146. Greek Animation Talks with Eva Stefani powered by EKKOMED
149. Διαγωνιστικό Τμήμα K.ID.S Competition Section
163. Διαγωνιστικό Τμήμα Animapride Competition Section
173. Διεθνές Πανόραμα | International Panorama
182. Nέες Ελληνικές Φωνές | New Greek Voices
188. Cinematherapy by EKKOMED
192. Πρόγραμμα
| We are all together! Programme
198. Αφιέρωμα Animated Cosmos Tribute
210. Αφιέρωμα Bill Plympton Tribute
218. Αφιέρωμα Great Greek Masters Tribute
225. Αφιέρωμα
| Croatian Animation Tribute
236. FAN Network Αnimation Trainers Meeting
244. FAN Network Tour of Programmes
246. Η Camera Zizanio στο ANIMASYROS | Camera Zizanio at ANIMASYROS
250. Artists Corner I Adam Elliot
254. Artists Corner II Garry Thomas
255. Artists Corner III
258. Artists Corner IV Oscar De Santillana Rojas
260. Ταινίες ΑΚΤΟ - Yποτροφία
268. Animasyros – Μελωδία 99, 2:
| Dr. Ioannis Vetsikas, Nikolaos Chionas
Films - Petros Kirimis Scholarship
Animasyros – Melodia 99,2 radio station: Ninety Seconds for Μikis
272. Παραγωγές Animasyros Productions
278. Συζήτηση
European Parliament Liaison Office in Greece Discussion
281. Eιδική
- Animegaron
Special Screening - Animegaron International Animated Film Music Competition
285. VR Lounge 2025
291. Εκπαιδευτικά Προγράμματα | Media Literacy Programmes
308. Ετήσιες
2024 – 2025 | Annual Media Literacy Activities
311. Ευχαριστίες | Acknowledgements
314. #TeamAnimasyros
318. Ευρετήριο
325. Χορηγοί
| Film Index
| Festival Sponsors
Nikitas Kaklamanis
President of the Hellenic Parliament
This year, ANIMASYROS is approaching its 18th birthday and reaches for the stars. Our country’s foremost international festival for animation comes of age and celebrates with a stunning animated cosmos. Following its creative yet steady course, this September ANIMASYROS explores new dimensions in space, with our most beloved animated characters from all over the world making up its cosmonaut crew.
Liftoff is from the celebrated Apollon Theatre. From there, ANIMASYROS will begin its voyage to embrace the universe of animation worldwide, through its artistic and competitive programme, through its comprehensive educational workshops, its Agora and its innovative other activities.
This year’s crew has some splendid new additions, such as the awarded Bill Plympton, the Great Greek Masters of 80 years standing, and the Croatian Animation Scene from the Zagreb School to the present. Plus, there are no fewer than 3.000 submissions from 115 countries in the competitive part.
To this year’s Festival — one that truly feels like it’s from another dimension — I extend my warmest wishes for every success! My sincere congratulations to the organisers, participants, and volunteers. And to all those lucky enough to enjoy it in the “Dame of the Cyclades,” I wish that you enjoy some wonderful screenings! hellenicparliament.gr
Dr. Lina Mendoni Minister of Culture
It is with great pleasure that I extend my warmest greetings to the 18th ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival — an event that began in 2008 in the capital of the Cyclades and has since grown into one of Europe’s leading celebrations of animated film and its artistic applications. The central theme of this year’s edition, “Animated Cosmos”, explores the captivating relationship between animation and the vast universe of outer space — a concept both imaginative and limitless. Space and its exploration have long fascinated humanity, fueling our imagination and finding one of their most expressive outlets in animation, where realism often blends with science fiction. The ambition to reach the stars, with all its political, economic, and cultural dimensions, has shaped past generations and continues to inspire new ones. Today, as space exploration gains tangible substance, it challenges us once again — pushing the limits of human intelligence and placing our presence within the infinite dimensions of the cosmos. ΑNIMASYROS 2025 invites us on a compelling journey through the ways, in which animation captures and transforms this space odyssey into artistic creation, with all its connotations.
True to its strong legacy yet always evolving, the festival is structured around three main pillars. Its core artistic programme, featuring screenings across seven competitive sections and special tributes to key themes and prominent voices from the international animation scene; a broad educational strand, with animation workshops designed for diverse audiences — from children and teenagers to the elderly and people with disabilities; and a dedicated tribute to the pioneers of Greek animation, titled "The Great Greek Masters", curated by Kleopatra Korai and Dimitris Bellos. In addition, the festival hosts a vibrant Agora, a professional meeting point that connects creators and industry professionals, highlighting the economic dimensions of the art and the need for continued support. Through this dynamic blend of creativity, learning, and networking, ANIMASYROS has become a true point of reference for animation professionals across the Eastern Mediterranean.
The festival also restores to Syros its historical role as a vibrant and ever-curious cultural capital of modern Greece — this time through an art form that speaks to global audiences of all ages.
The island’s renewed spirit of openness and connection to the world is reflected in the professionalism and youthful energy of everyone involved in the festival — organizers, artists, and participants alike.
I would like to thank the visionaries and all those who work with dedication and integrity for the successful organization and realization of the festival. I wish every success to its activities and proceedings, confident that many more successful editions will follow in the years to come.
Animation Festival, 22 - 28.09.2025, Syros island, Cyclades
pnai.gov.gr
George Leontaritis
Vice Governor of Cyclades Region of South Aegean
It is with great pleasure that we welcome for the 18th year running the ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival, which has proved itself to be an institution of world standing, and has made for itself a special place on the Greek and European cultural map.
Animasyros brings together creators and audience, offering a stage for artistic expression and allowing for the presentation of innovative ideas. This year’s event is dedicated to the topic of the Animated Cosmos, so we can only look forward to how the world of the moving picture will interact with the world of Space.
The Region of South Aegean has been a constant supporter of ANIMASYROS from its very inception, and acknowledges its major role in propagating the art of animation but also in advancing cultural standards in both our region and our country. We are really looking forward to a unique festival experience this year!
ANIMASYROS!
syros-ermoupolis.gr syrosisland.gr
Alexandros Athanasiou
Mayor of Syros - Hermoupolis
It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to Syros for the 18th edition of ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival — the year of its coming of age. This year’s theme is particularly compelling, as it is dedicated to space under the title "Animated Cosmos." A theme that symbolizes exploration, innovation, and infinite possibilities — concepts that ANIMASYROS has embraced since its very first year here in Hermoupolis.
