Nominees for the Goya Awards

Is it possible to recall the near times of pandemic confinement through cinema and humor? Not only is it, but the formula works. At least, the one found by two former UPV students, Rocío Benavent and Diana Acién, whose approach to that episode has earned them a nomination for the Goya Awards in the Best Animated Short Film category.

The work, almost 7 minutes long, is entitled Todo bien, a title that does not exactly anticipate the plot it develops. It is a "surrealist tragicomedy with a feminist perspective, in which the roles of two characters are unexpectedly inverted when a new reality breaks into a particular scenario", describes Rocío Benavent, who is executive producer and Associate Lecturer in the Department of Audiovisual Communication, Documentation and History of Art Department.

This "new reality" will give rise to a series of conflicts and will challenge the two characters' ability to adapt.

Fingerprint scanning

The animation technique used in Todo bien is 3D design, with abundant 2D details. The combination of these two techniques has been one of the main challenges, along with the configuration of the characters' faces from an index finger that mimics fingerprints. The result allows us to emphasize the texture of the figures in continuous movement from the scanning of fingerprints, "a technique that sometimes reminds us of stop motion and plastering", says Benavent.

The plot draws on some anecdotal moments that, to a greater or lesser extent, we experienced during the pandemic and the consequent confinement. Some in particular, certainly surprising, were picked up by the media, such as the case of a man who was fined for taking his toy dog for a walk, recalls Benavent. The context of the confinement has allowed the creators "to explore the emotions we experienced, appealing to the spectator and inviting them to reflect on the challenges that this collective experience posed for us".

A multidisciplinary effort

Rocío Benavent points out that Todo bien is the result of the efforts of a multidisciplinary team, made up of around twenty people with professional experience in the world of animation. Among them, she highlights the initiative of Diana Acién, a graduate of the Master's Degree in Animation at the UPV and the person who sowed the seed, when she presented the script of the short film to Benavent during the pandemic to explore its possibilities and try to get public funding, through the production company Saltarinas. Todo bien has the support of À Punt Media and production aid from the Institut Valencià de Cultura.

National and International Tour

The distribution of Todo bien began at the beginning of 2023, after almost two years of production. So far, the short film has been selected in 38 national and international festivals, which must add a special mention from the jury at the Girona Film Festival and the award for Best Animation Short Film at the Fenavid Festival in Bolivia. The recent Goya nomination is "a prize in itself, knowing the ins and outs of a competition of this magnitude and sharing the nomination with friends and colleagues in the profession", Benavent stresses.

Unbeatable learning at the UPV

Asked about the training they have received at the UPV, both in terms of the Bachelor's Degree in Audiovisual Communication taught in Gandia and the Master's Degree in Animation, both highlight the high level of preparation of both degrees for the job market, thanks to their practical approach.

"In the case of the Master's, students can make a short film like the one Diana devised, which now aspires to the Goya award. This is an unbeatable apprenticeship for going out into the job market and getting a job in the animation sector", Benavent gives as an example.

The Goya Awards gala will be held on 10 February, when the awards in the different categories will be announced. A day marked in red for Rocío Benavent and Diana Acién. That day, the flashbulbs will shine on them. A light that will probably boost them towards their nearest goals: to finish their thesis, in the case of Rocío, and to set up their own production company, in the case of Diana. Until now, everything is fine.

• Teaser Todo bien