Fantoche International Animation Film Festival 2025

Event Description
Fantoche is Switzerland’s most prestigious animated film festival and is one of the leading events for the medium in the world. It takes place every year in September over the course of six days in the Swiss town of Baden. The festival, which benefits from broad media coverage, attracts both industry professionals and the general public – over 25,500 ticket sales were recorded in 2015.
2025 Call for Entries
In 2025, Fantoche is shining the spotlight on Estonia. The focus country programme highlights the animation culture in the Baltic state and, following Lithuania in 2018, is the second Baltic country that Fantoche has placed in the limelight. More programme highlights and the focus theme will be published in early July 2025.
The competitions are open to any audiovisual animation, created frame by frame, with a maximum running time of forty minutes and completed after the 31st of December 2023.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
In its “International Competition”, Fantoche showcases the best and most interesting new examples of animated short film production worldwide. The competition is a potent mix of contemporary animated film and illustrates the impressive diversity and power of this medium. The “International Competition”, together with the “Swiss Competition”, is the heart of the Fantoche festival.
In its “International Competition”, Fantoche showcases the best and most interesting new examples of animated short film production worldwide. The competition is a potent mix of contemporary animated film and illustrates the impressive diversity and power of this medium. The “International Competition”, together with the “Swiss Competition”, is the heart of the Fantoche festival.
Experimentation and tradition
The main criterion for film selection is innovation. Fantoche’s “International Competition” principally offers a forum for animated films that veer away from conventions of the genre in terms of aesthetics, content or technique, which scrutinize them skillfully or which are audacious enough to turn them on their head. It particularly welcomes projects which push the boundaries of expression of animation further, which seek to experiment and which stand apart thanks to their artistic independence.
However, Fantoche is interested, at the same time, in classical, conventional auteur films, and its selection includes animated films that offer a striking, persuasive blend of idea and implementation, and of content and form. They are deliberately juxtaposed with experimental entries. This is because Fantoche is trying to locate the friction that exists between vision and tradition, offering an insight into the creative wealth of animated film-making.
SWISS COMPETITION
The selection criteria for the “Swiss Competition” correspond to those of the “International Competition”: We want to see new trends, fresh talents and interesting experiments, alongside established auteur films and animation. All Swiss productions which are entered in the “International Competition” are also added to the selection for the “Swiss Competition” and can be nominated for both competitions at the same time.
Awards & Prizes
International Competition: Total prize fund 22'000 CHF
Swiss Competition: Total prize fund 20'000 CHF
Kids Film Competition: Total prize fund 3'000 CHF
- Full regulations and film submission via FilmFreeway
Deadline: 11 May 2025
2023 Festival Coverage
2022 Festival Coverage
2021 Festival Coverage
2020 Festival Coverage
2019 Festival Coverage
2018 Festival Coverage
2017 Festival Coverage
2016 Festival Coverage
2015 Festival Coverage
2014 Festival Coverage
- The Bigger Picture Wins at Fantoche Festival
- Fantoche presents War and Peace Theme
- Selection Results
2013 Festival Coverage
Event Dates
- From 02/09/2025 to 07/09/2025