A rich and multifaceted program unfolds, featuring seven competitive sections, a series of educational workshops, the VR lounge, various parallel events, international guests from across the globe, new international and local partnerships, and of course, the Agora — a key meeting point for the animation industry in the Eastern Mediterranean.
For this year’s vibrant and internationally-minded ANIMASYROS, we extend our heartfelt thanks to PLATFORMA – Urban Culture Company, the South Aegean Region, the Cyclades Chamber of Commerce, the participating artists, and everyone who contributed to this outstanding result.
Wishing all the best to ANIMASYROS!
Giannis Roussos
President of the Cyclades Chamber of Commerce
President of the Network of the Insular Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the E.U. (INSULEUR) Γιάννης
It is with great joy and appreciation that the Cyclades Chamber of Commerce welcomes ANIMASYROS for the 18th consecutive year -an institution that was born in Syros and has since managed to reach audiences across the globe.
This year, guided by the theme Animated Cosmos, the festival takes us on a journey through the universe of imagination, creativity, and innovation. At the same time, it brings together institutions, creators, citizens, and younger generations through a rich program that bridges culture with education and entrepreneurship. The warm response from communities across the other Cycladic islands -thanks to the simultaneous screening of films in local Chamber offices- is something we deeply value. We will therefore continue the initiative this year.
As the Cyclades Chamber of Commerce, we are proud to support an event that highlights the dynamism of the Cyclades. Warm congratulations to the organizers for their vision and dedication.
e-kyklades.gr
visitgreece.gr
Andreas Fiorentinos
Secretary General of the Greek National Tourism Organisation
The ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival, now in its 18th year, has become a well-established cultural event that highlights Greece’s creative spirit and promotes Syros and the Cyclades internationally. With a strong focus on artistic quality, sustainability, and education, the Festival continues to grow and inspire.
This year’s theme, “Animated Cosmos”, invites audiences of all ages to explore the universe through imagination, technology, and storytelling. Screenings, workshops, and professional activities will offer a unique experience that connects art with curiosity about space and beyond.
The Greek National Tourism Organisation proudly supports ANIMASYROS, recognising its contribution to cultural tourism, regional development, and Greece’s international image as a creative and welcoming destination.
As Secretary General of the GNTO, I warmly congratulate the organisers and wish great success to this year’s edition.
Best of luck to ANIMASYROS 2025 – Animated Cosmos!
ypai.gr
Manolis Koutoulakis
Secretary General for the Aegean and Island Policy
The Aegean has always been a land of inspiration, myth, and stars. It is no coincidence that ANIMASYROS 2025 sets its course this year toward the “Animated Cosmos”, opening up new horizons of imagination and creativity.
Syros, with its timeless beauty and rich history, once again becomes the shining island of animation—where art and community meet in radiant harmony. Here, stories come to life, ideas take shape, and every generation finds its voice in a spirit of inclusion and uninhibited expression.
Our warmest congratulations to all those who bring this extraordinary journey to life. We will always stand beside you.
aegean.gr
Dimitris Papageorgiou
Rector of the University of the Aegean
The University of the Aegean has been supporting ANIMASYROS since its very first edition in 2008.
Students and academic staff, both from the Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering (DPSD) and from other departments of our University, actively participate and contribute in multiple ways to the Festival’s annual events. In recent years, this collaboration has acquired a strategic dimension, expanding into a broad network of actions.
More specifically, on the initiative of the University of the Aegean and in collaboration with the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center, ASIFA HELLAS and ANIMASYROS, we are launching the Aegean Animation Hub, a dynamic co-production platform hosted at our Athens premises. This hub aims to support Greek animation professionals and connect them with international markets.
At the same time, and during the dates of the Festival, we are pleased to host in Syros the international conference CHI (Computer & Human Interaction) Greece, which explores the interaction between humans and computational systems — a field closely related to the research activities of the DPSD. Conference participants will have full access to all ANIMASYROS events, as part of the strategic partnership between our University and the Festival.
Lastly, we would like to highlight the growing international focus of ANIMASYROS 2025, which this year is dedicated to the theme Animated Cosmos, presenting outstanding researchers in aerospace from around the world. The Festival also celebrates 80 years of Greek Animation with a tribute to the pioneers of the field, while showcasing remarkable works from the globally acclaimed Zagreb School of Animation.
We wish every success to this year’s edition.
Constantinos Tsoutsoplides
Head of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Greece
The European Parliament is once again a proud supporter of ANIMASYROS — the largest international animation festival in Greece and one of the most significant in Europe. Since its founding in 2008, the festival has turned Syros into a vibrant meeting point for artists and audiences alike.
This year’s edition, under the theme “Animated Cosmos”, reflects the core values of the European Union: creativity, cultural diversity, and cross-border cooperation. At a time when the EU is called upon to address multiple and complex challenges, initiatives like ANIMASYROS offer much-needed opportunities for collaboration and meaningful exchange. Only by working together can we open new horizons for knowledge, innovation, and artistic expression — inspiring younger generations and strengthening Europe’s cultural fabric. This is the true added value of the European Union, and it must be clearly reflected in the next EU long-term budget for the period 2028–2034 (Multiannual Financial Framework).
In today’s global landscape, where geopolitical uncertainty meets environmental crisis and where social and economic pressures cast long shadows over the continent, the need for a substantially revised EU budget becomes more urgent than ever. The European Union must carve out a renewed funding path — one that responds to the needs of our time, while listening closely to the real concerns of European citizens.
The goal for the next EU budget is to invest in what truly matters: in defence and security, not as a reflex of fear but as an act of responsibility; in cohesion and social protection, not as abstract policies but as a commitment to equality; in the environment, research, energy, and digital infrastructure — the cornerstones of a resilient, autonomous, and competitive Europe.
Within this context, the European Parliament — the only directly elected institution of the EU — not only has the right, but also the duty, to defend an ambitious, democratically accountable budget.
A budget with clarity, direction, and transparency. A budget that prioritises collective European interests over fragmented national agendas. Because in the face of shared challenges, we are stronger together. Together, we can build a future grounded in solidarity, sustainability, and social justice — a future that goes beyond crisis management and offers hope and perspective to generations to come.
*The negotiations on the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034 are now underway. You can follow the process via the official social media channels and website of the European Parliament www.europarl.europa.eu/portal/el
Maria Wadjinny
Σύμβουλος
Cooperation and Educational Actions Advisor of the Embassy of France in Greece
Director of the French Institute of Greece
Aimé Besson
Audiovisual attaché
French Institute of Greece
The French Institute of Greece has supported ANIMASYROS from its very first edition to this day. Once again, this year, our collaboration has been particularly fruitful: French and Francophone creativity holds a prominent place in the Festival’s 18th edition, both in the screening program and in the Agora, with two workshops—one for filmmakers from the Mediterranean region and another for Greek producers—led by distinguished French professionals. Through these initiatives, the French Institute seeks to support further the growth of Greek animation, which comes together each year in Syros.
