22nd Animateka International Animated Film Festival

Animateka is back in town! On the screens of the Slovenian Cinematheque and Kinodvor, the 22nd edition showcases the best of auteur animation from around the world. Each year, it also screens an outstanding selection of animated feature films for children and adults. This year’s retrospective is named Pinscreen, after the old and rediscovered technique used to produce analogue animated gems. The extensive film programme is comple¬mented by the AnimatekaPRO platform at the Old Power Station, a competition programme of cher¬ry-picked VR films in our new venue, Cirkulacija 2, exhibitions, events, and, most importantly, warm international social interactions.

AnimatekaPRO 2025
AnimatekaPRO is a festival platform that takes you behind the scenes of animated filmmaking
through a series of masterclasses and conversations with filmmakers. Join us for breakfasts with authors of the films in competition, hear this year’s jurors talk about their creative process, learn the secrets of making animated features and master the tools of accessible cinema. AnimatekaPRO also places special emphasis on pitches of projects by young upandcoming filmmakers in the ‘Rise & Shine’pitching lab!

Tuesday, 2. 12.
10 a.m. Masterclass: Pierre-Luc Granjon
French director started as a stop motion model maker before he began making his own animated films. As a director, his technique varies from stop motion with puppets or papier-mâché to cut-out.
11.30 a.m. Masterclass: Michèle Lemieux
An illustrator and animation filmmaker who has taught at UQAM’s school of design for over 30 years. In 2006, during a workshop given by Jacques Drouin, Lemieux was introduced to the Alexeïeff-Parker pinscreen, subsequently becoming the artistic heir to this unique animation technique.
1 p.m. Panel: On this year’s retrospective – Pins and screens
Join us for a panel discussion on this year’s retrospective, where its curators Jean-Baptiste Garnero and Sophie Le Tetour (CNC) delve into the history, fun facts, and methods of pinscreen animation with the attending filmmakers.

Wednesday, 3. 12
10 a.m. Breakfast with authors I
In-depth moderated conversations in which the filmmakers behind competing films get the chance to present their work. Chaired by Igor Prassel and Chris Robinson.
12.30 p.m. Breakfast with authors II
3 p.m. Masterclass: Momoko Seto
Japanese director and artist talks about her filmmaking process, especially in relation to her animated feature in the festival line-up. Dandelion’s Odyssey is an ecological and poetic journey mixing 3D animation, macro live action and timelapses.

Thursday, 4. 12.
10 a.m. Breakfast with authors III
In-depth moderated conversations in which the filmmakers behind competing films get the chance to present their work. Chaired by Igor Prassel and Chris Robinson.
12.30 p.m. Masterclass: Juan Pablo Zaramella
A director, animator and illustrator with a strong interest in creativity and ideas. His film Luminaris has won 324 awards, becoming the Guinness World Record holder to the Most Awarded Short in history in 2018.
2 p.m. Masterclass: Elizabeth Hobbs
Elizabeth Hobbs is an artist. Her films are driven by a strong narrative, experimental in form, and often based on curious overlooked stories from history.

Friday, 5. 12.
10 a.m. Breakfast with authors IV
In-depth moderated conversations in which the filmmakers behind competing films get the chance to present their work. Chaired by Igor Prassel and Chris Robinson.
12.30 p.m. Masterclass: Ligia Soare, Accessible cinema
Ligia Soare, cultural manager specialising in accessible cinema events, will share with us tools for filmmakers, festivals and cinemas to step up and offer inclusive audiovisual experiences for all ages and abilities.
2 p.m. Masterclass: Tales from the Magic Garden
Come to hear the creators behind a film that represents a historic milestone in Slovenian animated cinema as only the second feature-length animated film with a Slovenian producer and director in 27 years. Its development began back in 2017, and its production involved 16 animators working on film sets in four countries.

Saturday, 6. 12.
10 a.m. Breakfast with authors V
In-depth moderated conversations in which the filmmakers behind competing films get the chance to present their work. Chaired by Igor Prassel and Chris Robinson.
12.30 p.m. Pitching competition Rise & Shine 2025
Young talents from all over Europe pitch eleven short animated projects in progress to the audience and compete for awards. Don’t miss this overview of contemporary animation!

Animation development & pitching Lab for young talents and their short films

Rise & Shine is a project development and pitching lab for first and second-time professional filmmakers with their short films (up to 20 minutes), organized by Animafest Zagreb and Animateka in collaboration with CEE Animation in three modules: focus on script, project follow-up, focus on pitch. The mentors of the fourth edition were director and scriptwriter Pedro Rivero (ES), producer Jelena Popović (NFB, CA), and producer Anna Vašova (13ka, CZ). The projects will be competing for the CEE Animation Forum 2026 direct access award, for the Rise & Shine 2025 Audience Award and the Film Centre of Montenegro Award of EUR 1500, the Cinefila distribution award as well as the possibility to attend the Short Film Market Clermont-Ferrand 2026.

Projects:
Daylight
Ayala Shoshana Guy, Fabian Driehorst, Fabian&Fred, Germany, Denmark,
Family Recipe
Lou-Anne Gérard, Titouan Tillier, Frigo Films, France
I Was Born Under This Tree
Mihaela Mîndru, Romania
Lovers In a Dangerous Time
Daniel Sterlin-Altman, Alexandre de Paillerets, Une boîte de plus, France, Germany
Redefining Island
Julie Černá, Michaela Režová, Pure Shore, Czechia
Runaway Heart
Mery Gobec, Nataša Vugrinec, Studio Virc, Slovenia
Seal the Deal
Lea Vučko, Damir Grbanović, Octopics, Slovenia
Sighthounds
Marko Por, Slovenia
Stormsurge
Anna Tőkés, Balint Gelley, CUB Animation, Hungary
The Chestnut Fair
Valeria Weerasinghe, Eleonora Muzzi, Sayonara Film, Italy
The Place of Home
Henri Veermäe, Erik Heinsalu, Grafik Oü, Estonia