Animest 2026: Nature takes over the big screen!
Between October 2 and 11, the Animest International Animation Film Festival returns to the big screens of Bucharest with its 21st edition. This year's festival theme invites you to explore the profound connections between humans and the environment, bringing NATURE to the forefront—from the mysteries of ancient forests to the fragile balance of ecosystems and the green invasion of urban space.
What does it mean to truly look at the natural world? To let yourself be overwhelmed by its force, to understand its hidden rhythms, or to take responsibility for its protection? In the age of digital and virtual realities, do we still know how to listen to the organic pulse of the planet that hosts us? These are just a few of the perspectives that Animest.21 proposes for exploration through a vast program of screenings, special events, meetings with guests from all over the world, and programs dedicated to the artists. You will discover spectacular feature films, multi-award-winning movies from major international festivals, as well as numerous short-films that explore nature from unexpected angles, featuring vibrant landscapes, fantastic creatures, and an important ecological message.
Don't miss Animest.21! The Ten Stops and Full Trip passes are available now, offering unlimited access to the festival experience.
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The Animest International Animation Film Festival is the largest and longest-running festival in Romania dedicated exclusively to animated film. Founded in 2006, the festival brings hundreds of films from all over the world to the big screen, across multiple competition categories, retrospectives, and programs dedicated to famous animation schools, animation festivals, and major industry names. Every year in October, Bucharest hosts film directors, producers, students, curators, and journalists, who take part in discussions with the audience, hold workshops and masterclasses, and present their new animated film projects.
The winners of the Animest Trophy and the Romanian competition automatically become eligible for the Academy Awards®, with Animest being the only festival in Romania holding this status.
Short Film Competititon TINY FOX AND GREAT BOAR, Poland 2026 - Michal Sledziu Sledzinski - 7’ A VERY SPECIAL MEAL, Germany, Croatia 2025 - Elena Walf - 5’13 ATLANTE, Italy 2025 - Massimo Vagliviello, Filippo Biasiotto, Gabriele Carollo - 7’7 I FOUND A BOX, France 2025 - Eric Montchaud - 9’ NOELLE'S BARN, France, Belgium 20205 - Pascale Hecquet - 6’29 THE GREAT DREAMSCAPE, France, Belgium 2025 - Rémi Durin - 28’37
Ce s-ar întâmpla dacă plantele din jurul tău ar avea, de fapt, propriul lor dans? La acest atelier, copiii vor descoperi lumea plantelor și vor construi propriile plăntuțe din plastilină și materiale textile, pe care le vor transforma în eroine ale unei povești animate....See more details
The ticket guarantees one hour of VR experiences from the festival's selection, chosen at the venue. A LONG GOODBYE, Belgium 2025 - Kate Voet, Victor Maes - 25’ FALLAX, Iceland, United Kingdom 2025 - Owen Hindley - 23’ IF YOU SEE A CAT, Japan 2026- Atsushi Wada - 37’ LESBIAN SIMULATOR, The Netherlands 2025- Iris van der Meule - 40’ LESS THAN 5GR OF SAFFRON, France 2025 - Négar Motevalymeidanshah - 7’ RETSU (THE LINE), Japan 2026 - Naho Kamimura - 30’ SENSE OF NOWHERE, Taiwan 2025 - Hsin Hsuan Yeh - 30’ THE BIG CUBE, Finland, China, Belgium, Portugal 2025 - Menghui Huang - 6’45 THE SAD STORY OF THE LITTLE MOUSE WHO WANTED TO BECOME SOMEBODY, France, Germany, Belgium 2025 - Nicolas Bourniquel - 29’
