68 films have been selected for the official programme of this year's StopTrik Festival (Maribor, 23-27 September 2026). The stop-motion animation festival, now in its 16th edition, received a total of 407 submissions. As always, the two competition programmes, "International Competition: Stop Motion Animation” and “International Competition: Borderlands” (a competition of films of mixed media techniques alongside stop-motion animation), attract the main interest.

Both professional films, like the horror love story 'The Flesh Dress' by Joachim Hérissé (competition at Annecy Festival) and the NFTS student film 'Deep End'by Puzhen Zhang, are represented, among others.

The festival's theme this year is inspired by Bruce Sterling's 1995 manifesto on 'Dead Media', an attempt and initiative to resist the 1900s' digital hype by cataloging 'obsolete', failed and forgotten communication.

Dead media are those (…) that died on the barbed wire of technological advance, media that didn’t make it, martyred media.

This also gives its name to a curated Panorama programme "Panorama Dead Media”. StopTrik 2026 will thematize the transformation of media (fading of communication technologies that are essential for understanding of 20th and early 21st century artistic creation) as well as the transformation of information society into misinformation society. 

Regarding the selection process itself:

"This year's submissions have surprised me tonally, thematically, and in the filmmakers’ attention to the materiality of the medium. I have been moved by the filmmakers’ audacity and spirit. Most of the films require us to lean forward and participate, rather than lean back and relax" -Claudia Munksgaard-Palmqvist - festival selector 

The festival and Michał Bobrowski, its Programme Director, are also happy to discover stop-motion gems from Latin and South America (10 films this year) -including  works by Karla Castañeda (Mexico), Joseph Specker Nys (Brazil), Ivette Ávila Martín (Cuba), and Juan Camilo González Moreno (Colombia).

The Czech FAMU school and the Hungarian MOME school are also present in the selection -as well as the Ukrainian animation artists (Oleksandr Isaienko, Yuliia Tabenska).

 Beyond technical and artistic quality, we also consider the intellectual depth, social awareness, and the values communicated through the films. The Festival carries a responsibility towards its Audiences, who seek not only outstanding animation but also meaningful stories that can inspire change - StopTrik IFF

The full selection of the 2026 StopTrik IFF follows, as well as the (tentative) screening schedule.

StopTrik Festival 2026: Selection Results

Selectors: Michał Bobrowski (Poland), Claudia Munksgaard-Palmqvist (Denmark)

The two competitive programmes are judged by the StopTrik Audiences and Maribor Student Jury.

