Anifilm Festival Highlights 2026: Animated Myths and Legends

The 25th edition of the Anifilm International Festival of Animated Film will take place in Liberec from 5 to 10 May 2026, and 500+ animated films will be screened in the Czech city. The rich programme of films (eight competition categories) and events reflects a vibrant interest and makes Anifilm one of the international spots for getting all your animation dosage in one place. 

Check some of the festival's 2026 highlights:

Feature Animation Competition 

Eight competition categories grace the festival's programme (from feature films to short films and computer games to virtual reality). 

5 films are presented in the adult feature-length film category, and 5 more in the feature selection for children and young audiences. Here we meet the Oscar-nominated French animation feature 'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain' (directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han);  the new animation feature ' Decorado' by renowned Spanish director Alberto Vázquez; the Oscar-nominated 'Endless Cookie', an autobiographical film of two stepbrothers by Seth and Peter Scriver; mystical Chinese film 'A Story About Fire' by Wenyu Li; last year's Annecy participation, the Spanish 'Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake' (by Irene Iborra Rizo); two Japanese films – action spectacle 'All You Need is Kill' (dir. Ken'ichiró Akimoto and Yukinori Nakamura), and 'Jinsei' by Ryuya Suzuki.

The children's film about the relationship between a human and a mermaid, 'ChaO' by Yasuhiro Aoki, is in the Anifilm selection; also, the French children's film 'My Life in Versailles' (directed by Madeleine Perdrillat and Nathaniel H’limi).

Decorado

Jinsei

Short Competitions

34 short films grace the selection, including the Oscar-winning stop-motion film, 'The Girl Who Cried Pearls' by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, the feminist parable 'Because Today Is Saturday' by Alice Eça Guimarães (Portugal/Spain/France), and the ode to cinema, 'Silent Cinema' by Krste Gospodinovski (North Macedonia | Romania) - the full selection.

The short film competition will feature the Czech film '9 Million Colours' by director Bára Anna Stejskalová, and the student competition (35 animation shorts) will feature three Czech films: 'Gently' (dir. Jamaica Kindlová), 'Quantum Jump' (dir. Šimon Mészáros), and 'Ř' (dir. Abigél Dérczy). 

30 music videos spanning genres from classical to electronic will illustrate the connection between the art of animation and music. The Abstract and Non-Narrative Animation section will present 24 works that border on audiovisual forms, including experiments with digital images as well as a return to analog forms, film stock, and nature. 9 films are in the VR competition. 

Czech Horizon will offer a comprehensive view of Czech animation over the past year. Seven shorts and one feature film, 'Tales from the Magic Garden', will compete in the short and feature film competition. The student category features shorts by students of FAMU, UMPRUM, Tomáš Baťa University in Zlín, the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art, as well as the University of Ostrava and FAMO Písek. 

9 Million Colors

Silent Cinema

Jury Members:

Anifilm will welcome Hungarian director Áron Gauder, known for his acclaimed feature films 'The District!' and 'Four Souls of Coyote'. Polish director Izabela Plucińska, a successful animation director and artist (and winner of the Berlinale Silver Bear for 'Jam Session, 2005), will also be among the jurors. EMMY winner Dillon Markey (working on 'Robot Chicken, 'Fresch Guacamole' by PES), and Croatian/German Vuk Jevremović (Panter). (All jury profiles)

International Competition of Feature Films: Áron Gauder (Hungary), Jana Čížkovská (Czech Republic), Steve Woods (Ireland)
International Competition of Shorts and Student Films: Izabela Plucińska (Poland), Dillon Markey (USA), Jana Rogoff (Czech Republic)
International Competition of Abstract and Non-Narrative Animations, Music Videos & VR Films: Uri Kranot (Denmark), Vuk Jevremović (Croatia, Germany), Jan Šrámek (Czech Republic)
International Competition of Computer Games: Veronika Zacharová (Czech Republic), Marc Lustigman (France), Josh Hollendonner (Austria)

In another programme section, many Anifilm jurors will personally present their work.

Myths and Legends: from Greece to Cartoon Saloon

The main theme of Anifilm 2026 is animated films balancing on the border of reality and the supernatural, i.e., films drawing their inspiration from myths and legends. Greek mythology (Oedipus, Sisyphus) provides inspiration, but also, Cartoon Saloon is based on Irish myths. Nora Twomey and Tomm Moore have built their Oscar-nominated animation features, 'The Secret of Kells', 'Song of the Sea', and 'Wolfwalkers', based on Gaelic myths.

Song of the Sea.

