The winners of the 15th Animocje Festival (21-26 April 2026, Bydgoszcz, Poland) have been announced. After a highly successful run with 'Miserable Miracle'. Japanese animation artist Ryo Orikasa fuses Japanese literature (a prose poem by Makoto Takayanagi) and animation again in his 'Graffiti' animation short, and won the festival's Grand Prix.

A special mention went to the Berlinale-premiered, 11-minute Hungarian film, 'Wish You Were Ear' by Mirjana Balogh. The film is a fictional story of ex-partners who still carry visible marks of their former partners on their bodies.

Two other special mentions were awarded to the immigrant-themed film 'Can you hear me?' by Anastazja Naumenko and the Aesopian fable 'The Sycamore' by Jared D. Wess.

The Best Polish Film award went to 'Tears' (Paulina Ziółkowska), and the Best Film for Children and Young Adults award to the Romanian film 'Grandpa is sleeping' (Matei Branea).

The Full lineup of 2026 Animocje Festival Winners

Competition (Jury: Sawako Kabuki, Nienke Deutz and Jakub Zasada) 

Grand Prix and 10.000 zł: The Graffiti, dir. Ryo Orikasa

Jury Statement: Poetry, voice, and image come together in a very unique way. It feels bold, poetic, and incredibly cool.

Special Mention and 3.000 zlotys: Wish You Were Ear, dir. Mirjana Balogh

Jury statement: It shows how relationships change us in a very sensory way. It feels strange, but also very relatable.

Special Mention and 3.000 zlotys: Can you hear me?, dir. Anastazja Naumenko

Jury Statement: For showing how stories about intergenerational, family, and close relationships - and about the need for connection, despite (or perhaps thanks to) the distance between people and constant technical difficulties - can be told without leaving the desktop of one’s computer, while also featuring a wonderfully awkward little character. All this under the pretext of technical tutoring given by a daughter to her mother.

 Special Mention and 3.000 zlotys: The Sycamore, dir. Jared D. Wess

Jury Statement: This film manages to combine just the right amount of everything. It uses a clear visual language to tell an apparently simple story with a good dose of humor.

The Best Music Film and 3.000 zlotys: Birdlife, dir. Lukas Wind

Jury Statement: For an original and playful concept. Using an old illustrated book about birds and a forgotten German song, the author presents a completely invented story that entertains while evoking a sense of nostalgia, giving both the pages of the book and the song a new life.

The Film Award for the Best Polish Film and 10.000 zlotys:  Tears, dir. Paulina Ziółkowska

Jury Statement: The visuals of this film are stunning; they feel both old-school and fresh. We were delighted to spend some time in this world that unfolded as a collage of paper and thought.

The Team of Film Educators
(Katarzyna Jaruszewicz-Kot, Kamila Szwarc and Hanna Kroczek)

The Team of Film Educators Award for Best Film for Children and Young Adults and 3.000 zlotys:  Grandpa is sleeping, dir. Matei Branea

Jury Statement: For an exceptional sensitivity in portraying a child’s experience of loss without unnecessary pomposity or didacticism, and for creating a film language that directs the viewer’s attention toward the symbolic and emotional layer.

Special Mention:  My Brother, My Brother, dir. Abdelrahman Dnewar, Saad Dnewar 

Jury Statement: For an intimate narrative that takes a childhood photograph as its point of departure, telling a seemingly personal yet universally resonant story about family relationships.

Junior Jury Awards ( Maja Stańczyk, Maja Turkiewicz and Wera Bukowska )

 Junior Jury Award and 2.000 zlotys: The Pool or Death of a Goldfish, dir. Daria Kopiec

Jury Statement: For the unconventional approach to the subject of trauma and deep symbolism. The audiovisual presentation and atmosphere allowed the viewer to empathize with the protagonist’s situation.

 Junior Jury Special Mention: Because Today is Saturday, dir.  Alice Eça Guimarães

Jury Statement: For its expressive and dynamic animation, as well as its original portrayal of the dilemma of reconciling one’s own needs with one’s responsibilities.

• The Audience Award in the Films for Children and Young Adults Competition:  The Song of Storms, dir.  Caroline Attia
• The Audience Award: WHALE 52 - Suite For Man, Boy, And Whale, dir. Daniel Neiden

Whale 52

Animocje Festival took place from 21-26 April 2026 in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Check all the festival's highlights

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