The egos required to drive the creative industry don’t often allow for mea culpa’s, so this story of how how Barcelona studio Device and prodco BOL missed the mark with their titles for the OFFF Sevilla event makes a refreshing read.

From the teams at BOL and Device: “In today’s globalized creative landscape, there’s a fine line between being inspired by different cultures and oversimplifying them. Artistic expression, tradition, and identity are all deeply connected, and as creatives, we have to approach them with care, cooperation, and a willingness to dispute our own assumptions.

“We were given complete creative freedom to produce the title sequence for OFFF Sevilla, a regional edition of the global culture festival, commissioning animation studio Device for a same-day unveiling.

“When the OFFF Sevilla board gently told us that our title sequence missed the mark during the event, we didn’t expect it – but we understood. At that moment, we realized our vision, shaped by admiration but limited by perspective, had unintentionally reduced Andalusian and Sevillan culture to clichés.

“While Flamenco is one of Seville’s most iconic artistic expressions, the region’s cultural landscape is far more expansive – shaped by centuries of history that continue to influence its evolving identity and the lived experiences of its people.
 

“Moving forward, we’re committed to deepening our understanding of the cultures we engage with, ensuring that our creative process is shaped by research and dialogue.

 
“That moment sparked an important and ongoing conversation within our team at BOL. We questioned our perspectives, gaps in cultural knowledge, and how we could be more thoughtful and collaborative in our creative process moving forward.

“Looking back, we recognize that despite being geographically close, we didn’t fully capture the interpersonal depth of Sevillan culture. The goal was never to define Flamenco or Seville, but to celebrate their presence and history, sharing them with a global audience in a way that felt fresh and respectful.

“As a key takeaway, we recognize the complexity and sensitivity of representing cultural elements from an external perspective. While our focus was to admire and connect with other cultures through modern audiovisual language, we have reflected on aspects of the narrative where we relied on surface-level representations, overlooking the diversity of Sevillian and Andalusian cultures.

“At the festival, we openly shared our challenges with the attendees and, more importantly, what we learned from them. We were able to identify our limitations as outsiders, reflecting on the situation and promising to enrich our creative process – consulting local experts, considering sociopolitical factors, and acknowledging our previous mistakes.

“Moving forward, we’re committed to deepening our understanding of the cultures we engage with, ensuring that our creative process is shaped by research and dialogue. At the heart of it all, collaboration remains one of our core values, alongside our belief that we are always a work in progress – constantly learning, evolving, and refining how we represent traditions in our work.”

Watch the BTS video:
 

 
 

 
Client: OFFF Festival

Production: BOL Production House
EP: Ibran Trassierra
CD: Guille Comin
Producer: Ariadna Pons

Animation: Device
Director: Guille Comin, Pol Solà
Art Director: Marc Stuart, Eudald Salarich
Illustrator: Marc Stuart, Eudald Salarich, Pol Solà
Cel Animator : Dante Zaballa, Vir Fillol, Guadalupe Vyleta
Clean up: Vir Fillol, Guadalupe Vyleta
2d Animator: Jaume Mestre, Edu Altarriba, Ester Dus

Music/Sound design: Aimar Molero
Voice: Laura Marchal
Guitar: Joan Mercadal
Jaleos: Jesús Campos