'Light Pillar', 'Sound! Euphonium', 'Blaise' in the 2026 BIAF Animation Feature Lineup

The 28th Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF2026) has announced the 11 films selected for its International Feature Competition, along with 3 films presented as Special Screenings (Out of Competition). 

The Feature Competition brings together a diverse selection of contemporary animation from around the world, ranging from fantasy and adventure to drama, horror and music. In curating this year’s lineup, BIAF has sought to reflect the festival’s distinctive identity and programming vision, bringing together works that offer bold artistic perspectives and fresh approaches to animation. The films explore universal themes of family, memory, identity, loss and human connection, while showcasing the diverse storytelling possibilities of contemporary animation.

International Feature Competition

1. Chimney Town: Frozen in Time
Japan | HIROTA Yusuke | 98 min. | 2026

One year after losing his friend Poupelle, Lubic is transported to the mysterious “Millennium Fortress,” where time itself is under control. To return to the present, he must restart a stopped clock and embark on a new adventure.

2. To You in the Beyond
Japan | WADA Junichi | 116 min. | 2026

In 1974, Nanao and Kazuki meet on a remote island and begin a journey that crosses the boundaries of time. Their story unfolds between past and present as they search for a way to reach one another.

3. Lucy Lost
France | Olivier CLERT | 89 min. | 2026

In 1915, during the First World War, Lucy loses her memory on a remote island. There, she encounters Millie, a mysterious friend who appears only to her.

4. Blaise
France | Jean-Paul GUIGUE, Dimitri PLANCHON | 82 min. | 2026

Sixteen-year-old Blaze desperately wants to be liked by everyone, while his parents are obsessed with maintaining a flawless image. As the family struggles to appear “good,” their hidden feelings gradually push everyday life into chaos.

5. Brave Cat
Chile | Gabriel OSORIO | 94 min. | 2026

Kona, an adolescent cat living in the forest, sets out to find her mother, who disappeared after being kidnapped by a circus. Her journey becomes an adventure of courage, family and finding her way home.

6. Heart of Darkness
Brazil, France | Rogério NUNES | 84 min. | 2025

In a dangerous future Rio de Janeiro, special police officer Marlon sets out to find the missing Captain Kurtz. His investigation leads him deep into the dark and unsettling realities of contemporary Brazilian society.

7. Winnipeg, Seeds of Hope
Spain, Chile, Argentina | Benat BEITIA, Elio QUIROGA | 81 min. | 2026

Fleeing the Spanish Civil War, Víctor and his daughter Julia board the refugee ship Winnipeg, bound for Chile. Their journey across war and exile becomes a search for safety and a new beginning.

8. Light Pillar
China | XU Jiao | 90 min. | 2026

In a near-future winter, space travel has become a reality while a once-thriving film studio faces bankruptcy. Left behind with a cat, a lonely cleaning worker named Zhao begins to confront memories of the past.

9. Sound! Euphonium: The Final Movie Part I
Japan | Chief Director: ISHIHARA Tatsuya | OGAWA Taichi | 120 min. | 2026

Kumiko becomes president of the Kitauji High School Concert Band, taking on the responsibilities of leadership. But the arrival of the exceptionally talented Mayu forces her to confront the conflict between duty and her own dreams as a musician.

10. Sound! Euphonium: The Final Movie Part II

Japan | Chief Director: ISHIHARA Tatsuya | OGAWA Taichi | 128 min. | 2026

With the Kitauji High School Concert Band advancing to the national competition, Kumiko and Mayu face off for the solo performance. The film brings the decade-long story of Kumiko Oumae and the Sound! Euphonium series to its conclusion.

11. Tangles
Canada, USA | Leah NELSON | 102 min. | 2026

In 1999 San Francisco, Sarah’s life begins to unravel when her mother, once her eternal hero, is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. As Sarah confronts her mother’s illness, she looks back on a life shaped by work, love and possibility.

Special Screenings (Out of Competition)

1. ghost – end of night
Japan | NATSUME Shingo | 110 min. | 2026

In a near future where human labor is no longer needed, people are assessed at the age of 18 to determine whether they have a place in society. Nike, chosen at 15 to oversee the “starry sky,” encounters Mars, an adult carrying a profound loss, and begins searching for meaning and for what is real.

2. NINE MOUNTAINS: PARAGHOST
Korea | 95 min. | 2026 | World Premiere

Inspired by Ahopsan Forest in Busan, the film transforms the dense bamboo grove into a space between reality and the otherworld. Restless spirits and parasitic entities begin to consume the forest, as memories and guilt collide. Drawing on Korean shamanism and possession, the film creates an uncanny horror world through the distinctive spatial depth of 3D animation.

3. Company Sports Day
Korea | LEE Yong-sun | 113 min. | 2026

Following I’ll Just Live in Bando, LEE Yong-sun turns his sharp gaze from history and mythology toward the modern corporate world. Through the absurd spectacle of a company sports day, his loose, rounded drawings reveal how organizations discipline individuals and turn loyalty into a ritual of survival.

The 28th Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF2026) will take place from October 23 to 27, 2026, in Bucheon, Korea.

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