The 16th Weird Market closes its 2024 edition announcing its list of winners, which includes animation projects in all formats and short films selected within the WFest festival. Nearly 600 registered attendees participated in the activities, presentations and the showroom that make up the program of this leading market for animation, video games and new media. Once again, this year Valencia hosted this multidisciplinary event that closes with a very positive feeling. “The industry professionals and attendees highlight that each year the level of the works presented is higher, and the nature of the event allows them to make contacts and forge alliances, that is, to create industry,” says José Luis Farías, the director of the event, which this year has expanded its professional section with the Weird Invest conference, aimed at presenting new financing models.
One of the pillars of this benchmark event for the sector is its catalog; a total of 180 selected projects that include feature films, short films, series, webseries, transmedia projects, video games, comics and board games.
The Movistar Plus+ Short Film Project Award went to The Truth rejects you, Cornelius by Marc Torices and Khris Cembe. This project presents the leap to the world of 2D and stop-motion of the comic character created by Torices, with a story that delves into the life of Cornelius the dog and his relationship with Avalutsa the frog. The award involves the acquisition of the piece by Movistar Plus+ for a sum of 9,000 euros in broadcasting rights for a period of 2 years (with an unlimited number of screenings), the first year being exclusive for the channel. In addition, the short film will be officially premiered in the 2025 or 2026 edition of Weird Market.
Another winning title was Catwalk by Lidia Luna, Toni Mortero and Omayra González. The trio won the Best Young Creator Series Project Award, thus obtaining a free registration for the next edition of Annecy-MIFA (MIFA professional registration). This confirms the industry’s positive reaction after Catwalk’s recognition last March at Next Lab Generation.

RTVE AWARDS ITS PRIZES FOR VIDEO GAME PROJECTS
In the video game section, three projects are awarded each year by RTVE. The winners of the RTVE Interactivo/Fallo de sistema awards in this edition were all from Spain: Neon Blood, by Chaoticbrain Studios (Best Video Game Project); Worldless, by Noname Studios, Coatsink (Most Innovative Video Game Project); and Barraka, by Zomorro Studio, Dojo System (Weird Plus Video Game Award). The three distinctions are awarded by RTVE’s Interactive Media department and can now be submitted to RTVE’s Interactive Department.
TWO IRANIAN SHORT FILMS WIN OVER JURY AND AUDIENCE AT WFEST, WHILE BUFFET PARAISO AND LA VALLA ARE CROWNED IN THE DOMESTIC COMPETITION
The WFest short film festival, another of Weird Market’s sections, also announced its winners. The international jury, made up of prominent names in the industry such as Portugal’s Bruno Caetano, Spain’s María Pulido, England’s Vanessa Wheeler and Ireland’s Moe Honan, chose Yegane Moghaddam’s Our Uniform as the best international short film. This Iranian work adds a new recognition after having been among the five nominees for this year’s Oscar Awards.
In the European section, all four members of the jury decided in favor of the Finnish Nun or Never! by Heta Jäälinoja, while Buffet Paradise by Héctor Zafra and Santi Amézqueta won the top award in the domestic competition; this co-production with France held its world premiere in this edition of Weird Market after having won the Movistar+ Short Film Project Award two years ago.
Three special mentions were awarded, one in the international section for In the Shadow of the Cypress by Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani (Iran), another in the European section for the Hungarian short 27 by Flóra Anna Buda, and the last one in the domestic section for Cafuné by Carlos F. De Vigo and Lorena Ares.
The audience also picked its winners: in the domestic competition the winner was The Fence by Sam Ortí, a Valencian filmmaker that chose the WFest, in its homeland, for this world premiere. In the international section, there was an “ex aequo” with Wander to Wonder by Nina Gantz (Belgium, Netherlands, France, United Kingdom) and Nun or Never!, which won a second prize.

The 16th edition of Weird Market is co-organized by the Valencian Institute of Culture, attached to the Council of Education, Culture, Universities and Employment. It also has the main sponsorship of Europa Creativa MEDIA, the Valencia City Council and the Valencia Provincial Council; the participation of the Ministry of Culture, ICEX, Valencia Innovation Capital, Acción Cultural Española through the Program for the Internationalization of Spanish Culture (PICE) and the ICAA; it is also sponsored by À Punt, HP, and has the support of IndieDevDay, Tangram Solutions, AVEPA, Animat, Movistar Plus+ and RTVE, among others.