18/2/2025
Generation
In just over a week, the fifth edition of the Next Lab Generation event in Madrid will bring together the most influential professionals in the fields of innovation and new technologies in the animation and video game industries. This gathering marks the conclusion of the Next Lab Generation workshop, in which 14 animation, video game and immersive experience projects have explored the use of virtual environment tools to streamline their creative and production processes.
Just seven weeks after the workshop began, the announcement of the finalists marks the end of the first phase, during which the projects selected in January explored virtual reality tools and real-time rendering engines under the guidance and mentorship of industry experts. The 14 participating projects faced various challenges during the training, learning to use the technological tools at the heart of the program (Quill, a virtual reality software for artistic creation, and Blender for 3D modelling) and producing a teaser for their project in record time. In the second phase, the six finalists will focus on preparing for the final stretch of the competition, which will end with a pitch presentation in front of the jury and the audience of the event, where they will show the teaser created during the workshop.
The finalists' pitch event will take place on February 27th and 28th in Madrid at the Fundación José Ortega y Gasset - Gregorio Marañón (FOM), located on Fortuny Street. It will include two days of conferences and networking focused on the latest trends in innovation and new technologies in animation and video games. Registration is available on Eventbrite until Friday 21st at 14:00 Madrid time.
SIX INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS SELECTED AS FINALISTS
Once again, the selection of projects participating in the workshop, the most diverse in terms of format in the history of the competition, highlights the wealth of talent in the sector, both internationally and nationally. In this fifth edition, four short films, one video game and one feature film have been selected as finalists. Four of the six projects are helmed by women.
The short film Ashes by Fran de Olano is the only co-production (Argentina-Spain) among the selected projects. In the same category are the Spanish shorts We've Run Out of Milk! by Leyre E. Iturriza, and Rollin' Punkis, with the participation of Alberto Andrés Sánchez. The list of short films is completed by the Argentine project ¿Dónde está mi lápiz amarillo?, with the participation of Irene Franco. Other finalists include the Brazilian videogame project Echoes of Drowning, by Baboo Matsuzaki and Gabriela Diniz, and the Spanish feature film Padre nuestro que estáis en los cielos, by Aroa Talens Ferrís.
On the morning of Friday 27th, the finalists will present their pitches, marking the end of the workshop. During these pitches, participants will showcase the animated work created during the eight weeks of training and share their conclusions about the process. In the afternoon, the judges will announce the winners of Next Lab Generation 2025. The winners will receive professional registration to Annecy MIFA 2025 and the opportunity to present at the Next Lab Generation conference.
The full program and more information about the finalist projects is available on the Next Lab Generation website.
Next Lab Generation 2025 has the main sponsorship of the Community of Madrid, through the Council for Culture, Tourism and Sport, the participation of Ibermedia Next, the collaboration of: the ICAA, the Ministry of Culture, Madrid Film Office, Madrid’s Audiovisual Cluster, Annecy Festival, and FOM; and the support of Weird Market, Pixel Cluster and DIBOOS.