Official Selection: International Competition: Stop Motion Animation

Action Bog, dir. Winston Hacking, prod. Rubber Cement Films, 2025, Canada, 1’23’’
Agathe Must Go / Agathe doit partir, dir. Dylan Hall, Maya Matar, prod. Atelier de Sèvres, 2025, France, 8’52’’
Avant de rentrer… , dir. Arthur Bonneau, prod. Lycée René Descartes, 2026, France, 15’50’’
Ball Face, dir. & prod. Laurence Thérien, 2026, UK, Canada, 4’32’’
Blessed, dir. & prod. Birute Sodeikaite, 2025, Canada, 7’41’’
BOUM, dir. Titouan Tillier, prod. Frigo Films, 2026, France, 2’40’’
Cold Home / Zimny dom, dir. Alicja Liss, prod. Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Fine Arts in Poznań, 2025, Poland, 8’22’’
Deep End / 《深水区》(Shen Shui Qu), dir. Puzhen Zhang, prod. NFTS, 2026, UK, 7’39’’
Emechiche, The Rebirth of White-Headed / Emechiche, El renacer de los cabeciblancos, dir. Juan Camilo González Moreno, prod. Little Bears, 2025, Colombia, Argentina, 11’28’’
Frankie the Rabbit’s Final Preparations / Ostatnie przygotowania krolika Frania, dir. Marianna Mrożek, prod. Lodz Film School, 2026, Poland, 3’10’’
Fructus Fliegus, dir. Emilia Zieser, prod. Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, 2025, Germany, 4’48’’
Hatker, dir. Alejandro Ariel Martin, prod. Epirenov, 2025, Argentina, 7’30’’
Imagination, dir. & prod. Diane Lindo, 2025, Canada, 1’55’’
Imago, dir. Tom Petitprez, prod. Ecole Européenne Supérieure d'Art de Bretagne, 2025, France, 6’30’’
Liminal, dir. Fernando Silva De la Cruz, prod. Cigoto, 2026, Chile, 2’30’’
Making It Fit, dir. Mariana Leal, prod. Animate Projects, 2025, UK, 4’30’’
Momma Doesn't Notice Shit, dir. Sonya Nikitina, Vitaly Ushakov, Juliette Gangl, prod. BAU Art and Design College in Barcelona, 2025, Spain, 4’14’’
Mud / Lodo, 2026, dir. Joseph Specker Nys, prod. Cuenco Cine, Cafeína Produções, 2 Plátanos Filmes, MEI, Brazil, Uruguay, 15’55’’
Night Sky Elevator, dir. Csanád Baksa-Soós, prod. MOME, 2025, Hungary, 9’02’’
Night Song / Canción de noche, dir. Karla Castañeda, prod. IMCINE, 2026, Mexico, 9’21’’
Nun / Jeptiška, dir. Katerina Ku, prod. FAMU, Echo Stories, 2026, Czechia, 8’20’’
Pembe & Eflatun, dir. Alix Bortoli, Dal Park, prod. Minem Sezgin de Boer, 2025, The Netherlands, 7’04’’
Porridge Monster / Owsiankowy potwór, dir. Izabela Plucińska, Las Sztuki Foundation, Wait a Second!, PERI FILM, 2026, Poland, Germany, Azerbaijan, 9’33’’
Procrastination Yoga, dir. Paulina Ziółkowska, prod. Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, Wait a second!, 2026, Germany, Poland, 7’36’’
Raptus, dir. Ivette Ávila Martín, prod. Aramís Acosta Caulineau, 2025, Cuba, 10’12’’
Tar, dir. Fariba Farzanfar, Kaveh Sistani, prod. Fariba Farzanfar, Kaveh Sistani, Amirreza Kavianmehr, 2026, Iran, 5’
The Flesh Dress / La Robe Peau, dir. Joachim Hérissé, prod. Komawe, 2026, France, 15’10’’
Thousands of Hours / Tisíce hodin, dir. Barbora Vanická, prod. FAMU, 2026, Czechia, 6’19’’
Wild / Divlji, dir. Miloš Tomić, prod. SET SAIL films, Luma films, 2026, Serbia, Croatia, 7’40’’

The Flesh Dress

Official Selection: International Competition: Borderlands

An American Portrait of a Ukrainian Artist on an Early Spring Afternoon, dir. & prod. Oleksandr Isaienko, 2026, Ukraine, USA, 3’49’’
Banana Soup / Labouyi Bannann, dir. Geena Gasser, prod. Schattenkabinett, 2025, Switzerland, 7’03’’
Fly Train / 《褪色的透明列車》(Tuise de touming lieche), dir. & prod. Ria Riwen Zhang, 2025, Hong Kong, 3’44’’
Impromptu, dir. & prod. Steven Subotnick, 2025, USA, 6’09’’
Microcosmos. A Cabinet of Curiosities / Microcosmos. Un gabinete de curiosidades, dir. María Lorenzo, prod. Enrique Millán, 2026, Spain, 9’04’’
Next Step, dir. & prod. Tamás Patrovits, 2025, Hungary, 5’05’’
No One Ever Looked at Elephants As You Do / Nihče ni nikoli gledal slonov kot ti, dir. Sandra Jovanovska, prod. STARAGARA, 2026, Slovenia, North Macedonia, 9’57’’
Paper Dream / Snovník, dir. Laura Boráros, prod. FAMU, 2024, Czechia, 4’25’’
She Dolls with Dollies, dir. Karin Fisslthaler, prod. Karin Fisslthaler, Anna Clementi, Thomas Stern, 2024, Austria, 2’46’’
The Truth Rejects You, Cornelius / La veritat et gira l'esquena, Cornelius, dir. Khris Cembe, Marc Torices, prod. Hampa Studio, Mr. Miyagi, Ruibarbo, TPO, 2026, Spain, 17’18’’
With Coffee (Tales With the Letter C) / Con café (Cuentos con la C), dir. María Manero Muro, prod. Beniwood Producciones S.L, Aquí y Allí Films S.L, Lardux Films, 2026, Spain, France, 11’30’’
Women's Club, dir. Anđelina Petrović, prod. University of Nova Gorica School of Arts, 2025, Slovenia, 3’59’’

