Fantasy Musicals, Spanish Horror, And Survival Comedy: MIANIMA Unveils Nine Animation Projects

MIANIMA has selected nine projects for the fifth edition of its development and pitching program for women in Ibero-American animation. The lineup includes two features, two series, three shorts, and, for the first time, two student projects.

Organizer MIA (Mujeres en la Industria de la Animación, Spain’s version of WIA) chose the projects from 48 submissions from the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America. Participants will spend four months developing their work through individual mentoring sessions and masterclasses before pitching to potential partners at a final event in Madrid. The date for that event has not yet been announced.

This batch of selected projects includes:

Features

• Canción de Fuego (Song of Fire), Guadalupe Granados (Mexico)
• El Príncipe y el Cisne (The Prince and the Swan), Aitana Cantero (Spain)

Series

• Kipaut Survival Guide, Nuria Mañosa (Spain, Portugal)
• Sognaria, Jules Sánchez (Colombia)

Shorts

• Villahermosa, Patri Romanov, Alazne Vázquez (Spain)
• Canina, Eva Vaeli, Bea Villar (Spain)
• Entre Hojas (Among Leaves), Celia Alcina (Spain)

Student projects (MIANIMA Lite)

• Sorgina, June Poloz, ESDIP School of Art (Spain)
• Minucias, Irene Victoria Caballero, ECAM, UDIT, and Miami Ad School (Spain)

The two features take different approaches to fantasy. Guadalupe Granados’ Mexican project Canción de Fuego combines it with comedy and music, while Aitana Cantero’s Spanish feature El Príncipe y el Cisne pairs adventure with an LGBTQ+ romance.

The series selections are Nuria Mañosa’s Kipaut Survival Guide, a comedy adventure from Spain and Portugal, and Jules Sánchez’s Colombian project Sognaria, a coming-of-age story with elements of mystery, comedy, and adventure.

Spain accounts for all three shorts. Patri Romanov and Alazne Vázquez’s Villahermosa blends fable, horror, and tragicomedy; Eva Vaeli and Bea Villar’s Canina is a social drama; and Celia Alcina’s Entre Hojas is a psychological horror film.

MIANIMA Lite debuts this year with two selections from nine student submissions. Across the full call for projects, MIA received 14 short film proposals, 13 series, 12 features, and nine student projects. The organization said 2D animation was the predominant technique in every category, while more than 70% of applicants identified themselves as the director or creator of their project.

One project in each category will receive an award following the Madrid pitches. The winning short will receive the €25,000 ($28,500) RTVE Talent Award for development, tied to broadcast rights. Feature and series winners will receive development services, including production or distribution advice; the Lite winner will receive passes to Mundos Digitales 2027, an annual gathering of animation and VFX professionals in A Coruña, Spain, featuring industry talks, networking events, and an animation short film competition.