• Bonus: The screening of the Cartoon Saloon's latest short film 'Eiru', dir. Giovanna Ferrari
• Exhibition: The Liberec Museum of Fine Arts already exhibits original artifacts from 'Wolfwalkers'. Animator Andrzej Radka, who worked on all those Cartoon Saloon titles, will personally introduce the films and the exhibits
• Myths and Legends programme: From East to West (including Brothers Quay and Alison de Vere films)
• Animation directors whose films feature in the Myths and Legends tribute: Brothers Quay, Joan C. Gratz, Jiří Trnka, Raoul Servais, Ray Harryhausen, Vera Neubauer, Barry Purves, Paul Driessen, Ryan Larkin, Priit Tender, Caroline Leaf, Alison DeVere, Marcell Jankovics, Len Lye, and Daria Kascheeva.

Harpya, Raoul Servais

The Animo programme will also present classic Greek myths and Old Prague Legends to children.

Industry Programme

10 projects have been shortlisted to participate in the fourth edition of pitching to support the production of Czech professional animated short films, which will be presented on 6 May 2026 in Liberec as part of the Industry Program. 

Projects:

(committee members:   Michal Prokeš, Eliška Děcká, Zuzana Křivková, Jan Bubeníček and Lukáš Janičík)

• Demon of the Marshes – director: Martin Pertlíček, producer: Maurfilm
• The Mermaid Effect – director: Markéta Magidová, producer: Maurfilm
• King Pest – director: David Daenemark, producer: Vernes
• Lightsiders – director: Jan Drozda, producer: Jan Drozda
• What a Water Took – director: Ondřej Moravec, producer: Helium Film
• The Story about First Tree – director: Radek Beran, producer: Animation People
• The Beach – director: Marek Náprstek, producer: Frame Films
• Walk in Nature – director:  Matej Mihályi, producer: DIVIZE animace
• Psychoskop Tannenwald – directors: Agáta Mayerová, Vojtěch Kiss, producer: Agáta Mayerová
• Party – director: Anna Mastníková, producer: Pure Shore

The winning projects will share a grant of 1 million CZK for their production. 

Other industry events:

• School of Animation (supported by the PPF Foundation): workshops led by experienced lecturers, where children can make their own animated films using various animation techniques

Lifetime Achievement Award: Jan Klos

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to renowned animator Jan Klos, whose name is known mainly from films directed by Břetislav Pojar, with whom Klos collaborated on the series 'Hey Mister, Let’s Play'. A tremendously skilled animator, he also worked on films directed by Vlasta Pospíšilová, Lubomír Beneš, Katariina Lillqvist, Aurel Klimt, Michal Žabka, and others. Anifilm will commemorate Jan Klos’s diverse body of work with a selection of short films and series for children. Klos himself will also participate in a discussion with the audience.  

Jan Klos on set © Maurfilm
 

Other Programme Highlights

• Oscar-nominated animation shorts
• A showcase of contemporary Moldovan Animation (section Eastern Promises)
• 35 years of the Czech studio Anima
• The screening premiere of the newly restored version of Karel Zeman’s 'Sorcerer’s Apprentice'.
• The new adaptation of Orwell's 'Animal Farm' is directed by Andy Serkis.
• Animated agitprops by Václav Bedřich 
• Screening of the 1926 animated film 'The Adventures of Prince Achmed' by Lotte Reiniger, accompanied by live music.  
• Midnight animation programme ("It's Gross, I'm Terrified")

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Game-Related Events

• In this year’s International Competition of Video Games, Anifilm will showcase the possibilities of independent game development, from a football autobiography from Ecuador to an existential walking simulator. The Student Video Games competition will showcase the medium's diversity, from interesting visual art to playful installations.
• Game Pitch Arena Liberec (supported by the PPF Foundation). It will offer selected game developers the opportunity to win 10 000 EUR for the further development of their projects.
• Game developer, designer, and director Jordan Mechner, known as the author of the game series 'Prince of Persia' and the co-writer of the film 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time', will visit the festival
• GameCraft workshop: visitors will have a chance to make their own video game, in 60 minutes, without coding.

Anifilm Festival, Liberec Square. This year, the festival will host a mini showcase titled Taking Stock, recapping last year’s feature animated film season.

Festival Visuals

Anifilm's 2026 visual designer is Michaela Hoffová, a director with a subtle visual style that she has used in her films 'Animus et Aqua', 'Tragedie Psýché', 'Orfea', and in her rich artistic production. She studied at FAMU, where she now teaches.

 The 2026 Anifilm International Festival of Animated Films will take place in Liberec from 5th to 10th May 2026. Main festival venues: Chateau Liberec, Regional Scientific Library Liberec, Cinema City, Small Theatre, Naïve Theatre, Cultural Center Lidově sady, Liebieg Villa, Linserka, MUZA – North Bohemian Museum, Grandhotel Zlatý lev, Dr. E. Beneš Square, and Regional Gallery Liberec.

Festival Trailer

The full festival schedule.

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