No One Ever Looked at Elephants as You Do

Official Selection: Panorama Open Frame

Children of Wind / Otroci Vetra, dir. Tina Furlan, prod. University of Nova Gorica School of Arts, 2026, Slovenia, 4’17’’
Day of Happiness / Boldogság napja, dir. Janka Pálma Bácsi, Hanna Mária Skultéty, prod. MOME, 2026, Hungary, 3’04’’
emory "dirt", dir. Julia Fernandez, prod. Julia Fernandez, Ben Wittkugel, 2025, USA, 3’30’’
Ink & Paint, dir. Lino Brunmayr, Maria Horvath, prod. Digital Arts Campus Hagenberg University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, 2025, Austria, 2’26’’
Lichenlike / Lišaja, dir. Brina Fekonja, prod. University of Nova Gorica School of Arts, 2026, Slovenia, 8’01’’
Made with Peace & Love, dir. & prod. Sara Jekely, 2024, USA, 3’08’’
Polish Lullaby / Kołysanka, dir. Natan Lidia Bohdanowicz, prod. Lodz Film School, 2024, Poland, 3’33’’
Scream / Grita, dir. Ulises Rivera, prod. Yulaiket, 2025, Spain, 3’00’’
Talk to Me / Mów do mnie, dir. & prod. Yuliia Tabenska, 2025, Poland, 2’49’’
The Body and Its Stories, dir. Mihaela Pounova, prod. New Bulgarian University, 2026, Bulgaria, 1’26’’
The Care Package, dir. & prod. Vera Shysh, 2025, Denmark, 7’11’’
There Is Plenty of Fish in the Sea / Wszystkie rybki śpią w jeziorze, dir. Joanna Szlembarska, prod. Likaon, 2025, Poland, 10’10’’
Tulipomania: I've Been Told, dir. & prod. Cheryl Gelover + Tom Murray, 2024, USA, 3’35’’
What Is, Is Now / Wad Is, Is Nu, dir. Jikke Lesterhuis, prod. Valk Productions, 2025, The Netherlands, 2’15’’
WildBait, dir. & prod. Lee Oz, Eliška Oz, 2025, Czechia, 3’06’’
Winter in March / Lumi Saadab Meid, dir. Natalia Mirzoyan, prod. Rebel Frame, Artstep, 2025, Estonia, Armenia, 16’22’’

Winter in March 

Official Selection: Panorama Dead Media

A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers / 《꽃 사진을 찍는 남자 》(Kkot sajineul jjinneun namja), dir. Yoo Lee, prod. Yoo Lee, Shinae Kim, Shengluo Zhang, 2025, USA, South Korea, 13’02’’
decay / decaer, 2025, dir. Juan Camilo González, prod. Bibiana Rojas, Colombia, 7’08’’
Do You Know, Where The Birds Live?, dir. & prod. Anja Paternoster, 2025, Slovenia, 2’59’’
Factory Reset, dir. & prod. Ludo Hoffstetter, 2026, France, 7’32’’
Fantasmagoria, dir. Michał Niemier, prod. Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznań, 2026, Poland, 13’
Grenfell Adrift on an Iceberg, dir. John Hollands, prod. Kenji Yukinaga-Paradis, 2024, Canada, 10’01’’
Hum, dir. & prod. Milán Kopasz, 2026, Hungary, 2’53’’
Marrow of My Bones, dir. & prod. Karly McCloskey, 2024, Canada, 2’12’’
Mindfullmess, dir. Niina Suominen, prod. Force Majeure Films, 2026, Finland, 5’50’’
Minimal 2.0, dir. & prod. Jakub Majchrzak, 2024, Poland, 4’03’’
Rolling Eyes, dir. Zeynep Sıla Demircioğlu, prod. Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg, 2025, Germany, 3’43’’

Fantasmagoria

For the stop-motion animation film selection for children, check here.

SCREENING DATES (might be subject to change)

24. 09. 2026, 19:00 (Thursday), Official Selection: Stop Motion Competition I, venue: Vetrinjski dvor, ul. Vetrinjska 30, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
25. 09. 2026, 18:00 (Friday), Official Selection: Stop Motion Competition II, venue: Vetrinjski dvor, ul. Vetrinjska 30, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
25. 09. 2026, 20:00 (Friday), Official Selection: Stop Motion Competition III, venue: Vetrinjski dvor, ul. Vetrinjska 30, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
26. 09. 2026, 16:00 (Saturday), Official Selection: Panorama Open Frame, venue: Vetrinjski dvor, ul. Vetrinjska 30, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
26. 09. 2026, 18:00 (Saturday), Official Selection: Panorama Dead Media, Vetrinjski dvor, ul. Vetrinjska 30, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
26. 09. 2026, 20:00 (Saturday), Official Selection: Borderlands Competition, Vetrinjski dvor, ul. Vetrinjska 30, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

The 16th StopTrik International Film Festival takes place in Maribor from 23 to 27 September 2026.

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