Short Film Competititon 3 CAPTAINS, Germany 2025 - Julia Ocker - 8’51 BLOOMING WONDERS, THE BOLETUS, France 2026 - Inès Bernard-Espina, Mélody Boulissière, Clémentine Campos - 5’ HODGEPODGE, Czech Republic 2025 - Adéla Kukalová - 4’43 KITO & MAJA - THE DREAM GLOBE TALES OF PUMPHUT THE WIZARD - AND THE LACK OF WIND, Germany 2025 - Eliza Płocieniak-Alvarez - 4’18 SAPLING, Canada, Czech Republic 2026 - Connor Yarish - 5’42 UNDER THE SUN, Spain 2026 - Anna Solanas, Marc Riba - 7’ THE SONG OF STORMS, France, Belgium 2025 - Caroline Attia Larivière -26’
The ticket guarantees one hour of VR experiences from the festival's selection, chosen at the venue. A LONG GOODBYE, Belgium 2025 - Kate Voet, Victor Maes - 25’ FALLAX, Iceland, United Kingdom 2025 - Owen Hindley - 23’ IF YOU SEE A CAT, Japan 2026- Atsushi Wada - 37’ LESBIAN SIMULATOR, The Netherlands 2025- Iris van der Meule - 40’ LESS THAN 5GR OF SAFFRON, France 2025 - Négar Motevalymeidanshah - 7’ RETSU (THE LINE), Japan 2026 - Naho Kamimura - 30’ SENSE OF NOWHERE, Taiwan 2025 - Hsin Hsuan Yeh - 30’ THE BIG CUBE, Finland, China, Belgium, Portugal 2025 - Menghui Huang - 6’45 THE SAD STORY OF THE LITTLE MOUSE WHO WANTED TO BECOME SOMEBODY, France, Germany, Belgium 2025 - Nicolas Bourniquel - 29’
Ce s-ar întâmpla dacă, într-o dimineață, ne-am trezi și am descoperi că toată natura din jurul nostru a dispărut? La atelierul „Unde e natura?”, copiii vor porni într-o aventură imaginară în căutarea naturii dispărute....See more details
The ticket guarantees one hour of VR experiences from the festival's selection, chosen at the venue. A LONG GOODBYE, Belgium 2025 - Kate Voet, Victor Maes - 25’ FALLAX, Iceland, United Kingdom 2025 - Owen Hindley - 23’ IF YOU SEE A CAT, Japan 2026- Atsushi Wada - 37’ LESBIAN SIMULATOR, The Netherlands 2025- Iris van der Meule - 40’ LESS THAN 5GR OF SAFFRON, France 2025 - Négar Motevalymeidanshah - 7’ RETSU (THE LINE), Japan 2026 - Naho Kamimura - 30’ SENSE OF NOWHERE, Taiwan 2025 - Hsin Hsuan Yeh - 30’ THE BIG CUBE, Finland, China, Belgium, Portugal 2025 - Menghui Huang - 6’45 THE SAD STORY OF THE LITTLE MOUSE WHO WANTED TO BECOME SOMEBODY, France, Germany, Belgium 2025 - Nicolas Bourniquel - 29’
The ticket guarantees one hour of VR experiences from the festival's selection, chosen at the venue. A LONG GOODBYE, Belgium 2025 - Kate Voet, Victor Maes - 25’ FALLAX, Iceland, United Kingdom 2025 - Owen Hindley - 23’ IF YOU SEE A CAT, Japan 2026- Atsushi Wada - 37’ LESBIAN SIMULATOR, The Netherlands 2025- Iris van der Meule - 40’ LESS THAN 5GR OF SAFFRON, France 2025 - Négar Motevalymeidanshah - 7’ RETSU (THE LINE), Japan 2026 - Naho Kamimura - 30’ SENSE OF NOWHERE, Taiwan 2025 - Hsin Hsuan Yeh - 30’ THE BIG CUBE, Finland, China, Belgium, Portugal 2025 - Menghui Huang - 6’45 THE SAD STORY OF THE LITTLE MOUSE WHO WANTED TO BECOME SOMEBODY, France, Germany, Belgium 2025 - Nicolas Bourniquel - 29’
Victor, un tată văduv, părăsește Spania împreună cu fiica sa, Julia, când Barcelona cade în mâinile forțelor lui Franco, în 1939. În Franța nu-i așteaptă decât lagărele și greutățile. Dar speranța reapare când se îmbarcă pe Winnipeg, un cargobot închiriat de Neruda ca să-i ducă la Valparaíso, în Chile....See more details
The ticket guarantees one hour of VR experiences from the festival's selection, chosen at the venue. A LONG GOODBYE, Belgium 2025 - Kate Voet, Victor Maes - 25’ FALLAX, Iceland, United Kingdom 2025 - Owen Hindley - 23’ IF YOU SEE A CAT, Japan 2026- Atsushi Wada - 37’ LESBIAN SIMULATOR, The Netherlands 2025- Iris van der Meule - 40’ LESS THAN 5GR OF SAFFRON, France 2025 - Négar Motevalymeidanshah - 7’ RETSU (THE LINE), Japan 2026 - Naho Kamimura - 30’ SENSE OF NOWHERE, Taiwan 2025 - Hsin Hsuan Yeh - 30’ THE BIG CUBE, Finland, China, Belgium, Portugal 2025 - Menghui Huang - 6’45 THE SAD STORY OF THE LITTLE MOUSE WHO WANTED TO BECOME SOMEBODY, France, Germany, Belgium 2025 - Nicolas Bourniquel - 29’