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Festivalul Internațional de Film de Animație Animest

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.

Program Festivalul Internațional de Film de Animație Animest


calendar_month 4 Oct 2026
schedule 16:30

Animest VR Experience Animest.21
calendar_month 4 Oct 2026 schedule 16:30
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21

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’

location_on CINETic, București info
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21
location_on CINETic, București info
price: 28 lei

calendar_month 4 Oct 2026
schedule 18:00

Animest VR Experience Animest.21
calendar_month 4 Oct 2026 schedule 18:00
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21

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’

location_on CINETic, București info
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21
location_on CINETic, București info
price: 28 lei

calendar_month 4 Oct 2026
schedule 18:30

Brave Cat Animest.21
calendar_month 4 Oct 2026 schedule 18:30
Brave Cat 9+
Animest.21
volume_up CL

Kona, a teenage forest cat, decides to face her fears and search for her missing mother, who was kidnapped by dogs working for humans. Along with Colin, an abandoned guard dog puppy, and Bernard, a runaway old circus bear, she embarks on a cross-country search for their lost families. Despite their differences, Kona, Colin and Bernard stick together on a wild journey that changes them forever.  

location_on Cinema Muzeul Țăranului - Studioul Horia Bernea, București info
Brave Cat 9+
Animest.21
location_on Cinema Muzeul Țăranului - Studioul Horia Bernea, București info
price: 28 lei
Barco SP 2K-11 laser | audio Dolby Surround 7.1, Atmos

calendar_month 4 Oct 2026
schedule 18:30

Minuscule. Valley of Lost Ants Animest.21
calendar_month 4 Oct 2026 schedule 18:30
Minuscule. Valley of Lost Ants 6+
Animest.21
volume_up FR

Undeva în pădure, o buburuză rătăcită își unește forțele cu o trupă de furnici negre ca să ducă la mușuroi o cutie de tablă plină cu delicioase cuburi de zahăr. Un batalion de furnici roșii feroce a pus deja ochii pe pradă....See more details

location_on Cinema Elvire Popesco, București info
Minuscule. Valley of Lost Ants 6+
Animest.21
location_on Cinema Elvire Popesco, București info
price: 28 lei

calendar_month 4 Oct 2026
schedule 19:30

Animest VR Experience Animest.21
calendar_month 4 Oct 2026 schedule 19:30
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21

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’

location_on CINETic, București info
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21
location_on CINETic, București info
price: 28 lei

calendar_month 4 Oct 2026
schedule 20:30

Glitches in the (Eco)system Animest.21
calendar_month 4 Oct 2026 schedule 20:30
Glitches in the (Eco)system 9+
Animest.21

La acest eveniment vor fi proiectate filmele Papaya (Brazilia, 2026, 76’) și The Snails (Franța, 1966, 10’).  Evenimentul a fost curatoriat de Diana Voinea şi Anda Duțescu, în cadrul Rezidenței F-SIDES Wildcards 2026. "În vâltoarea unor avansuri tehnologice fără precedent de la Revoluția Industrială încoace, natura rămâne, în mod ambivalent, una dintre ultimele redute asupra căreia se exercită constant presiunea exploatării și a subjugării în logica profitului capitalist....See more details

location_on Cinema Muzeul Țăranului - Studioul Horia Bernea, București info
Glitches in the (Eco)system 9+
Animest.21
location_on Cinema Muzeul Țăranului - Studioul Horia Bernea, București info
price: 28 lei
Barco SP 2K-11 laser | audio Dolby Surround 7.1, Atmos

calendar_month 4 Oct 2026
schedule 20:30

Mother Nature's Son Animest.21
calendar_month 4 Oct 2026 schedule 20:30
Mother Nature's Son 12+
Animest.21

short films SANTORE - That Ball, France 2017 - Mathilde Bedouet - 4’ BOTANICA EXOTICA, Hungary 2022 - Sofia Laszlovszky - 13’ BIRD HOUSE, Croatia 2023, -  Petra Pavetic Kranjcec -  4’ THE SOLE, BETWEEN WATER AND SAND, France 2011 - Angèle Chiodo - 15’ ANTARCTICA, Belgium 2016 - Jereon Ceulebrouck -10’ THE DEWBERRY EMPIRE, United Kingdom 2013 - Christian Schlaeffer - 8’ WILDFLOWER, Spain 2023 - Carina Pierro Corso - 6’ WILD SUMMON, United Kingdom, 2023 - Karni Arieli, Saul Freed - 14’ THE MAN WITH BIRDS, France, 2017 - Quentin Marcault - 4’

location_on Cinema Elvire Popesco, București info
Mother Nature's Son 12+
Animest.21
location_on Cinema Elvire Popesco, București info
price: 28 lei

calendar_month 5 Oct 2026
schedule 12:00

Animest VR Experience Animest.21
calendar_month 5 Oct 2026 schedule 12:00
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21

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’

location_on CINETic, București info
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21
location_on CINETic, București info
price: 28 lei

calendar_month 5 Oct 2026
schedule 13:30

Animest VR Experience Animest.21
calendar_month 5 Oct 2026 schedule 13:30
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21

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’

location_on CINETic, București info
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21
location_on CINETic, București info
price: 28 lei

calendar_month 5 Oct 2026
schedule 15:00

Animest VR Experience Animest.21
calendar_month 5 Oct 2026 schedule 15:00
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21

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’

location_on CINETic, București info
Animest VR Experience 16+
Animest.21
location_on CINETic, București info
price: 28 lei