Cosmos Laundromat, Agent 327, Spring, Sintel) for more than 15 years, and freelance illuminator (Watch Dogs: Legion by Pinkman.tv, among others). Currently living in Amsterdam working at Blender HQ as part of the UI and UX team, tool development and communication.

LinkedIn
Director of XR | Creator of VR

Ruxandra Gabriela Popescu

Ruxandra is an XR Director and Creator deeply passionate about bringing her technical and artistic expertise to the development of the XR entertainment industry by creating original immersive experiences. She specializes in animation for VR, which she considers a perfect medium for storytelling of all genres. Ruxandra's past experiences in digital and traditional media shaped her bespoke workflow and approach to developing immersive stories.

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Director of XR | Creator of VR

Ruxandra Gabriela Popescu

Bio

Ruxandra is an XR Director and Creator deeply passionate about bringing her technical and artistic expertise to the development of the XR entertainment industry by creating original immersive experiences. She specializes in animation for VR, which she considers a perfect medium for storytelling of all genres. Ruxandra's past experiences in digital and traditional media shaped her bespoke workflow and approach to developing immersive stories.

LinkedIn
Head of Production and CD

Tania Palma

Tania Palma, is an animation producer, designer and 3D artist. Production manager of animation projects, advertising and mobile application development. She is passionate about design, new technologies and the digital world. She is currently working as line producer for the Madrid production company Capitán Araña and is immersed in the production of the animated feature film 'Norbert', the development of the animated feature film 'Like!' and as production coordinator in the animated feature film 'SuperKlaus'.

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Head of Production and CD

Tania Palma

Bio

Tania Palma, is an animation producer, designer and 3D artist. Production manager of animation projects, advertising and mobile application development. She is passionate about design, new technologies and the digital world. She is currently working as line producer for the Madrid production company Capitán Araña and is immersed in the production of the animated feature film 'Norbert', the development of the animated feature film 'Like!' and as production coordinator in the animated feature film 'SuperKlaus'.

LinkedIn
Writer/Director/Animator

Will Anderson

Will Anderson is a BAFTA-winning Scottish filmmaker and animator. Based in Edinburgh, he writes, directs and produces numerous character and dialogue-based animation works for film, television, theater and online. With character in focus, ranging from 2D to 3D design, the process drives his stories, which lean towards existential themes. Will has received commissions and support from the BBC, BFI, MTV, [adult swim] and WarnerBros. Discovery.

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Writer/Director/Animator

Will Anderson

Bio

Will Anderson is a BAFTA-winning Scottish filmmaker and animator. Based in Edinburgh, he writes, directs and produces numerous character and dialogue-based animation works for film, television, theater and online. With character in focus, ranging from 2D to 3D design, the process drives his stories, which lean towards existential themes. Will has received commissions and support from the BBC, BFI, MTV, [adult swim] and WarnerBros. Discovery.

LinkedIn
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Event

It will take place in Madrid on February 28 and March 1, 2025. Conferences with professionals on innovation and new technologies for animation and video games, networking and project pitch.

Program

The 2025 event will feature talks and masterclasses by speakers from the professional world.

Want to stay up to date with the latest?

News

11/11/2024
Generation

Next Lab Generation opens call for projects for its fifth edition

4/6/2024
Generation

We will again be present at Annecy presenting the winners of the fourth edition

2/3/2024
Generation

The new microlearning platform Next Lab Ágora is presented during the Next Lab Generation event.

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Generation TV

If you want to see all the conferences of previous editions, visit our youtube channel.

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