Once again, we will have the opportunity to discover together a magical world of images, ideas, values, and emotions. We wish you a wonderful Festival!
ifg.gr
ekkomed.gr
Leonidas Christopoulos
CEO, Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center
It is with great pleasure that the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center once again participates as a strategic supporter of the AΝΙΜΑSYROS International Animation Festival — an institution that has established itself as a key point of reference for the art of animation in Greece and beyond.
This year’s edition, under the central theme “Animated Cosmos”, highlights the creative power of animation to transcend the limits of imagination and engage in dialogue with the vastness of the universe. Through its artistic programme, educational workshops, and expanding Agora, the Festival approaches space not only as a source of inspiration but also as a metaphor for the exploration of new creative worlds and perspectives.
The Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center remains firmly committed to initiatives that strengthen the presence of Greek animation on the global map and promote meaningful dialogue among artists, industry professionals, academics, and emerging creators. To this end, we have launched a new joint initiative — the Aegean Animation Hub powered by EKKOMED — a visionary and innovative partnership with the University of the Aegean, ANIMASYROS Festival, and the Hellenic Animation Association – ASIFA Hellas. This collaborative effort aims to chart a common path for showcasing Greek animation and its professionals both in Greece and internationally. Our strategic goal is to contribute to the development of a dynamic and outward-looking audiovisual ecosystem that brings together creativity, education, and innovation.
Warmest congratulations to the organizers for the Festival’s exceptional quality and ongoing evolution. We are proud to stand by every initiative that positions Greece as a hub of cultural creativity and a beacon of international collaboration.
Marinos Giannopoulos CEO, Enterprise Greece
On behalf of Enterprise Greece, I would like to express our firm and continued support for the ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival and the outward-looking momentum of Greek animation. The festival’s ever-growing Agora, with 3,000 submissions from 115 countries, highlights the international reach and strategic importance of the event as a platform for networking and creative collaboration.
We are particularly proud of the “Speed Dating” initiative, now in its third consecutive year, which brings together emerging and established creators with professionals from the global animation industry.
We consistently support actions that promote outward-looking creative entrepreneurship and elevate the international profile of Greek creators. ANIMASYROS is evolving into a strong regional hub for creativity and cross-border collaboration across the Mediterranean, and we remain committed partners in this journey.
International Animation Festival, 22 - 28.09.2025, Syros island, Cyclades
Konstantinos Papavasileiou
CEO, ERT - Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation
ERT, again, actively supports the country’s major festivals and significant cultural events, which contribute to the creativity and extrovert character of Greek production.
Our support to ANIMASYROS, which is multifaceted and substantial, recognizes its important contribution over the past 18 years in highlighting both the position of Greek animation creators on the international stage and the value of national production. Showcasing those who work in animation and promoting their creations is one of ERT’s key objectives.
Therefore, through the ERTFLIX platform and the ERT Kids channel, public television offers greater exposure and new ways of broadcasting animated works. For the second year in a row, ERT complements its communication support with monetary awards, further reinforcing ANIMASYROS.
We remain steadfast partners of both the creators of animation and this distinguished Festival, and we wish every success to this year’s edition.
Maria Anestopoulou
Artistic Director, ANIMASYROS
We welcome you to the 18th ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival. This year’s edition will travel to space under the heading Animated Cosmos. The topic this time is a lyrical invitation to journey through the galaxies of imagination, an exploration both of infinite skies as well as our internal universes.
We aim to be forward-looking, as our team welcomes you with a body of work that encapsulates the most advanced trends in animation art. It aims to showcase new voices, while also honouring major creators and approaches from both Greece and abroad, who contributed to establishing animation as a respected and celebrated film genre not just in Greece but throughout the world. ANIMASYROS is also a space for meeting and networking, through the means of its Agora, and brings about dialogue and opens new vistas, where Greek and International animation combine and remodel the future.
The audience and the community of Syros are uppermost in our minds. The island is our home, and the Festival’s educational schemes combine creativity with inclusivity and help broaden the notion that we are all in this together.
We are profoundly in debt to all supporters and sponsors who have stood by us. ANIMASYROS is above all its people: team, collaborators and volunteers, who, with their dedication and their persistence, have created and now offer you a week of experience, adventure and unique animated moments.
Have a wonderful festival!
animasyros.gr
Τhe mascot
AnimaSpyros, the beloved mascot of ANIMASYROS, never ceases to surprise us. This year, his imagination quite literally takes off! Dressed as an astronaut—or rather, a cosmonaut—he’s preparing for a stellar mission, exploring the universe of creativity, inspiration, and animation, as part of this year’s Festival theme: Animated Cosmos. But it’s not the first time he’s taken on different characters... Over the years, we’ve dressed him with ancient Greek columns and trailing ivy for an animaGreen edition, turned him into a groom for the Syros Carnival, masked him during the pandemic, gave him a fustanella in honor of the Greek Revolution of 1821, or an ambassador of solidarity with war-stricken Ukraine. And of course, last year he wore a traditional African mask, introducing us to the vibrant animation culture of the African continent.
This year, however, marks a first: AnimaSpyros stars in the official trailer of the Festival! Cool and confident in front of the camera, our spacefaring hero floats through the cosmos, with the starry sky of Syros shining in the background.
But how was AnimaSpyros born? Hmm... Let’s travel back to 2008 The name “Animasyros” is a playful combination of the words “animation” and “Syros”, the capital of the Cyclades, which has hosted the Festival for the past 18 years. When artist and artistic advisor of the festival Petros Christoulias, creator of the mascot (and of this year’s intergalactic version), set out to design a symbolic image for the Festival, he traveled back 5,000 years to the Bronze Age—and rediscovered the Cycladic figurine, an archetypal emblem of the Aegean.
With its minimalist marble face and a single protruding nose, the figurine was missing one key element: vision. So, he added a big pair of glasses, and the iconic triangular head immediately brought to mind the well-known caricature of Woody Allen—a face drawn countless times and widely recognized as the director’s archetype. Thus, the Festival’s symbolic character was born.
The name AnimaSpyros also plays on the word “Syros” and the popular Greek name “Spyros”—a nickname given to him by a group of student volunteers from Corfu, an island... full of Spyros!
At the same time, the mascot was developed into a 3D animated character by Konstantinos Petrou.
