Official Competition Program of the 9th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival!

The 9th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival announces its official competition program!

On May 13-17, 2026, the 9th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival will take place in the capital city of Baku – at the Nizami Cinema Center and the Surakhani ship-museum. It is organized by the Azerbaijan Animation Association and “ANIMAFILM” LLC, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan. International interest in ANIMAFILM, Azerbaijan’s first and only animation festival, has reached a record high this year: 437 animated films from over 60 countries have been submitted for participation.

Following a comprehensive review and evaluation process, the festival’s selection committee has determined the list of films that will compete in various categories. According to the committee’s decision, a total of 34 films representing 21 different countries have been included in this year’s official selection program. The selected films stand out for their visual richness, the innovative animation techniques utilized, and the depth of the global and local themes they address.

The full program of the upcoming festival will soon be announced to the public on ANIMAFILM’s official website and social media accounts. You can already buy your tickets here!

Best Short Animated Film (GRAND PRIX)

• Because Today is Saturday – Director: Alice Eça Guimarães (Portugal)

• Facade – Director: Elise Kruusel (Estonia)

• Emechiche, The Rebirth of White-Headed – Director: Juan Camilo González (Argentina, Colombia)

• Grotesque – Directors: Valeria Blanco Ortiz, Mariana Sánchez Rodríguez (Mexico)

• Living with a Visionary – Director: Stephen P. Neary (USA)

• Nephila – Director: Kristian Zaharinov Zahariev (Bulgaria)

• On Saint Nicholas’ Eve – Director: Emy Mirel Ivasca (Romania)

• Small Hours – Director: Oscar Wyndham Lewis (UK)

• The Bears’ River – Director: Anaïs Mauzat (Belgium)

Best Short Animated Film for Children

• Aller & Retour – Director: Lucia Bulgherni (Italy)

• Beetles – Director: Piotr Chmielewski (Poland)

• Catch that Fish! – Directors: Julia Ragot, Gabrielle Montané, and others (France)

• Cloud Fish – Director: Noe Garcia (Belgium, France)

• For You – Director: Himari Chatani (USA)

• I Fly When No One’s Watching – Director: Hana Takubo (Japan)

• Line 12 – Directors: Sarah Schulz, Christopher Schmier (Germany)

• The Empty Panel – Director: Thibault Chollet (France)

• The Magic Garden – Directors: Carlon Hardt, Naira Carneiro (Brazil)

• The Sky Was Candy – Director: Anh Tú Nguyen (Germany)

• Vanishing Fireflies – Director: JP Corton (Philippines)

Best Animated TV Series

• Anselmo Wannabe – s.01 ep.01 – L’Architetto – Director: Massimo Ottoni (Italy)

• Any Malu’s (Unfiltered) World – The Unboxing Nightmare – Director: Michele Massagli (Brazil)

• Beelus’s Yum Yum Time Season 2 – EP01 – Directors: Shu-Hua Hsu, Fu-Sheng Lee (Taiwan)

• Brave Animated Series 2 – Episode 3 – Director: Tzu-Ting Yang (Taiwan)

• How smart are crows? – Director: Irida Zhonga (Greece, Netherlands, USA)

• Konigiri-Kun Itadakimasu ー Let’s Eat! – Director: Mari Miyazawa (Japan)

• Pai Pai – Ep06: Typhoon’s Coming – Director: Hugo Huang (Taiwan)

Best Azerbaijani Short Animated Film

• Between Two Stones – Director: Ilkin Zafarli

• Closer to Myself, Away from the Ego – Director: Aygun Bakhshi

• “The Scented Adventure” of Molla Nasreddin – Director: Firangiz Gurbanova

• Money Talks – Director: Firangiz Baghirova

• Swan Loyalty – Director: Rugayya Rahimly

• Save Nature! – Director: Seila Aliyeva

• The Thorny Bush – Director: Nasib Fatullayev

Festival Director Rashid Aghamaliyev expressed his thoughts on this year’s official program and the interest in the festival as follows:

“The submission of nearly 450 films from over 60 countries this year is clear evidence of the ANIMAFILM festival’s position on the global animation map and its growing international prestige. We invite everyone to be a part of this magical world on May 13-17.”

As part of the festival, there will not only be screenings of local and foreign films, but also the 2nd ANIMAFILM International Pitching Competition, which drives industry development, alongside masterclasses with foreign experts, professional meetings, and various discussion panels. The festival successfully continues its mission this year to introduce representatives of the local animation industry to international practices.