36.000 animation viewers, six days of independent animation and an environment where the Quay Brothers co-exist with young Czech animation talents are some of the outcomes of the 2025 Anifilm Festival (6-11 May, Liberec, Czech Republic).

The international animation festival, which has become a staple in the international festival circuit, offered a varied programme (check some of the festival highlights) focused on sci-fi and animation and awarded its winners. 

The Quay Brothers were the indisputable winners in the feature film competition category (films for adult audiences) with their third feature, 'Sanatorium under the Sign of the Hourglass'. This surreal story (inspired by the work of Polish writer Bruno Schulz) is about young Josef, who's visiting his dying father at the Carpathian Mountains. 

The children's corresponding feature film category had a Czech film win. In 'Living Large', Kristina Dufková tells (in a 4-country European co-production) the story of Benjamin, a 12-year-old overweight teenager and his romantic troubles.

Italian victory in the short film section, with the painted on paper 'The voice of the sirens'  by Gianluigi Toccafondo, a 20-minute film on the world of mermaids and predators. Meejin Hong's experimental, ever-evolving landscape of  'Deluge' (drawn on only 24 pieces of paper) won the main prize in the festival's Non-Narrative & Abstract Animation Competition.

In the student section, the tragicomic story of the mother and her daughter in 'Bunnyhood' by Mansi Maheswari (UK) won the main prize. The festival's Audience Award was awarded to 'Hurikan' by the Czech director Jan Saska. 

The full Anifilm 2025 Awardees and jury statements

International Competition: Feature Films

Jury: Diego Polieri (Argentina), Anne Gaschütz (Germany), Mohamed Ghazala (Egypt)

Best Feature Film for Adults
Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass, Directors: Stephen & Timothy Quay / UK / Poland / Germany 2024

Jury Statement: Mysterious and masterfully told, this film is a haunting meditation on grief, memory, and the passage of time. Meandering between reality and dreams, it brings two worlds into collision - one grounded in a historical, desolate mountain landscape, the other a dystopian realm where time slips and reality blurs. Through a powerful blend of evocative puppetry and live action, the directors manage to create a beautiful yet eerie world, where time becomes abstract and grief takes shape in the most unexpected forms - continuing their distinctive artistic vision, crafting a universe that is both unsettling and mesmerising. With wonderful editing and a deeply atmospheric tone, the film leaves us with a lingering sense of loss and wonder. It is a cinematic journey that not only draws us into its corridors of mystery, but also gently nudges us to wander through our own.

Best Feature Film for Children & Young Audience
Living Large, Director: Kristina Dufková / Czech Republic / Slovakia / France 2024

Jury Statement: From the very first frame, this film captivated us with its unique charm, visual imagination, and emotional depth. Told through beautifully crafted stop-motion animation, we follow a witty and talented teenager navigating first love, bullying, and self-doubt. In a world that persistently tells him to change, the film gently but powerfully reminds us that true transformation begins within oneself. With its uplifting message, joyful spirit, and loving ending, it is a celebration of self-acceptance and resilience. The director, supported by an exceptionally talented team of animators, has created a vivid universe full of distinctive characters and imaginative storytelling. It is not only a delight to watch, but an important reminder that the journey to embracing oneself is one worth taking.

International Competition: Short Films

 Jury: Xavier Kawa-Topor (France), Diana Cam Van Nguyen (Czech Republic), Tomek Popakul (Poland)

Best Short Film
The Voice of the Sirens, Director: Gianluigi Toccafondo / France / Italy 2024

Jury statement: In this dreamlike dive into the confines of fantasies, the director mixes ghostly images with an incredible palette of colours that blend into a single choregraphic moving painting with strange sounds and the fascinating song of his free and wild sirens.

Special mention for short film
A Night at the Rest Area, Director: Saki Muramoto / Japan 2024

Jury Statement: An atmospheric observational documentary noticing the subtle but universal poetry of rituals in transportation infrastructures, done with a mastery of animation and craft. A meditation about space and time.

International Competition: Student Films
 Jury: Xavier Kawa-Topor (France), Diana Cam Van Nguyen (Czech Republic), Tomek Popakul (Poland)

Best Student Film
Bunnyhood, Director: Mansi Maheshwari / United Kingdom 2024

Jury Statement: Based on a true story, an energetic movie with wild aesthetics and crisp narration about lies, trust and a relationship that will never be the same again.