On the occasion of the festival’s 10th anniversary (2017), a sculpture of Animaspyros - located at the Hall of Hermoupolis City Hall.
Alexandra Manousakis
“The universe has preoccupied us since the beginning of time. Is there life out there? How does it parallel us? Is time the same? How many universes are there? Where does it end? What if all beings on all planets have these existential questions, what if they are looking around thinking the exact same thing? Does that make us the same as them?
I often think of the ending of the movie Men in Black in which our universe is found within 2 marbles being played with by some aliens on some sort of board game. The scene zooms out and out and out... when you go down that rabbit hole it seems endless.
This drawing I have made for AnimaSyros is about aliens having the same thoughts as us humans about their existence and their surroundings. There is no answer that we know of, either for us nor for the aliens- or maybe there is.
Either way, maybe this is just how it has to be.”
Inspired by this year’s main theme, visual artist Alexandra Manousakis created the visual identity of the 18th edition through an animated dialogue with life beyond planet Earth. Born in Washington, D.C., Alexandra moved to New York City and studied Fine Arts at NYU. During her childhood summers in Chania, she was captivated by the Cretan lifestyle and decided to leave a successful marketing career in Manhattan to take over the family winery in the village of Vatolakkos and grow it into one of the most reputable in Greece. Alex’s journey navigating a half-known culture, tackling unexpected hurdles and discovering the beautiful moments of the island, shape both the concept and the design of her art. The whole results in a continuous dialogue, characterized by bold elements and aesthetic consistency.
alexandramanousakis.com
Land art night installation at the islet Didimi, Syros
Astrowalker's Constellation is a land art environmental night installation composed of 11 solar-powered lights. It simulates a terrestrial constellation in the abstract form of a bird-human figure—the Astrowalker— with spanning dimensions of 500x200 meters.
Astrowalker's Constellation is a poetic artistic gesture toward nature. It is an allegory in which the Astrowalker, as a migrating constellation, reappears only in dark, mysterious, and remote locations—places where he can "unfold his wings" and be seen. High on mountains, on islands, in landscapes far from light pollution. To enable his apparent levitation, 11 “stars” are placed with minimal intervention in the shape of a bird, tilted on the surface of the islet and directed toward the sky. They create a terrestrial extension of the stars, patiently awaiting sunset—when the earth turns into sky. The Astrowalker strives to merge with the stars above, in vain, due to his difference—but he persists, driven by the longing for an ideal world. No longer a reference to the individual imagination of the artist, he now belongs to a shared collective imaginary. Our era raises questions: have the stars and fireflies truly disappeared for good (see George Didi-Huberman’s "Survival of the Fireflies"), or is a quiet revolution beginning from the mountains and islands?
In 2025, the environmental work Astrowalker's Constellation reappears on the islet of Didymi, across from the town of Hermoupolis, in Syros island, as part of the ANIMASYROS 2025 International Animation Festival.
The solar lights operate at just 0.2 W, enough to shine discreetly in the natural landscape without creating light pollution. They are environmentally neutral and will be removed immediately after the festival, leaving no trace behind—an artwork based entirely on the principle of sustainability.
Didymi is also home to the first lighthouse built in Greece, dating back to 1835. The lighthouse marks a shift in the historical and technological times. It also serves as a point of orientation, akin to the use of constellations by travelers—from prehistory to the present day.
By attempting to dissolve the image through the unification of earth and sky, and by exploring the poetic potential of materials, Astrowalker's Constellation emerges. Using solar lights and minimal luminescence, it becomes visible from Didymi to Hermoupolis—as a jewel of the night sky and a gentle reminder of human nature.
Materials: 11 solar lights | Dimensions: 500x200m
Parallel Event Ι _ Astrowalker’s Constellation
Katerina Kotsala
Visual Artist
Katerina Kotsala is a visual artist (b.1982, Thessaloniki), who lives and works in Athens. She holds an master's degree from Athens School of Fine Arts (2015) and a Bachelor from the School of Fine Arts from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki(2013). She studied Byzantine Iconography and Art Conservation & Restoration. In 2010, she began her long-time practice on nature and prehistoric rock art, during a research program in collaboration with archaeologists. It was then that she first noticed a rock carving representing the human-bird in a linear way. The persona of the Astrowalker was born out of this experience, which appears regularly in her land art constellations since 2012. She has been awarded by ARTWORKS in the 1st Stavros Niarchos Foundation Artist Fellowship Program (2018); Since 2023 Peter Linde Busk and Katerina Kotsala are the artist duo Busk & Kotsala. She was part of documenta 14 team as Coordinator Conservator-Art Handler in Athens. She represented Greece in the 16th Young Artist Biennial in Ancona, Italy (2013); and in Post-Biennale of Young Artists at the DA2 Museum of Contemporary Art in Salamanca, Spain (2013); She has presented her work in conferences, solo and group exhibitions in museums, institutes, galleries and art spaces and in nature.
Alexandros Petrakis
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern του
Johann Sebastian Bach, αποσπάσματα από
The Planets του Gustav Holst, καθώς και
Interstellar.
A Musical Journey into the Cosmos Catholic Cathedral of Saint George, Ano Syros
As a great finale of ANIMASYROS 2025, the festival presents a unique concert inspired by this year’s theme Animated Cosmos. Organist Ourania Gassiou will perform works on the historic organ and the electronic organ of the Church of Saint George in Ano Syros.
The Church of Saint George, also known as the Cathedral of Ano Syros, has stood at the top of the hill and remains a landmark of the island’s Catholic community. Its pipe organ, unique in the Aegean, has long been associated with the musical tradition of Syros and regularly hosts concerts.
The program includes Johann Fischer’s suite Urania, Johann Sebastian Bach’s chorale Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, excerpts from Gustav Holst’s The Planets, as well as music from the soundtrack of Interstellar.
Concert
Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Bratislava Castle, Copenhagen Cathedral
Basel Minster.
Sola Scripta International festival
Organ
Ourania Gassiou studied organ with Nicholas Kynaston on a scholarship from the Friends of Music society. From 2004 onwards, she won scholarships from the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Alexander Onasis Foundation for her postgraduate studies. She was acknowledged Pidem Organ Fellow for the Royal Academy in 2006. After her graduation she studied with Johannes Geffert in Cologne and Susan Landale (London, Paris). She has received distinctions in Greek and international competitions, including the International Organ Competition in St Moritz and the First Mediterranean Piano Competition, in Andros. She has performed both solo and together with chamber ensembles in Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Bratislava Castle, Copenhagen Cathedral and Basel Minster. She has appeared in the Oundle International Organ Festival (UK), the Brandneu Festival (Germany), the Non Sola Scripta International festival (Poland), the Bodø International Organ Festival (Norway) and the Women of the World Festival when it took place in London’s Southbank. She was the Organist for the French Protestant Church of London (2006 –2023) and since 2011 is the Organist at Megaron the Athens Concert Hall. In 2021 she was elected Royal Academy of Music Associate (ARAM).
