Animateka International Animated Film Festival 2023

Animateka is a week-long international festival of animated film, takes place every year in Ljubljana's Kinodvor and Slovenska kinoteka. Beginning on the first Monday in December, it focuses primarily on the latest production of East and Central European short films. European student films and International films for children.
2023 Call for Entries
The 20th Animateka International Animated Film Festival will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 27 November to 3 December 2023.
Main Competition Programme (short animated films from Central, South, and Eastern Europe)
The competition is open to short animated films (the duration of which must not exceed 30 minutes of total running time per film) produced or co-produced in the following countries:
Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the Ukraine.
The Elephant in Competition (international programme of short animated films for children)
The competition is open to short animated films (the duration of which must not exceed 30 minutes of total running time per film) for children, regardless of the production country.
European Young Talents Competition Programme (short animated films made by European students)
The competition is open to short animated films (the duration of which must not exceed 30 minutes of total running time per film) made by students within educational institutions in the EU or the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, the Ukraine, and UK.
The films must be completed in 2022 or 2023. Films previously screened at the Animateka festival are not eligible.
- Festival Regulations
- Entry Form
- Deadline: 15 July 2023
2022 Festival Coverage
- Festival Winners
- Tal Kantor masterclass at Animateka (GoCritic! Review)
- European Young Talents (GoCritic! Review)
- Boris Labbe at Animateka (GoCritic! Review)
2021 Festival Coverage
- Award Winners
2020 Festival Coverage - Animateka Winners
- Animateka Selection Results
2019 Festival Coverage
- Animateka 2019 Winners
- Animateka 2019 Catalogue
- Selection Results 2019: Main Competition
- Selection Results 2019: European Young Talents Competition
- The Elephant in Competition
- Animateka 2019 Goes Baltic
The author of the 16th Animateka visual identity is Edmunds Jansons, a renowned animation film director and graphic designer from Latvia.
From its very beginning the cinema has developed as a two-headed eagle - with one head looking into reality - documenting, observing, commenting our lives; the other head looking to the magical side of life - where the dreams, tricks and fantasies are. What I like about animation the most is that these two sides/directions coexist there naturally. That feeling about the duality of animation - I tried to capture it in the poster. Why fishermen - that’s the first image that comes to my mind when I hear “Baltics” - sea, fish, boats, fishermen - silent, harsh and strong - Edmunds Jansons
2018 festival coverage:
This year the festival recieved 669 films, which is 65 more than last year. 120 out of 696 films tried to get into the Central end Eastern European competition programme, 281 films applied to compete in the Young Talents competition, while 268 of them would like to take a chance in the Elephant competition programme, aimed at children. Submissions were received from 63 different countries, from Poland and France to Singapore and Afghanistan. Slovene animators did their part too, as they sent 35 films.
Here's the full festival daily schedule
- Eastern and Central European Competition Programme Schedule
- The Elephant in Competition Schedule
- European Young Talents Schedule
- Špela Čadež and Zarja Menart Design the 2018 Animateka Poster
2017 Festival News
For the Animateka Pro Pitch competition, see here
Event Dates
- From 27/11/2023 to 03/12/2023