Spain's Next Lab has announced the 2024 winners of its Generation Pitching and Incubation Program for VR, AR, XR and Animation projects.
This year, 20 projects were selected to participate in a series of talks, conferences, presentations, workshops and networking events in Madrid. Each proposed to a jury of industry experts, who evaluated the projects and selected his three favorites.
You can see excerpts of some of this year's projects in the video below.
The three projects chosen by this year's Next Lab judges are:
catwalkLydia Luna, Omaira González Pérez, Toni Mortero
- catwalk is an animated series project that tells the story of Maria, a woman who feels trapped in her everyday life. After a terrible accident during a night out with her friends, her consciousness is transferred to her stray cat's body, giving her the chance to live a completely different kind of life.
Martina e GaulaPaula de Abreu
- This Brazilian multi-platform project Martina e Gaula ” is the story of two brothers adjusting to life on a new home on a magical island where endangered species take refuge.
felling the forestVernante Amarilla Pallotti, Daniele Zen
- This Italian VR short film examines the balance between humans and nature as users climb to the top of a tree while chainsaws roar below.
The three selected projects will each receive €8,000 ($8,700) in development funding, three months of mentorship from experts in the relevant field, and the opportunity to pitch at the MIFA Marketplace in Annecy in June.
The jury also gave a special award to Nuño Benito and Nacho Subiraz's Spanish series project. Welcome to fucking rainbowland.
Next Lab was first held in 2021 as a starting point and incubator for projects that make the most of new technologies in the creative field. Since its creation, this event has hosted 70 projects from 30 countries.
José Luis Farias, Director of Next Lab, said:
Next Lab is taking a new step in harnessing technology for creativity and changing the way we understand animation. It's not just our work, it's also the work of the community that has formed over the past four years to collaborate, participate, and move us forward.
