Northern Animation Network (NAN), a collaboration among 4 animation festivals in the Nordic and Baltic aiming to promote animation in Europe and beyond, has scheduled a series of animation interviews with Nordic/Baltic talents.

Viborg Animation Festival (Denmark), Fredrikstad Animation Festival (Norway), BLON Animation & Games Festival (Lithuania), and REX Animation Film Festival (Sweden) have already initiated a long-time collaboration manifested itself this year through a first ever joint submissions initiative and is now taking the next step - a series of video portraits will be released online in the beginning of 2026 as the "Northern Animation Artists"-series. The interviewees are animation talent and artists from the Nordic/Baltic region, and the interviews have been done at the partnering festivals throughout the fall. 

The interviews are showcasing the art of animation and the cultural heritage that influences the region. The mission is to highlight not just the end results, the films or games, but also invite people to understand the process, craft, and imagination that is needed from the talent. The interviews take you through the story of how the artist got into the field, ups and downs, and what motivates and inspires them.

These are interviews that people can learn from and get inspired by. Many people know the film or games but have no idea about the people behind the stories, as they might be in live-action, but this gives audiences a look into the creatives from the region" - Sandra Brunkow Simonsen, project manager at Northern Animation Network.

Find out the dates for the release of the first 12 interviews:

Preliminary Northern Animation Artists Interview Schedule

13/01/2026 - Sara Gunnarsdóttir  (the interview is now online)
16/01/2026 - Kristian Pedersen (the interview)
23/01/2026 - Kajsa Næss (the interview)
06/02/2026 - Anu-Laura Tuttelberg
20/02/2026 - Nathan Jurevicius
06/03/2026 - Ignas Meilūnas
20/03/2026 - Niki Linddroth Von Bahr
30/03/2026 - Karla Nor Holmbäck
03/04/2026 - Endre Skandfer
17/04/2026 - Joni Männistö
01/05/2026 - Jenny Jokela
15/05/2026 - Anna Mantzaris

In total, 40 interviews are scheduled with different talents. The network is funded by the Creative Europe Media and the Nordic Film and TV Fund.  For more info, visit the Northern Animation Network YouTube channel 

• Read Also: Our coverage of the Northern Animation Network

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