Countryside Animafest Cyprus 2026: Selected Films

The 25th anniversary edition of the International Animation Festival of Cyprus (Countryside Animafest Cyprus) will take place this year in the picturesque village of Koilani, in the Limassol district, from 7 to 9 August. 

The festival is one of the longest-running animation events in Southern Europe. Since 2002, it has been held annually in the Cypriot countryside, presenting animated films by authors in their Cyprus premieres, many of which have been screened and awarded at the world's leading animation festivals. The festival also showcases the work of Cypriot artists through screenings, exhibitions, workshops, live music performances, and activities for audiences of all ages. 

International Competition Programmes 

This year's international competition features 30 films from 17 countries, selected from hundreds of submissions from around the world.  The program is curated with the long-standing goal of introducing audiences in Cyprus to the forefront of international independent animation while fostering appreciation for works distinguished by universal themes, international perspectives, and a human-centered approach that reflects the major concerns of our time. 

The International Competition for Young Audience includes 15 films from 7 countries. The winning film will be selected by two three-member juries composed of children and teenagers. 

Cyprus Competition and Cypriot Artists 

This year's National Competition includes seven Cypriot animated films. For the fourth consecutive year, the festival is also organizing, in collaboration with the Cyprus Association of Graphic Designers and Illustrators, an open collaborative project inviting Cypriot graphic designers, illustrators, and animators to co-create a collective artwork. This year, participating teams will design posters and animated visuals for the Fairy Tale Museum in Koilani. 

Second Stage (After Stage) 

This year, the festival launches a second stage, dedicated to experimental films and audiovisual performances by emerging Cypriot and international artists. 

International Jury 

The festival's two major "Dimitris Eipides" Awards—for Best Narrative Film and Best Non-Narrative Film—along with the Best Cypriot Film Award and the Special Mentions in both the National and International Competitions, will be presented by the distinguished international jury: 

• Roberto Panganelly (Italy)
• Jakob Schuh (Germany)
• Kaiti Papadima (Cyprus) 

The festival will also welcome international filmmakers whose works are competing in this year's programme. 

Handmade Animation Workshop for Children and Families 

As every year, the festival will host a hands-on animation workshop for children and families. 

This year's workshop will take place as a pre-festival event on Thursday, 6 August, one day before the official opening. Throughout the day, families and children will have the opportunity to visit the Environmental Center in Koilani and experiment with a variety of traditional handmade animation techniques under the guidance of professional animators and educators. 

In the evening, the International Competition for Young Audience will be screened outdoors in the village. 

4th Animation Film Camp 

The Animation Film Camp, the first programme of its kind in Cyprus, is Animafest Cyprus' flagship professional development initiative for animation artists. Established in 2023, it provides networking opportunities for emerging artists and students with international animation festivals and institutions. The program is organized in collaboration with the World Festival of First Animations PRIMANIMA in Budapest. 

This year, the camp will welcome Anna Mouyi—Cypriot academic and internationally recognized animation filmmaker—as its mentor. The workshop will focus on the animated documentary. 

Recording Local History and Oral Testimonies 

For the fifth consecutive year, Animafest Cyprus, in collaboration with the Cyprus Music Archive, is organizing a workshop on collecting oral histories, taking place from 6 to 8 August in Koilani. The workshop will be led by dr Nikoletta Demetriou, ethnomusicologist and Director of the Cyprus Music Archive. 

This year's festival also features a rich music programme with five live concerts by outstanding Cypriot bands and solo musicians. 

The list of selected films

- International Competition:

