Etiuda & Anima 2026 Animation Winners: 'Nissa Scrim', 'Our Walls', 'Three Cups of Coffee'

An animated story of abuse won the Grand Prix Golden Jabberwocky at the 33rd edition of Etiuda&Anima (26-31 October 2026, Krakow) and its international animation competition. The Dutch film 'Nissa Scrim' by Marcel Tigchelaar takes the viewer into a story of family abuse, empathetic and distant at the same time. The film also won the festival's audience prize for an animated short.

The second prize (Silver Jabberwocky) was given to the overstressed (and overstretched) humorous diary of 'Off-Time' by Nata Metlukh. Niki Lindroth von Bahr's Cannes-premiered stop-motion airport satire 'The End' received the Bronze Jabberwocky, respectively.

Three generations of women need each other's understanding in the animation short 'Our Walls' by Živa Divjak, which won the festival's Best Student Animated Film. A study of a relationship over time (in cutouts), 'Three Cups of Coffee' by Natalia Krawczuk won the Anima.PL (Polish) competition.

Here's the full list of animation winners of the 2026 Etiuda&Anima Festival.

ANIMA COMPETITION JURY VERDICT

Jury: Holger Land, Sylwia Szkiłądź, Péter Vácz

Grand Prix Golden Jabberwocky
NISSA SCRIM (Netherlands 2025), Director: Marcel Tigchelaar

Jury Statement: The film directed by Marcel Tigchelaar tackles a subject that is difficult to portray on screen, yet the director succeeds in presenting it in a way that is both deeply emotional and detached. It moved us with its great power, intensity, and pacing. The painful process of confronting domestic abuse and breaking the cycle of inherited violence to avoid becoming like an abusive parent is portrayed in an immersive way, enhanced by minimalist animation that challenges our perceptions. It lingers with us long after the credits roll, and that is its greatest strength.

Silver Jabberwocky
OFF-TIME / CZAS WOLNY (USA, Japan, Ukraine 2025), Director: Nata Metlukh

Jury Statement: The film follows an overstretched data professional trapped in a frantic cycle of managing his day, dictated by the clock. In a desperate bid to maximize efficiency, his attempt to juggle every task at once backfires completely, leaving his personal life in shambles until a sudden breakdown of time itself forces him to slow down, step out of the relentless pressure, and embrace a quieter state of existence. Director Nata Metlukh employs an elastic, highly fluid visual language filled with slapstick gags to tackle chronic burnout and temporal anxiety. The animation converts the psychological strain of modern productivity into exaggerated, kinetic cartoon humor.

Bronze Jabberwocky
THE END (Sweden, France, Denmark 2026), Director: Niki Lindroth von Bahr

Jury Statement: There is something wonderfully unsettling about the elderly bat who slowly pushes his cleaning cart through the airport, casually announcing that “It won’t take long.” This is just one example of the offbeat humor that runs throughout Niki Lindroth von Bahr’s film, which centers on themes of mortality, human distraction, and existential absurdity. Populated by animals in human roles, it is full of genuinely funny moments - such as when a blind mole in the airport security room interrogates a nervous fly about what lies between life and death. The film is masterfully crafted, with extraordinary attention to the acting and behavior of each character.

Nissa Scrim

Off-Time

Special Golden Jabberwocky in Memory of Bogusław Zmudziński for the Best Student Animated Film of the Festival

OUR WALLS (Czech Republic 2026), Director: Živa Divjak

Jury Statement: Built around a recorded dialogue between the filmmaker and her mother, this animated documentary delves into the emotional toll of caring for an elderly relative. It examines the invisible psychological weight borne by adults caught between tending to aging parents and raising their own children. As the mother navigates this demanding situation, her sense of self and personal space begins to erode. Živa Divjak uses gentle, expressive drawing to visualize internal boundaries, where domestic architecture and shifting physical barriers serve as visual analogies for intergenerational caretaking.

Best Polish Animation Award

BEETLES / ŻUCZKI (Poland 2025), Director: Piotr Chmielewski

Jury Statement: Beetles is a story that appears simple on the surface but has real depth. The multi-layered narrative leaves us with questions to ponder after watching it. It highlights the power of community, despite competition and judgement. This child-friendly film, told in simple terms, is a delight both for its vibrant visuals and for the playful way the language is used.

Honourable Mention

FIRE IN MY POCKET (Hungary 2026), Director: Janka Feiner

Jury Statement: While assisting his father with a furniture construction project, a young boy gets distracted and catches sight of an elusive, luminous spark-creature. Following the glow, he slips away into an enchanted wilderness, choosing imaginative exploration over duty or responsibility. Janka Feiner's short stands out through its hybrid media approach, combining classic animation techniques with sets made from actual, living mushroom cultures. This organic aesthetic provides a tangible, shifting visual texture for a story about childhood escape.

