Tsunami, the new short film by director María Pulido, has its international premiere at the prestigious, Oscar-qualifying Animayo festival, positioning itself as one of the standout titles on the 2026 circuit. The filmmaker, who participated in the industry activities at the ninth edition of the Quirino Awards, noted that the work maintains the distinct profile of Tinglado Film, focusing heavily on social, political, and environmental themes.
For Pulido, who already possesses prior directing experience, Tsunami represents a turning point in her career: it is her first work conceived with a robust financing structure. The project has successfully secured solid institutional and private backing, counting on support from the ICAA, the Government of the Canary Islands, and the Cabildo de Tenerife, in addition to locking in an acquisition deal with Movistar.
The short film’s industrial weight is further solidified in its production, resulting from an alliance between two benchmarks of the Spanish animation sector: Tinglado Film, led by David Baute, and ÚniKo Film, headed by Iván Miñambres, who arrives at the Tenerife market backed by his recent triumph at the Quirino Awards themselves with the feature film Decorado. ‘This partnership between two major production companies in Spain behind the project is a very beautiful story’, the director highlighted during her time in Tenerife.
Beyond its commercial and industrial packaging, Tsunami stands out for a narrative deeply anchored in the present. Pulido describes the work as a ‘personal story that functions simultaneously as a photograph of the current moment’. The script addresses palpable challenges for younger generations, such as the housing crisis and the necessity of learning how to close vital life chapters.
‘I always say that the target audience for this short is ‘lost adults,’ Pulido reflected, steering away from pure drama to approach the story from a perspective of ‘joyful nostalgia’. The central metaphor that gives the title to the work sums up its philosophy: ‘In the end, everything happens there. The wave is going to arrive and it is going to hit you, but how you want to face it depends on you: whether you jump over it, surf it, or dive underneath. But the hit arrives just the same for everyone’.
To bring this vision to life, the production has assembled a top-tier technical team from the Spanish animation industry. Alongside producers Miñambres and Baute, the short film features a score by the renowned composer Joseba Beristain. The visual department is led by Patricia Díaz in art direction, while production management is handled by Guillermo Peraza, with the strategic support of Adasat Hernández, a talent recognized at last year’s Quirino Awards.
