Biographie
JuanMa Suárez was born in Coria del Río (Sevilla) in 1974. A self-taught artist, he graduated in Audiovisual Media Infographics and Advertising. Despite his youth, his extensive experience in these fields has earned the trust of numerous producers. He has directed many animated features, notably Misión en Mocland: Una aventura superespecial (2008), which was the first 3D film produced in Andalusia. Over the past decade, he has balanced this work with managing PizzelStudios, directing TV projects such as the popular animated series Mocland (2005), Andaluna y Samir (2007), Miscelánea (2009), and Abby Careful (2010), some of which have received international acclaim. He has also produced numerous advertising campaigns for major brands including McCann Erickson, Mapfre, Cajasol, Junta de Andalucía, Canal Sur, Bassat Ogilvy, Lipasam, and Arena Media.
Commissioned by TheTerrat, he directed the animated segment for the 2011 Animations Awards presented during the 25th Goya Awards ceremony, working alongside Spain’s most renowned actors such as Santiago Segura, Penélope Cruz, and Andreu Buenafuente. His work as an animation director on 30 años de oscuridad (2011) has garnered multiple national awards: nominated for Best Documentary Film at the 2012 Goya Academy Awards, and winner of Best Documentary Film and Best Mechanical Artist Contribution (Teo Escamilla Award) at the 2013 ASECAN Awards in Spain. The film has been showcased at numerous festivals with both national and international recognition, including the Toulouse Spanish Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival (Made in Spain section), DMZ -Docs Korean International Documentary Festival, Docs DF -Mexico International Documentary Film Festival-, Horizontes Film Festival, and Marseille Spanish Film Festival. It has also been screened at the IDFA International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam and the Europe Film Festival in Sevilla.
His latest directorial project, Alfred & Anna (2012), was recently nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the Goya Academy Awards and is set to potentially win on February 17th. For this project, JuanMa Suárez commissioned Roque Baños to compose the original soundtrack. Andreu Buenafuente and Pastora Soler also contributed to the short film. It premiered last January at Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Los Angeles, CA, and is currently embarking on a tour through various international festivals.