Honourable Mention

LONG DISTANCE (France 2025), Director: Iulia Voitova

Jury Statement: This film tells the story of a woman preparing for a journey into space and the relationship she leaves behind. Although her partner supports her, he also seems reluctant to fully acknowledge the impending separation. We were particularly captivated by the film’s stunning visual world: the rich oil-pastel textures, the beautiful palette, and the expressive, hand-drawn animation on paper. We also loved how Iulia Voitova moves between intimate close-ups and expansive wide shots, creating a rhythm that draws us deeper into the emotional journey.

Honourable Mention
ULTRA STRONG (Canada 2026), Director: Catherine Lepage

Jury Statement: The film is exploring themes of adolescent identity and the dismantling of the "Prince Charming" myth. Its core strength lies in its tactile, print-media aesthetic, using brush-and-ink lines to mimic traditional silkscreen printing. By pairing self-deprecating humor with surreal visual metaphors, the film powerfully translates raw, vulnerable emotional landscapes into a universally relatable coming-of-age story.

Student Jury Award
HUNTING / POLOWANIE (Switzerland 2025), Director: Lea Favre

Jury Statement: For grabbing us by the throat, addressing the issue in a simple yet powerful way, and leaving the audience in profound silence.

Student Jury Honourable Mention
WINTER IN MARCH (Armenia, Belgium, Estonia, France 2025), Director: Natalia Mirzoyan

Jury Statement: For using an animation technique that reinforces the narrative, in which the protagonists’ new reality is stitched together, only to be torn apart again and again by the cold that follows them.

Audience Award

NISSA SCRIM (Netherlands 2025), Director: Marcel Tigchelaar

Hunting

ANIMA.PL COMPETITION JURY VERDICT

Jury: Mariam Kandelaki, Vladimir Leschiov, Paweł Prewencki

Golden Żmij - Grand Prix
THREE CUPS OF COFFEE / TRZY FILIŻANKI KAWY (Poland 2026), Director: Natalia Krawczuk

Jury Statement: For the three of us, this film was like a pleasant cup of coffee, rich in aroma.

Silver Żmij
SCHERZO (Poland 2025), Director: Wojciech Wojtkowski

Jury Statement: A dark joke about one of the most somber, yet at the same time wonderful, composers.

Bronze Żmij
COSMOGONY / KOSMOGONIA (Poland 2025), Director: Karolina Chabier

Jury Statement: A philosophical concept on how a creation can change its creator.

Special Golden Żmij for the Best Student Film in the ANIMA.PL Competition

THE CROOKED HEADS / NA KRZYWE ŁBY (Poland 2025), Director: Jakub Krzyszpin

Jury Statement: Thanks to the evocative visual design and storytelling, it felt as though we drowned in the haze of a coal mine smoke.

Honourable Mention - Mariam Kandelaki

I FEEL LIKE A FISH / CZUJĘ SIĘ JAK RYBA (Poland 2025), Director: Joanna Płatek

Honourable Mention - Vladimir Leschiov
SURVIVAL (Poland 2025), Director: Hieronim Neumann

Honourable Mention - Paweł Prewencki
BEETLES / ŻUCZKI (Poland 2025), Director: Piotr Chmielewski

Student Jury Award
COLD HOME / ZIMNY DOM (Poland 2025), Director: Alicja Liss

Jury Statement: For its distinctive voice and exceptional poetic language, which, through subtle, restrained yet clear symbolism, tell a story of harm caused by emotional absence — a form of invisible violence that is deeply unsettling and stays with the viewer long after the film ends. For the painting-like quality of its imagery and the conscious use of the medium’s expressive possibilities, which convey emotion with great power and give the subject a unique visual dimension.

Student Jury Honourable Mention

KKOGDU (Poland 2026), Director: Jin Woo

Jury Statement: For a masterful synthesis of music, movement and sound, which create a rich, coherent and hypnotic whole, and for an original perspective on death and ritual that opens up new ways of seeing, all within a surreal and precisely structured world. For a symbolic and universal portrayal of the tensions involved in searching for one’s identity beyond the culturally imposed categories of the body.

Audience Award

COSMOGONY / KOSMOGONIA (Poland 2025), Director: Karolina Chabier

Estonian animation director Ülo Pikkov received a special Golden Dinosaur for his animated work and teaching

Check our Comprehensive Coverage of Etiuda&Anima Festival

The 33rd Etiuda&Anima Festival took place 26-31 October 2026 in Krakow, Poland.