Enrique Gato to receive the 2025 Honorary Diboos Award at Weird Market
Skwigly
Animator, director, and screenwriter Enrique Gato will receive the “Honorary Diboos Award” in 2025. The distinction, awarded by Diboos (Spanish Federation of Animation and Visual Effects Production Companies) as part of the 17th edition of Weird Market, seeks to highlight an individual or entity that has made a significant contribution to the sector by promoting Spanish animation both within Spain and abroad. On Friday, October 3, the Animation, Video Games and New Media Market held in Valencia will welcome the creator of one of the most successful film franchises in Spanish cinema: Tadeo Jones. “Enrique is one of the best ambassadors for Spanish animation, an indisputable proof of the potential, robustness, and resilience of this sector that continues to bring joy to our film industry,” says Nathalie Martinez, current President of Diboos and the first woman to preside over this Federation in its 19-year history. Gato joins the list of award winners, which last year included Pablo Berger.
Enrique Gato (Image via Weird)
Enrique Gato (Valladolid, 1977) is an animator and filmmaker who has managed to position animated cinema in Spain at the center of the industry’s attention. Co-founder of the Lightbox Academy studio and director of its animation department, his filmography includes feature films such as Atrapa la Bandera and the trilogy Las aventuras de Tadeo Jones (a fourth installment is already in the works). This Valladolid native has managed to fill movie theaters with viewers of all ages, raise millions of euros for the Spanish audiovisual industry, both nationally and internationally, and accumulate eight Goya Awards, multiple Gaudí Awards, and medals from the Writers’ Circle, the José María Forqué Award for Education in Values, as well as other distinctions at such prominent events as the Annecy Festival and the Platino Awards.
In his early days, Enrique worked as a character animator for various video game studios and trained as a computer engineer. His in-depth knowledge of 3D animation software enabled him to develop tools to streamline animation tasks, which are essential for his work on large productions. With the production company “La Fiesta,” he created his first short film for cinema, whose protagonist is a character clearly influenced by Indiana Jones, the most popular archaeologist and adventurer on the big screen. This work received the Goya Award for Best Animated Short Film, as well as 64 other national and international awards. A cultural icon created by Gato himself in 1999, which has traveled to more than 70 countries, breaking all kinds of records in Spanish animation.
In the global market, his productions have been seen all over the world, rivalling (in terms of number of theaters in the week of release) major Hollywood studios such as Pixar, Disney and DreamWorks. A clear example was Gato’s most recent film: Tadeo Jones 3: La tabla esmeralda, which grossed more than €20 million outside Spain, being released in 40 territories across five continents. The release came at a time when the impact of Covid-19 was still apparent, and audiences were reluctant to go to the cinema. Its premiere was a boost for both viewers and exhibitors, significantly increasing the share of domestic cinema in the final balance for the year.
The 17th edition of Weird Market is primarily sponsored by Creative Europe MEDIA, the Valencia City Council, Valencia Innovation Capital, with the participation of Acción Cultural Española through the Program for the Internationalization of Spanish Culture (PICE). It also receives support from RTVE, Movistar Plus+, Valencia Game City, HP, Tangram Solutions, the Valencian Institute of Culture attached to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Universities and Employment, BCN Game Fest, DIBOOS, AVEPA, and Animat, among others.
See the full program at weirdmarket.es/