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The Animation Workshop, Denmark’s largest animation school, has teamed up with a number of other organizations to promote the development of animation in five countries in the Andean region of South America: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

The all-expenses-paid accelerator program invites fifteen animation artists, directors, concept artists, writers, and producers from the region to participate in a two-month program this fall at the Animation Workshop in Viborg, Denmark. Participants will work in five 3-person teams to develop an animated TV series concept.

In December, the teams will pitch their concepts at the first-annual TIFA, the International Animation Training Workshop in Peru. One team will then be given funds to produce a pilot episode in Bolivia.

This initiative, called Andimation, is designed to kickstart animation production in the Andean region. “Using combined strengths to create story universes for animated TV series that can resonate across the territories, participants will communicate about common references and create new ones, [while revealing] local identities and values, and facilitate knowledge sharing,” the organizers said in a statement. “In doing so, Andimation will encourage cooperation, co-production, and the pursuit of ambitious international projects by local creative voices.”

Artists and producers in those five Andean countries are encouraged to apply by next month’s July 15 deadline. And there’s a great reason why eligible artists in the region should apply: the program is completely free. All expenses are covered for the 15 participants, including flight, housing, and food while living for two months in Denmark, and the same for travel to Peru to pitch in December. Further, the team behind the winning pilot will receive all expenses to live in Bolivia while making the pilot, and will also receive a salary during production. For more details, visit Andimation.dk.

In addition to The Animation Workshop, Andimation is supported by the Simón I. Patiño Foundation of Geneva, and the Danish Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia.

The Animation Workshop has been helping grow animation in the Andean region since 2009, when they launched Bolivianimation, which resulted in the production of Abuelo Grillo by Denis Chapon, who actually came up with the idea for this new program, Andimation. Watch Chapon’s short below:

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