Ourania Gassiou
Castelfranco (1745)
(1755).
Teatro della
Syros - Hermoupolis - Apollon Theatre
Ηermoupolis, named after Hermes, the ancient God of commerce, is the capital of Syros island and the best-preserved neoclassical city in Greece. With a population of 13.000 people, it is the largest dwelling of Cyclades. Syros is inhabited from the Neolithic era and played an important role in the development of the pre-historic Cycladic civilisation, 3.000 B.C. In the 13th century A.D., the Venetians built the island’s medieval city, Ano Syros, while the island was populated by Catholics. The medieval settlement inside the castle, on the left hill above Hermoupolis protected the inhabitants when Syros was hit by piracy.
Its whitewashed walls with the colorful bougainvilleas and the typical Cycladic architecture make up the ultimate island image of the Aegean, with the Catholic church of Saint George, built in 1834, dominating the top of the hill. The opposite hill is crowned by the Orthodox church of the Resurrection, built in 1909 and at its feet unfolds Vrontados, the folksy neighborhood with its countless marble steps leading down to Vaporia, the most majestic area of Hermoupolis, which was filled with impressive neoclassical villas by the rich refugees from Mikra Asia (Asia Minor).
In 2026, Hermoupolis on the island of Syros will celebrate 200 years since its historic naming and founding in 1826. To mark this anniversary, the Municipality of Syros-Hermoupolis is planning a series of commemorative events, with the participation of cultural institutions and community groups active on the island.
Apollon Theatre was built in 1862-1864 by Italian architect Pietro Sampo and it became the emblem of economic and cultural development of Hermoupolis during the mid-19th century. The impressive building is related to at least four Italian architectural styles including that of Teatroalla Scala (1776) in Milan, Teatro San Carlo (1816) in Naples, Teatro Academico (1745) in Castelfranco and Teatrodella Pergola (1755) in Florence. The first work to premiere at the Theatre was Rigoletto by Giusepe Verdi.
Animation Director- Artistic Director, Animafest Zagreb
Aris Dimokidis
Journalist, Children’s book author Jury President
Aris Dimokidis was born in 1978 in Thessaloniki. He is a journalist, children's book author and podcast creator. He studied Media and Cultural Management in London, where he worked at the Museum of Childhood and the BBC. He is a LIFO collaborator since the 2000s, becoming editor of LIFO.gr in 2009, and carrying on up until 2017. He then created the well-received blog and podcast Mikropragmata, which has achieved audiences of millions, and the popular audio documentary series Hard Truths. He currently lives in Chalcidice, and goes on writing and telling stories in any way he can.
Animafest Zagreb
2011.
Daniel Šuljić is an animation film director and musician. Born in Zagreb, he lives and works both there and in Vienna. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, and later pursued painting and animation at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.
From 2005 to 2008, he was a lecturer at the University of Art and Design in Linz, and since 2006 has been an honorary professor at Jilin College in China. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as an artistic consultant at the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, and from 2013 to 2017 he was a member of the City of Zagreb’s Artistic Council for Film.
His films—including Evening Star (1993), Leckdonalds (1995), The Cake (1997), Sun, Salt and Sea (1997), I Can Imagine It Very Well (2004), Short Life (2007, co-dir. Johanna Freise), Transparency (2015), and From Under Which Rock Did They Crawl Out (2018)—have been screened at several hundred international and national film festivals, broadcast on television channels across Europe, and have earned numerous international awards. He has served as a jury member at various festivals and has had several retrospectives of his work.
He is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Animation and New Media, Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, and since 2024 serves as Head of the Department. From 2018 to 2020, he represented Croatia as Ambassador to the European Animation Awards. Since 2011, he has been the Artistic Director of Animafest Zagreb.
GR / EU
HR / EU
Bill Plympton
Madonna,
and Angels, Cheatin',
Yankovic
Geico, Trivial Pursuit, Ford, Mercedes, Nike
Bill Plympton is considered the King of Indie Animation and was the first person to hand-draw an entire animated feature film, The Tune. Born in Portland, Oregon, he moved to New York City in 1968 and began his career creating cartoons for publications such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, National Lampoon, Playboy and Screw. In 1987, his short Your Face was nominated for an Oscar®, and in 2005 he received another nomination for Guard Dog. His short Push Comes to Shove won the prestigious Prix du Jury at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, while in 2001 Eat received the Grand Prize for Short Films in Cannes Critics’ Week.
After producing numerous shorts that appeared on MTV and Spike & Mike’s, Plympton turned to feature filmmaking. Since 1991, he has completed eleven feature films, eight of which—The Tune, Mondo Plympton, I Married a Strange Person, Mutant Aliens, Hair High, Idiots and Angels, Cheatin', Revengeance, and Slide—are fully animated.
Plympton has collaborated with Madonna, Kanye West, and Weird Al Yankovic on music videos and book projects, and has created commercials for brands such as Geico, Trivial Pursuit, Ford, Mercedes, Nike, and Taco Bell. In 2006, he received the Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award at the Annie Awards. He also animated eight opening “couch gags” for FOX-TV’s The Simpsons, and six Trump Bites shorts—using real audio from Donald Trump—which reached #1 on The New York Times online and earned a 2019 Webby Award. He has also been honored with the National Cartoonists Society Lifetime Achievement Award.
Research
Lena Divani
Journalist, Children’s book author
Jury President
Lena Divani is an author and was Professor of History in the University of Athens (Law School). She was a Visiting Research Fellow at Harvard and King’s College, University of London, as well as the League of Nations Archive (UN) in Geneva. She was a founding member of the National Commission for Human Rights, vice-chairperson of the National Book Centre and of the Greek Collecting Society for Literary Works and a member of the governing board of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.
Her many published works include novels, short story collections, plays and children’s books. They have been translated into many languages and have been adapted for television. She wrote and presented two series of documentaries on historical topics for the channel Cosmote History, both based on her books. Her book Working Boy represented Greece at the 2024 Readers for Europe event.
