Festival Description
Primanima is an international festival and competition for first animations. Its co-founders launched the festival in 2012 with the goal of providing a platform for talented young animators to introduce their first films, as well as to add animation and other educational programs to the cultural life of Budaörs.
Primanima takes place in the buzzing little town of Budaörs, Hungary (in the suburb of the Hungarian capital, Budapest). In addition to the screenings, visitors can enjoy international workshops, forums, design markets, exhibitions, and concerts. The main host of the event is the Budaörs Animation Base and Creative Space (BABtér).
2026 Primanima World Festival of First Animations Coverage
The 14th Primanima World Festival of First Animations returns to Budaörs from 14–17 October 2026, presenting films from more than 30 countries alongside award-winning animation, professional events and the festival’s first Immersive Competition.
Award-winning films and international premieres
This year’s competitions feature both emerging and established filmmakers. Highlights include Laurence Thérien’s 'Ball Face', winner of the Crystal Award for Best Graduation Film at Annecy, and 'Growing Stones and Flying Papers', whose directors will attend Primanima after the films jointly received Third Prize in La Cinef at Cannes.
The Masters Competition includes Dennis Tupicoff’s 'Trap', Niki Lindroth von Bahr’s 'The End', Koji Yamamura’s 'The Spring Sea' and Kenyan first film 'The Big Sad Nairobi'.
Primanima's first-ever Immersive Competition
Primanima launches its first Immersive Competition in 2026, exploring storytelling beyond the traditional screen. The programme includes Annecy Crystal Award winner 'The Long Goodbye' by Kate Voet and Victor Maes, as well as the Hungarian premieres of Atsushi Wada’s 'If You See a Cat' and Vier’s 'Lúcido'.
French artist Boris Labbé will serve on the immersive jury and lead a masterclass on experimental and expanded animation. His Venice Immersive Grand Prize-winning VR work Ito Meikyū will also be presented out of competition.
International guests and a celebration of animation
Bulgarian director and producer Vessela Dantcheva, co-founder of Compote Collective, joins the international jury and will give a masterclass on independent animation production and funding in Bulgaria. The wider programme also includes an exhibition curated by Paola Bristot featuring Italian comics, including works by cartoonist Davide Toffolo. The full schedule
Primanima World Festival of First Animations Call for Entries
Festival call for entries - Currently not open. Submission details will be reported here when announced by the festival.
(Archive)
- your submission should be an animated film, meaning that it is produced frame-by-frame using various techniques other than live-action or animation mixed with live-action
- it should be completed after January 1st, 2024
- it should be no longer than 30 minutes
- it should have English subtitles included if the film has dialogues
Categories
- Student Film
- Graduation Film
- First FIlm
- Masters Competition
- Children's Film
- Primateen Film