Special mention for student film
Stone of Destiny, Director: Julie Černá / Czech Republic 2024

Jury statement: We all need a bit of light to brighten our lonely lives - and sometimes that light comes through singing songs. The film touched us with its sincerity and emotional resonance.

International Competition: Abstract and Non-Narrative Animation
Jury: Josh Shaffner (USA), Kriss Sagan (Slovakia), Thomas Renoldner (Austria)

Best Abstract and Non-Narrative animation
Deluge, Director: Meejin Hong / USA 2024

Jury Statement: Animated on just 24 sheets of paper, this astounding short film captivates and hypnotizes its audience for 12 minutes. Spanning almost a decade in its creation; time is felt, images are born, space is divided then distorted and ultimately darkness ensues. It is a testimony of resilience in the creative process and a monumental contribution to the tradition of compound animated cycles.

Special mention for Abstract and Non-Narrative animation:
Gina Kamentsky's Pinocchio in 70mm, Director: Gina Kamentsky / USA, 2024

Jury Statement: “Funny Avantgarde” could be used as a term for this impressive artistic work, in which, in a playfully improvisational manner, visual and acoustic elements from both the tradition of experimental animation film and US-American pop culture are combined in a collage-like manner and using 70mm film material.

International Competition: Music Videos
Jury: Josh Shaffner (USA), Kriss Sagan (Slovakia), Thomas Renoldner (Austria)

Best Music Video
Siamés: My Way, Director: Jesica Bianchi / Argentine 2024

Jury Statement: This dreamlike fairytale presents us with a darker side of innocence, as a right of passage ritual turns to violence. This mysterious music video is beautifully designed, colored and animated keeping our eyes glued as horror unfolds.

Special mention for music video:
Laibach: Moral Support, Director: Vuk Jevremović / Croatia / Germany 2024

Jury Statement: This unusual music video for a famous ‘polit-band’ can also be described as the impressive work of an independent artist who invested several years to realize it. Sources of inspiration in this eventful 'stream of consciousness' include both problematic events in the history of his home country as well as a reflection of various artistic movements of the 20th century.

International Competition: VR films
Jury: Josh Shaffner (USA), Kriss Sagan (Slovakia), Thomas Renoldner (Austria)

Best VR Film
Ito Meikyū, Director: Boris Labbé / France / Luxembourg 2024

Jury Statement: The award goes to a project that moves beyond linear storytelling and creates a highly enjoyable, deeply personal and emotional experience within a contemplative labyrinth, where the boundaries between self and the environment dissolve.

International Competition: Computer Games
Jury: Jindřich Skeldal (Czech Republic), Zoé Nguyen Tranh (France), Chris Lewis Lee (UK)

Main Prize: Excellence in Arts
Indika, Studio Odd Meter / 2024

Jury Statement: The bold stylistic and narrative choices captivating the jury and inspired thought-provoking conversations thanks to its daring gameplay that takes you out of your comfort zone. The synergy between its gameplay, narrative and art styles makes it a masterpiece well deserving of this award.

Kid Computer Game
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, Studio Hyper Games 2024

Jury Statement: The jury was delighted by the beauty and playfulness of this game. We appreciated the masterful use of a traditional aesthetic reminiscent of children’s books.

Best Student Game
ARCTIS, Martin Hromádka, Eliška Kerbachová / Czech Republic 2024

1st Special Jury Mention: Student Computer Game
Blight Fog, Miroslav Prokop, 2024

2nd Special Jury Mention: Student Computer Game
Antopolis, Veronika Chocenská, 2024

Liberec Region Award - Audience Award
Hurikán, Director: Jan Saska / Czech Relublic / France / Slovakia / Bosnia and Herzegovina 2024

CZECH HORIZON

Best Czech Animation (Czech Television Award)
Living Large,  Director: Kristina Dufková /  Czech Republic / Slovakia / France 2024

Best Czech Short / Feature Film (PPF Foundation Award)
Hurikán, Director: Jan Saska / Czech Republic / France / Slovakia / Bosnia and Hercegovina 2024

Best Czech Student Film
Weeds, Director: Pola Kazak /  Czech Republic 2024

Best Czech Music Video
DVA: WOO, Director: Jaromír Plachý /  Czech Republic 2024

Best Czech Series
Bioshorts – Regeneration Tricks / Director: Daniela Hýbnerová / Czech Republic 2024

Best Czech Commissioned Work
Jan Žižka, Director: Jan Míka / Czech Republic 2024

The International Festival of Animated Films, Anifilm, took place from 6 to 11 May 2025 in Liberec, Czech Republic.

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