Cristina Lima
Programming Coordinator
Cinanima International Animated Festival
Beatrice Mazzone
| Director, Animation Artist
Cristina Lima, born in Mozambique, holds a degree in Modern Languages and Literature from the University of Porto and a post-graduate qualification in Translation. For 37 years, she has been part of CINANIMA – International Animated Film Festival of Espinho, where she is currently Programming Coordinator, curator for other festivals, and co-responsible for managing the Jury and Guests. She has also served as a jury member at numerous international animation festivals.
Imaginaria).
Beatrice Mazzone is an Italian director and 2D animation artist with over twenty years of experience. Her work spans projects for Italy’s national broadcaster, independent short films, and animated visuals for theatre productions. Deeply committed to education, she conducts workshops for children and teenagers and curates cultural initiatives in animated cinema, collaborating with several festivals, including Imaginaria. In 2022, she received the Best European Female Director award at Cortoons Gandia for the collective film Proiezioni.
(1981).
"Hemingway"
Georges Sifianos
Honorary Professor of Cinematic Animation - ENSAD Jury President
Born in Greece, Georges Sifianos, Holds a PhD in Philosophy and is an honorary professor of cinematic animation in ENSAD. His films include the shorts Smile (1974), Eau de Ville (1994), Tutu (2001), I (2007), The Blind Writer (2021) and the feature length documentary Petrochemicals: Cathedrals of the Desert (1981). His interests include the confluence of animation with Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence. His most recent object of research is ways of studying motion in the Parthenon Frieze. Has been a member of juries in many festivals and has lectured in universities in Europe, India, Korea, Japan and China. His book The Aesthetics of Cinematic Animation Film was awarded the McLaren – Lambart Prize in 2014 and the Hemingway in 2015.
Andrea Bauer
του Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film | Head of program at Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film
Σπούδασε
After completing her studies in Romance Philology and Art History (MA) at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and in Lettres Modernes in Rennes, France, Andrea Bauer began her career as a freelance translator and editor. 1995-2000, Assistant Festival Director at the International Festival of Francophone Film in Tübingen/Stuttgart and at the Mediterranean Film Festival in Tübingen. Since January 2001, she has been working for Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (FMF). Over time, she has assumed a leading role in program development and content curation, primarily for ITFS but also for other FMF media events. In 2015, she was appointed Head of Program. Through her longstanding work at FMF and her participation in various festivals, conferences, and juries, she has acquired extensive expertise in media and film—particularly in animated cinema—and has built a strong professional network within the national and international animation industry.
International
artist, Emeritus professor, past President of ASIFA
Deanna Morse is an artist, educator, and a life-long advocate for building peace through international connections. Past President of ASIFA International (oldest international animation organization). She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars), and a champion of public art. Her diverse animation and experimental film/video work was broadcast on Sesame Street, and is in permanent collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her films consider our relationships to landscapes, exploring ideas of place, time, and seasonal change. She lives in Southern Oregon, USA, on a lane with goats, chickens, native plants, and family. And a cat, named kitty.
Deanna Morse
Angelos Frantzis
Director and Scriptwriter
Jury President
Angelos Frantzis is a director and screenwriter. He was born in Athens and studied film at the Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle et des Techniques de Diffusion (INSAS). His films include Polaroid, The Dream of a Dog, In the Woods, Symptom, Still River, Eftyhia and Murphy’s Law. They have received multiple awards and have been screened in many international festivals. He is also a film critic and a mixed media artist.
Kassandra El Najjar
Kassandra El Najjar is an actor and performance artist of Syrian and Palestinian descent, fluent in Arabic, Greek, and English. She has performed at the National Greek Theatre and Vault Theatre, and is actively involved in queer, feminist, and anti-racist festivals and projects. Her film work includes collaborations with Evi Kalogiropoulou, Panos Boras, and Santiago Giralt. A strong advocate for trans visibility, she was the first trans immigrant to work in Greek theatre, aiming not to stand out as an exception but as part of a collective presence. Her work explores identity, gender, and community through hybrid storytelling and has been featured at the Athens Epidaurus Festival, Athens Pride, and Onassis Stegi.
GR / EU
SY / PS
Festival Jury _ Animapride Films Competition Section
Gary Thomas
Animate Projects
Producer, Curator Director of Animate Projects
| Jury member Ο Gary Thomas
Nora Ralli
Journalist- Author
Jury member
Nora Rallis is a journalist in both print and audiovisual media. She lives and works in Athens. She is a Physics and European Studies (Political Theory and Sociology) graduate, and completed a postgraduate degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology at Panteion University. She has worked in television and radio (Alpha TV), while doing both political and cultural reporting in print media — the last 13 of which at Efimerida ton Syntakton. As part of her work there, she co-founded the film festival EFSYNema. She also writes plays and screenplays for cinema. Cinematically speaking, she holds a special place for Méliès for bringing magic to cinema, Eisenstein for his pioneering editing, Malick for his contemplativeness, Davies for his melancholy, Loach for his activism, and Tarkovsky for his poetry.
McQueen, Andrew Kötting, Clio Barnard
& Louise Wilson.
Gary Thomas is co-founder and Director of Animate Projects, a Queer led UK agency that champions experimental animation, established in 2007, initially to manage the Arts Council England/Channel 4 AnimateTV commissioning scheme. With his Animate co-director, Abigail Addison, he established Animation Alliance UK. From 2011-2023, he also worked in the Film team at the British Council. He was part of the Five Films for Freedom team, an annual online film programme showcasing LGBTQIA+ shorts from around the world, in collaboration with BFI Flare. He gave talks on British animation in Indonesia and Vietnam, and led a week-long workshop in Cuba. Previously Head of Moving Image at Arts Council England, working with artist filmmakers including Steve McQueen, Andrew Kötting, Clio Barnard, and Jane and Louise Wilson, and on AnimateTV.
Gary is co-editor of The animate! Book and curated the Animation Breakdown symposium at Tate Modern in 2009. Gary was born and bred in a small town in Wales. He studied Media Studies at the Polytechnic of Central London, and has an MA in Art History from Chelsea College of Art.
Βραβεία Αγοράς ANIMASYROS Pitching Forum
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ANIMASYROS 2025 Awards
ANIMASYROS Pitching Forum Awards
1. Award for a Greek-speaking project in development, offering original music composition, music supervision & rights clearance, and sound design services by the music production company MUSOU
2. Special Mention for a Greek-speaking project in development, with a cash prize of €1,500 awarded by ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation)
ANIMEGARON Awards
3. 1st Prize for Original Music in an Animated Film – ANIMEGARON
4. 2nd Prize for Original Music in an Animated Film
5. 3rd Prize for Original Music in an Animated Film
ANIMASYROS 2025 Artistic Programme Awards
1. ANIMASYROS 2025 Grand Prix for Best Professional Short Film
2. Special Mention for a Professional Short Film
3. Best Student Short Film Award, accompanied by a cash prize of €500, presented by ASIFA International – The International Animated Film Association.
