Ice Merchants is one of the 5 nominees for the American Academy's Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. It is the first time in the history of Portuguese cinema that a film reaches this stage.

The film by João Gonzalez was International Competition Audience Award and Best Portuguese Film in the Curtas Vila do Conde 2022.

João Gonzalez is a director, animator, illustrator and musician, with classical piano training. He directed the multi-award winning films Nestor and The Voyager. Ice Merchants was the first Portuguese animated film to have an award at Cannes and one of the 5 nominees for the European Film Awards. It has won 9 awards at festivals qualifying for the American Academy Oscar and 45 other awards and special mentions at film festivals, exceeding 100 official selections at festivals around the world in less than a year on the circuit.