'A Rose', Simone Massi, Italy, 2026, 05:03 / Narrative 
'Adgwa-Ata', Zsuzsanna Kreif, France, Hungary, 2026, 14:30 / Narative 
'Anchovy', Gina Kamentsky, United States, 2026, 01:22 / Non-narrative 
'Bisou Sauvage', Bahij Jaroudi, Canada, 2026, 02:54 / Non-narrative 
'Captives', Noémie Polycarpe, Mélodi Baskal, Rose Frappa-Denis, Hugo Barbier, Katia Doze, Lisa Giacobbi, Lisa Sabat, France, 2025, 06:48 / Narrative 
'Deconstraction', Neda Ivanović, Serbia, 2025, 03:09 / Non-Narrative 
'Desi wool', Suresh Eriyat, India, 2025, 08:02 / Narrative 
'El Cuerpo de Cristo', Bea Lema, Spain, 2025, 12:32 / Narrative 
'Fusion', Richard Reeves, Canada,, 03:18 / Non-Narrative 
'Gently', Jamaica Kindlová, Czechia, 2026, 08:44 / Narrative 
'God is shy', Jocelyn Charles, France, 2025, 15:40 / Narrative 
'Hind', Stanley Miller, UK/Germany, 2026, 07:06 / Narrative 
'Impromptu', Steven Subotnick, United States, 2025, 06:08 / Non-Narrative 
'Larzan Karné', Bastien Dupriez, France, 2025, 03:19 / Non-Narrative 
'Long Distance', IULIA VOITOVA, France, 2025, 08:17 / Narrative 
'Misfolding', Soetkin Verstegen, Belgium, 2026, 05:15/ Non Narrative 
'Misophonia', Michelle Gruppetta, Malta, 2025, 02:50 / Non-Narrative 
'Once in a Body', María Cristina Pérez González, Colombia, USA, 2025, 10:20 / Non- Narrative 
'Paradaïz', Matea Radic, Canada, 2025, 09:28 / Narrative 
'Please', Anna Mantzaris, Czechia, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden, 2026, 09:00 / Narrative 
'S the Wolf', Sameh Alaa, France, 2025, 10:30 / Narrative 
'Silent Cinema', Krste Gospodinovski, Macedonia, 2025, 16:27 / Narrative 
'Sixty-seven Milliseconds', fleuryfontaine n/a, France, 2025, 14:55 / Narrative 
'The Daughters of the Late Colonel', Elizabeth Hobbs, United Kingdom, 2026, 08:57 / Narrative 
'The Graffiti', Ryo Orikasa, Japan, 2025, 12:33 / Non-Narrative 
'The Picture of Dorian Gray', Georges Schwizgebel, Switzerland, 2026, 06:40 / Narrative 
'The Spring Sea', Koji Yamamura, Japan, 2025, 07:47 / Non-Narrative 
'Time Flies', Tommaso Zerbi, Portugal, 2026, 04:36 / Narrative 
'Virgin Fandango', Marcy Page, Canada, Portugal, 2026, 10:42 / Narrative 
'Water Girl', Sandra Desmazières, France, 2025, 15:06 / Narrative

- International Competition for Young Audience

'A Serious Thought', Jonas Taul, Estonia, 2026, 15:44 
'A Very Special Meal', Elena Walf, Germany, 2025, 05:13 
'Balconada', Iva Tokmakchieva, Bulgaria, France, 2025, 08:00 
'Camille & Chameleon', Lucie Nichelmann, Germany, 2025, 12:35 
'Dancing Friend', Elena Walf, Germany, 2025, 05:13 
'Good Luck to You All', Cordell Barker, Canada, 2025, 08:15 
'Into the forest', Antonin Niclass, Switzerland, 2026, 09:55 
'Jam and Wood', Elena Walf, Germany, 2025, 05:13 
'Nobody Loves me', Jonathan Ostos Yaber 
'Piccolo Piccolo', Marta Gennari, France, Switzerland, 2025, 08:30 
'Strange teen spirit', Frank Ternier, France, 2025, 15:40 
'The Empty Pool', Esha Agarwal, France, 2025, 04:03 
'The Sky Was Candy', Anh Tú Nguyen, Germany, 2025, 03:00 
'TOP 10 THINGS TO SEE', Mihkel Reha, Estonia, 2025, 14:16 / Narrative 
'With each passing day', Emanuel Nevado, Portugal, Slovenia, 10:55

- National Competition

'A Hair Short', Stelios Georgallides, Cyprus, 2025, 01:05 
'Feed The Cat', Michalis (Mike) Charalambous, Cyprus, 2025, 17:13 
'It's only Pain(t)', Sotiris Hadjiloizou, Vassilis Asimakopoulos, Cyprus, 2026, 06:10 
'Lost in Hunt', Andreas Argyrou, Cyprus, 2025, 01:15 
'Memories', Andrea Vairelles, Cyprus, 2025, 03:56 
'Missing Frequencies', Nafsika Hadjichristou, Cyprus, 2026, 05:20 
'Slice Of Life', Lina Kkolou, Cyprus, 2026, 01:26 
 

The 2026 Festival Poster 

As every year, we invited one of the leading artists from the international animation community to create the festival poster. This year's artwork was designed by acclaimed German animation filmmaker Andreas Hykade, who previously served on the festival's international jury and whose films have competed and received awards at earlier editions of Animafest Cyprus. 

Check the complete festival schedule

Our coverage of Countryside Animafest Cyprus

The 25th Countryside Animafest Cyprus – Views of the World is organised by the Views of the World Festival, a non-profit organisation, in collaboration with the Hambis Printmaking Museum. All workshops are free of charge. Tickets: €5 (evening screening), €10 (Three-day festival pass)

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