The 17th Weird Market Announces 2024 Dates, Venue ane New Image
Skwigly
The 17th Weird Market announces the first details of its new edition to be held from September 30 to October 5 in Valencia. The International Animation, Video Games and New Media Market presents a new “groundbreaking” image, says director José Luis Farias. For this edition, illustrator and conceptual artist Igor Heras created a design influenced by gothic horror and monsters, as well as the style and colors of Japanese posters. “I wanted to emphasize that there is also a part of animation focused on adult audiences, without overlooking, of course, all the other elements that make up the festival,” says Heras.
The artist is a key member of the Monster Pit studio, which has 15 years’ experience working in the video games, animation, film, television series, board games, advertising and publishing industries. Among their clients are leading international companies, including Konami, Nintendo, HBO, Disney, and Games Workshop. They have participated in the development of projects such as Castlevania Lords of Shadows, 30 Monedas, Toy Story 4 o Warhammer The Horus Heresy: Legions.
KEY VENUES IN VALENCIA
Valencia will once again be the meeting point for the animation sector at the start of fall 2025. This key event for the animation and video game sector will feature Las Naves and La Mutant as reference points for conferences, WFest (the short film competition), and professional activities. Other venues and programming will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Las Naves is cementing its role as a location for conferences and competition screenings for the short film contest (WFest). This center perfectly adapts to the event’s needs thanks to its versatile nature as a social and urban innovation hub.
Meanwhile, La Mutant, which is connected to Las Naves, will join in 2025 for the remainder of the professional events. This is a live arts space and the driving force behind a new cultural scene in the Grau neighborhood. “It’s a perfect combination for Weird Market. Our innovative, multidisciplinary identity aligns perfectly with the philosophy of both venues,” said Farias.
CALL FOR PROJECTS FOCUSED ON IPs
This year’s main innovation in the projects section is the structure of the call. With the aim of focusing on the value of IPs, regardless of their origin, Weird Market is bringing them together in a single call for European IP projects. Projects in animation (including feature films, short films, series, web series and social media series—the latter three are open exceptionally to international submissions), video games, transmedia, board games and comics can be submitted at any stage of production: pre-production, production or finished.
Submissions will be evaluated based on creativity and emphasis on intellectual property. An initial selection will be published in the Weird Market catalogue, which reaches over 7,000 industry professionals each year through online distribution and the event’s website.
A second selection will choose the projects that will be presented by their creators in Valencia during the market.
Submissions are being received until August 11, with no registration fee. Selected projects will be eligible to win some of the following awards: Movistar Plus+ Short Project Award, RTVE – Weird Market Talent Award for Best Animation Short Film Project, RTVE Awards for Best Video Game Project, Most Innovative Video Game Project, and Weird Plus Video Game, as well as the Annecy-MIFA 2025 Free Registration for Best Young Creator Series Project.
The 17th edition of Weird Market is primarily sponsored by Creative Europe MEDIA, the Valencia City Council, Valencia Innovation Capital, and the participation of Acción Cultural Española through the Program for the Internationalization of Spanish Culture (PICE). It is also supported by RTVE, the Valencian Institute of Culture attached to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Universities and Employment, IndieDevDay, Tangram Solutions, DIBOOS, AVEPA, Animat, and Movistar Plus+, among others.