The Platino Awards, the preeminent honors for Ibero-American cinema and series, have taken a fundamental step this year by inaugurating the category for Best Special Effects. For Boat, this debut edition represents an absolute validation of its leadership in the region: the studio is responsible for the visual effects of 3 out of the 4 nominated series in the category, as well as the most-nominated feature film of the year.
This institutional recognition marks a turning point for the regional industry. "It is essential for us that VFX are finally incorporated into the Platinos," says Guille Lawlor, CEO & VFX Supervisor at Boat. "Our projects have always won Best Picture or Best Series, among other honors, but the technical artistry of effects lacked a dedicated category to recognize our craft. This milestone allows us to project our talent toward the Spanish, Mexican, and North American markets with an industry-backed credential."
Innovation and Technology: The Boat DNA
Boat’s success is no coincidence. The studio stands out for its constant Research and Development (R&D) team and a proprietary pipeline designed for high-complexity productions. Under the direction of Santiago Svirsky, founding partner and head of the studio's technological architecture, Boat has positioned itself as a benchmark for innovation in the region. This in-house infrastructure allows the studio to manage massive workflows with technical efficiency and quality that directly competes with Hollywood’s global standards—where Boat has already left its mark on titles such as Peter Pan & Wendy, Tetris, and Road House.
El Eternauta: Global-Scale Sci-Fi
With 11 nominations, including Best Ibero-American Series, Bruno Stagnaro’s El Eternauta (Netflix Argentina) is one of the most ambitious projects ever realized in Argentina. Under the on-set supervision of Bruno Fauceglia across 130 shooting days and the VFX direction of Guille Lawlor, Boat delivered 360 shots and 40 fundamental CG assets to recreate an apocalyptic Buenos Aires blanketed by a lethal alien snowfall. To handle this volume, the studio implemented a "mirror team" structure and a USD-based pipeline (Universal Scene Description), sharing execution levels with international powerhouses like DNEG and ILP. The combined use of Houdini for snow simulation and Unreal Engine for digital environments was key to achieving the realism Oesterheld’s epic demanded. The VFX supervision team also included Mariano Segat, Carlos Villafañe, Juan Olivares, Luis Medina, Juan Manuel Nuñez (Unreal), and Juan Curcho (CG FX), with VFX production by Cecilia Menchaca.
Menem: Crowds & Historical Reconstruction
In Ariel Winograd’s series Menem (Amazon Argentina), nominated for 7 awards, the challenge was "invisible" historical reconstruction of the 1990s. A standout feat is the recreation of the iconic campaign closing at the River Plate stadium, where multiple levels of digital quality were combined with chroma-key extra captures to generate a crowd of 360 photorealistic characters. "We recreated the look of the era through exhaustive documentary research into wardrobe and production design, integrating filmed actors with digital doubles to achieve organic crowd density," explains VFX Director Bruno Fauceglia. Additionally, the team developed CG vehicles—including Carlitos Jr.’s helicopter—and subtle digital makeup interventions on the lead character. The show featured VFX supervision by Carlos Villafañe and Juan Curcho (FX).
Cometierra: Animating the Inanimate
Daniel Burman’s series Cometierra (Amazon Mexico) presented one of the year’s most abstract challenges: overcoming the uncanny valley in natural elements. Under the supervision of Alejandro Valente, Carlos Villafañe, and Juan Curcho (FX), Boat produced 73 shots where earth, roots, stones, and plants take on a life of their own. The VFX team dedicated three months of development to define the behavior and visual language of these organic elements, achieving technically complex sequences where nature becomes a dynamic and terrifying antagonist.
Belén: Narrative Precision and Invisible VFX
The Dolores Fonzi-directed film, Belén (Amazon Argentina), arrives at the Platinos as the most-nominated film (11 nominations, including Best Ibero-American Film) following its Goya win for Best Film and other international accolades. With VFX direction by Bruno Fauceglia, co-supervision by Lucas di Rago and Mariano Segat, and coordination by Melina Maciel, the studio executed 100 highly technical shots. Highlights include the two "long takes" that open the film, composed of invisible stitches of six different takes, keeping characters in frame without apparent cuts. Additionally, Boat was responsible for the digital recreation of specific historical facades, digital vehicles, and the generation of massive crowds for the final protest, seamlessly integrating VFX into the film’s narrative.
An Extended Presence and the Future
Boat’s impact in this edition transcends the technical category; the studio also provided the effects for the nominees for Best Ibero-American Comedy: Homo Argentum and Un Cabo Suelto.
This success is the result of the synergistic work of a team of producers, coordinators, and artists who have proven that Boat possesses a creative voice and technical capacity with no ceiling in the international market.