4. Special Mention for a Student Short Film
5. Best Greek- speaking short film Award accompanied by a cash prize of €1,500, presented by the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center
6. Best TV & Commissioned Film Award
7. K.ID.S Award for Best Children’s Film
8. ANIMAPRIDE Award for Best LGBTQIA+ Film
9. Audience Award for Best Feature Film
10. Best Volunteer Award with a prize offered by Cepal Hellas –The Power of Good
This year’s awards have been created by artist and jewelry designer Zefi Ioannou, co-founder of Desperate Design — a Greek handcrafted jewelry and accessories brand based in the heart of Hermoupolis.
EU
AR Αργεντινή Argentina
AM Αρμενία Armenia
AU Aυστραλία Αustalia
AT Αυστρία Austria
BE Βέλγιο Belgium
MK
BA
BG
BR
European UnionMedia Programme Participating Countries
JP Iαπωνία Japan
IN
IR
IE
ES
North Macedonia
Bosnia Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Brazil
FR Γαλλία France
DE Γερμανία Germany
GE Γεωργία Georgia
DK Δανία Denmark
DO Δομινικανή Δημοκρατία Dominican Republic
CH Ελβετία Switzerland
GR Ελλάδα Greece
EE Εσθονία Estonia
UK
US
United Kingdom
USA
India
Iran
Ireland
Spain IL
Israel IT
Italy
CA Καναδάς Canada
CN Κίνα China
HR Κροατία Croatia
CY Κύπρος Cyprus
LV Λετονία Latvia
BY Λευκορωσία Belarus
LB Λίβανος Lebanon
LT Λιθουανία Lithuania
LU Λουξεμβούργο Luxembourg
MX Μεξικό Mexico
NO Νορβηγία Norway
KR Νότια Κορέα South Korea
NL Ολλανδία The Netherlands
HU Ουγγαρία Hungary
UA Ουκρανία Ukraine
PS Παλαιστίνη Palestine
PT Πορτογαλία Portugal
PL Πολωνία Poland
RO Ρουμανία Romania
RS Σερβία Serbia
SG Σιγκαπούρη Singapore
SK Σλοβακία Slovakia
SI Σλοβενία Slovenia
SE Σουηδία Sweden
SY Συρία Syria
TW Ταϊβάν Taiwan
TR Τουρκία Türkiye
CZ Τσεχία Czech Republic
ΤΝ Τυνησία Tunisia
FI Φινλανδία Finland
Olivia & Las Nubes
Olivia & The Clouds |
Olivia is haunted by a past love. Literally. She hides the ghost under her bed. She trades flowers with it in exchange for rain clouds, which comfort her. Barbara is rejected by Mauricio and escapes reality by means of imaginary stories. Mauricio is full of regrets and is swallowed by the earth. Ramon is smitten with Olivia. He witnesses a strange plant, which mirrors her, grow. Olivia & The Clouds addresses the enduring power of love's memory, with the aid of some surreal elements.
Olivia & Las Nubes του Tomas Pichardo Espaillat,
| Direction,
Olivia & The Clouds, by Tomas Pichardo Espaillat has its premiere in Greece and is the curtain raiser for this year’s (2025) Animasyros. The director will attend the screening.
*The film participates in the Audience Prize - Feature Competition Section
| Screenplay: Tomas Pichardo Espaillat
| Animation: Tomas Pichardo Espaillat, Vicky Medina, Freddy Guerrero, Nika Zhukova, Martina Zena, Randy Morales, Joery Santos Gomez, Erik Alfredo Martinez, Carmela Penha, Samuel Caraballo, Ottmar Suero, Gia Zapata Μουσική | Music: Alex Debicki Παραγωγή | Production: Fernando Santos Diaz
Feature Competition Section _ Audience Prize
Tomás Pichardo Espaillat
| Director Ο Tomás Pichardo Espaillat
The New School of Design,
Guadalajara
Chavón.
Berlinale Talents, Talents
Tomás Pichardo Espaillat (b. 1987) is a storyteller from the Dominican Republic. His primary work is on animation, film and illustration. He was granted a full year scholarship at Fabrica, Benetton's Design Research Center, in Treviso, Italy in 2013, where he worked on film & video. He received his BFA in Animation from Parsons, The New School of Design in 2010, and his AA degree in Fine Arts from Altos de Chavón, in 2008.
He has taken part in Berlinale Talents, Talents Guadalajara and Pictoplasma Academy, Pichardo's work gestures towards magic realism, as he evokes the vivid, surreal and sometimes disorienting experience of growing up in the Caribbean. His world is personal and intimate, with characters full of colours and textures, drawn into situations outside of their comfort zone. His animations have been screened at the Annecy Animation Film Festival (France), Quirino Awards (Tenerife), Havana Film Festival (Cuba) and Pictoplasma Film Festival (Berlin), and at other events.
144’ | 2025 | CN
Ne Zha, a demon child raised by humans, forms an uneasy alliance with the Loong prince, Ao Bing, in an epic battle to protect their clans. In the aftermath, their bodies teeter on the edge of destruction. Ne Zha must now embark on a perilous quest to obtain an elixir to restore Ao Bing’s body. During this demon-slaying journey, Ne Zha uncovers a conspiracy that will ignite a devastating war between good and evil and must defy treacherous forces to protect what he holds dear.
Rooted in Chinese mythology with a bold reinterpretation, Ne Zha 2 is a groundbreaking animation spectacle crafted over five years by a team of 4,000 animators that has now become the world’s highest-grossing animated film with a global total of $2.2 billion at the box office.
The film NE ZHA 2 will have its Greek premiere, closing the curtain of ANIMASYROS 2025, and will be released in Greek cinemas on October 2, 2025, by NEO Films and Trinity CineAsia.
*The film is screened dubbed in Greek.
Supported by
| Direction: Yang Yu (Jiaozi)
| Screenplay: Yang Yu (Jiaozi), Xixing Lu, Zhonglin Xu
| Production: Yang Yang, Ren Wang, Pan Liu, Zhe Chen, Changjiang Chen
NE ZHA 2
A Pioneer in Animation Technology
The film Ne Zha 2 marks an impressive leap in animation technology, both in scale and in visual effects. This time, director Jiaozi set even more ambitious goals, expanding the creative scope of the production. The film features nearly 2,000 VFX shots and over 2,400 total scenes, compared to 1,800 in the first installment.
