Olivia & the Clouds

Olivia & the Clouds
Promotional release poster
SpanishOlivia & Las Nubes
Directed byTomás Pichardo Espaillat
Screenplay byTomás Pichardo Espaillat
Produced by
  • Amelia del Mar Hernández González
  • Fernando Santos Díaz
Starring
  • Olga Valdez
  • Héctor Aníbal
  • Elsa Núñez
  • Fery Cordero Bello
  • Dominique Goris
CinematographyTomás Pichardo Espaillat
Music byCem Misirlioğlu
Production
companies
  • Guasábara Cine
  • Historias de Bibi
  • Cine Chani
Distributed byMiyu Distribution
Release date
  • 15 August 2024 (2024-08-15) (Locarno)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryDominican Republic
LanguageSpanish

Olivia & the Clouds (Spanish: Olivia & Las Nubes) is a 2024 Dominican adult animated experimental drama film written, filmed and directed by Tomás Pichardo Espaillat in his feature directorial debut.

The film had its world premiere at the 77th Locarno Film Festival on 15 August 2024.

Voice cast

  • Olga Valdez as Olivia
  • Héctor Aníbal as Ramón
  • Elsa Núñez as Doña Olivia
  • Fery Cordero Bello as Mauricio
  • Dominique Goris as Barbara

Production

In an interview with Loud and Clear, Pichardo Espaillat revealed that the production of the film began ten years prior. Different animators contributed different animation techniques to the film. "The film has these different points of views and characters, so I could play around with that idea in the visuals. All these people could bring their own styles and ways of working," he explained.[1]

Release

Olivia & the Clouds had its world premiere at the 77th Locarno Film Festival on 15 August 2024, competing for the Concorso Cineasti del Presente award.[2] Prior to its premiere, Miyu Distribution acquired the film's distribution rights.[3] It also competed at the 2024 Ottawa International Animation Festival[4] and in the Sutherland Trophy section of the 2024 BFI London Film Festival where it won an special mention.[5]

Olivia & the Clouds was featured in the Harbour section of the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam screened in February 2025[6] and in the Contrechamp section of the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.[7]

Accolades

Award / Film Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Locarno Film Festival 17 August 2024 Golden Leopard – Filmmakers of the Present Olivia & the Clouds Nominated [8]
Junior Jury Award Special Mention [9]
Ottawa International Animation Festival 28 September 2024 Best Feature Nominated [10]
BFI London Film Festival 20 October 2024 Sutherland Trophy Special Mention [11]
Havana Film Festival 13 December 2024 Best Animated Film Won [12]
Málaga Film Festival 22 March 2025 Zonazine – Silver Biznaga for Best Ibero-American Film Won [13]
Film Schools Award for Best Film Won [14]
Filmfest Bremen 23 March 2025 Best Visual Innovation Won [15]
San Diego Latino Film Festival 23 March 2025 Best Feature Film Won [16]
Athens International Film And Video Festival 13 April 2025 Film House Award Won [17]
Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film 10 May 2025 Animovie Special Mention [18]
Annecy International Animation Film Festival 14 June 2025 Contrechamp – Best Feature Film Nominated [19]
Guadalajara International Film Festival 14 June 2025 Best International Animation Feature Film Won [20]
Costa Rica International Film Festival 29 June 2025 Best Feature Film from Central America and the Caribbean Special Mention [21]
Animator (festival) 12 July 2025 International Full-Length Competition Special Mention [22]


References

  1. ^ Stottor, William (20 October 2024). "Interview: Tomás Pichardo Espaillat on Olivia & the Clouds". Loud and Clear. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  2. ^ Szalai, Georg (10 July 2024). "Locarno Fest Lineup Includes Hong Sang-soo, Paz Vega Films, Honors for Mélanie Laurent, Guillaume Canet". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  3. ^ Lang, Jamie (1 August 2024). "Miyu Acquires Animated Dominican Feature 'Olivia & the Clouds' Ahead of Locarno, Ottawa Competition Screenings (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  4. ^ Amidi, Amid (12 July 2024). "Ottawa Int'l Animation Festival 2024 Lineup Announced – Full List". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Award winners announced at 2024 BFI London Film Festival". BFI. 2024-10-20. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  6. ^ "Harbour: Olivia & the Clouds". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  7. ^ Amidi, Amid (2025-04-23). "Annecy Selects 21 Animated Features For Competition Lineups". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  8. ^ Ntim, Zac (17 August 2024). "Locarno Film Festival Winners: Lithuanian Teen Drama 'Toxic' Takes Top Prize". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  9. ^ Libre, Diario (2024-08-19). "Delegación dominicana en Festival de Cine de Locarno logra tres premios". Diario Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  10. ^ Amidi, Amid (30 September 2024). "'Flow,' 'La Voix Des Sirènes' Win Top Awards At Ottawa International Animation Festival". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  11. ^ Walton, Ben (20 October 2024). "Adam Elliot's 'Memoir Of A Snail' heads BFI London Film Festival 2024 winners". Screen Daily. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  12. ^ Cardin, Adele (2024-12-14). "Mexican and Argentine Films Dominate 45th Havana Film Festival". The Rio Times. Retrieved 2025-02-08.
  13. ^ Lang, Jamie (2025-03-22). "Eva Libertad's 'Deaf' Follows Up Berlin Audience Award With Málaga Best Picture Pick, 'The Exiles,' 'Fury' Score Three Awards Each". Variety. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  14. ^ "El Festival de Málaga entrega los premios de ZonaZine, Cortometrajes, Documentales, Mosaico y otros galardones no oficiales | Actualidad | Festival de Málaga". El Festival de Málaga entrega los premios de ZonaZine, Cortometrajes, Documentales, Mosaico y otros galardones no oficiales | Actualidad | Festival de Málaga. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
  15. ^ "Das Bremer Filmfest 2025". Filmfest Bremen. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  16. ^ "Thank You (Mil Gracias) for an Incredible 32nd SDLFF! – SDLFF" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  17. ^ "2025 Awards! – 52nd Athens International Film + Video Festival – April 7-13, 2025". Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  18. ^ Rebecca (2025-05-10). "Winners | Internationales Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart (ITFS)". itfs.de. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  19. ^ Roxborough, Scott (23 April 2025). "Annecy Unveils 2025 Lineup (Full List)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  20. ^ Rodríguez, Andrés (15 June 2025). "El documental 'Llamarse Olimpia', galardonado con el Premio Mezcal a mejor película en el Festival de Cine en Guadalajara". El País.
  21. ^ CRFIC (2025-06-30). "CRFIC 13 cierra con una noche de premios, música y mucho cine". CRFIC (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  22. ^ "Festiwal Animator Poznań, 5.- 13.07.2025 - "Autokar" w drodze po Oscara! | Zwycięzcy 18. MFFA ANIMATOR". animator-festival.com (in Polish). Retrieved 2025-07-12.