João Gonzalez' film didn't come home with an Oscar, but it certainly comes home a winner! And so does Portuguese animation cinema.
A long and especially beautiful year of work – during which João Gonzalez, Bruno Caetano/Cola Animation and the Portuguese Short Film Agency designed and implemented the internationalization strategy of 'Ice Merchants' – couldn't end in a better way: for the first time in the history of Portuguese cinema, a national film is among the 5 Oscar nominees!
And all this following a unique journey: it was the first Portuguese animated film to win an award at Cannes; it was one of the 5 nominees for the European Film Awards; it won the prize for best short film at the 50th edition of the Annie Awards; it won 9 Oscar qualifying festival awards; it won more than 50 other awards and special mentions at film festivals all over the world; it has more than 100 official selections at festivals in less than a year on the circuit.
The film also reaches remarkable numbers: it is approaching 10 thousand spectators in Portugal and has already surpassed the 200 thousand barrier worldwide. As of today, it is also available at all national television operators and on two streaming platforms.
And the journey does not end here, our work continues: more festivals, more cinemas, more spectators...
Congratulations João, for us you are the winner! And, with you, Portuguese cinema wins too.