VFX director Liu Xin revealed that a single battle sequence involved 200 million individually animated characters, each moving independently—a technique rarely attempted at such scale in global animation.
The technical achievements of Ne Zha 2 have already been internationally recognized, with Disney co-director Tony Bancroft (Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King) highlighting the film’s significant advances in computer animation and largescale production.
you raised your hand and found your voice.
Feature Competition Section - Audience Prize
Planètes
Dandelion's Odyssey
75’00’’ | 2025 | FR, ΒΕ/EU
Four dandelion achenes that survive nuclear blasts on Earth—are cast into space. Crash-landing on an unknown planet, they search for soil to sustain their species, confronting hostile elements, creatures, and climate.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Momoko Seto
Παραγωγή | Production: Miyu Productions, Ecce Films
Flow
85’00’’ | 2024 | LV/FR/BE/EU
Flow is an ode to nature and a warning about climate change. In this world without humans, their absence is unexplained—were they wiped out by a pandemic, by their own mismanagement, or by the flood itself? As the looming presence of water unsettles the animals, nature slowly reclaims its place.
Παραγωγή | Production: Gints Zilbalodis, Matiss Kaza, Ron Dyens, Gregory Zalcman
Audience
The film is presented as part of the Lux Audience Awards screenings of the European Parliament
Feature Competition Section _ Audience Prize
Hola Frida
Hello Frida |
82’00’’ | 2024 | FR/CA/EU
The film is a free adaptation of Sophie Faucher’s children’s books illustrated by Cara Carmina. Born in Mexico in 1907, Frida Kahlo endured a life of physical and emotional hardship. The film revisits her childhood, portraying her as a lively, curious girl whose boundless imagination helps her escape a painful reality.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: André Kadi, Karine Vézina
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Anne Bryan, Sophie Faucher, André Kadi
Παραγωγή | Production: Tobo Média, Du Coup Productions, Haut et Court Distribution
Memoir of a Snail
95’00’’ | 2024 | AU
Cinobo.
Grace is a lonely woman who loves books, collects snails, and faces a series of misfortunes after being separated from her twin brother. Despite her struggles, she rediscovers inspiration and hope through an unexpected friendship with an eccentric elderly woman named Pinky. The film is distributed in Greece by Cinobo.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
| Screenplay: Adam Elliot
Φωτογραφία | Cinematography: Gerald Thompson
Συνάρμοση | Editing: Bill Murphy
Μουσική | Music: Elena Kats-Chernin
Παραγωγή | Production: Elena Kats-Chernin
With the support
Memory Hotel
To Ξενοδοχείο της Μνήμης
100’00’’ | 2024 | FR, DE/EU
Μάιος 1945.
Sophie,
May 1945. Five-year-old Sophie loses both her parents and her memory after a tragic encounter with two Nazi soldiers while fleeing the Russian front. Growing up as a cook in a Soviet-occupied hotel, she confronts her past decades later when she comes face to face with one of the men again.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Heinrich Sabl
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Florence Corre, Heinrich Sabl
Μουσική | Music: Tom Mäwers, Erik Lautenschlaeger
Παραγωγή | Production: Heinrich Sabl, Philippe Bober
Your quick guide to Estonian culture
Out of Competition Feature Films
My Neighbour Totoro
86’00’’ |
When two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.
The fearless, curious and adventurous girl, Liv dreams of leaving her home in the woods. When the polar bear Valemon offers her family a way out of poverty if she comes with him, she accepts. A compassionate friendship starts to form between the two, a friendship that could well turn into something deeper. For Valemon is not only a bear, but a prince who was once cursed by a witch. Fearless as she is, and with her charming animal friends by her side, Liv sets out on a journey to confront the dangerous witch and save Prince Valemon.
| Direction: Mikkel B. Sandemose
| Screenplay: Maja Lunde
| Production: Cornelia Boysen, Fabrice Delville, Synnøve Hørsdal (exec.prod), Viviane Vanfleteren, Maipo Film AS
With the support
International Competition Section
And I would be beautiful
Et Je Deviendrais Belle
Και επιτέλους,
10’12’’ | 2025 | FR/EU
Το
Ο
Χάρη
κώλο.
My boobs? They're too small—Fanny even said so. My butt? I hate it. My face? Straight into the trash can.
Thanks to Muse, I could become someone else. In just 30 days, I’d have slimmer legs, perkier breasts, and a firmer bottom. And finally, I would be beautiful.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Mathilde George
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Lise Angot, Yacine Badday, Laurent Galandon, Mathilde George
Παραγωγή | Production: Christophe Camoirano, Elise Hug, Cécile Lestrade
As I was a tree Σαν να
10’44’’ | 2024 | DE, SY/EU
In a surreal odyssey, the Self seeks escape.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Jalal Maghout
Παραγωγή | Production: Wait-a-Second!
International Competition Section
Brown Morning
09’00’’ | 2025 | FR, LU/EU
From small compromises to major acts of cowardice, brown animals slowly infiltrate households and ultimately seize control. An authoritarian regime with absurd laws begins to take shape. To avoid trouble, Charly submits to the rules of this colorless world— only to painfully discover the true horror of fascism.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Carlo Vogel
Μουσική | Music: André Dziezuk
Παραγωγή | Production: David Mouraire, Nicolas Schmerkin, Emmanuelle Vincent
Dead weight
Dødvekt | Βαρύ φορτίο
08’00’’ | 2024 | ΝΟ/EU
Three men, adrift in a descending balloon over an icy sea, realize they must lose some weight to survive. After a vote, two of them throw the third man out of the basket, determined to save themselves.
A dog was left behind in its own home just as my grandfather began to experience life as a widower—and I was returning from London, a city where I had felt more alone than ever before.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Marta Reis Andrade
Παραγωγή | Production: David Doutel, Vasco Sá, Edwina Liard, Nidia Santiago, Olivier Catherin
Dog Ear
Σκυλίσιο
20’00’’ | 2025 | HU/EU
Eleven-year-old Berci spends a tense afternoon alone with his dog, still shaken by his parents’ violent fight. As his bottled-up emotions erupt, his interaction with the dog becomes both confrontational and cathartic—ultimately leading him to a quiet moment of release and to the first steps toward forgiveness.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Péter Vácz
Μουσική | Music: Dávi Konsiczky
Παραγωγή | Production: Gábor Osváth
With the support
International Competition Section
Free the Chickens
Απελευθερώστε τα κοτόπουλα
15’00’’ | 2024 | SK/EU
A rescue mission to liberate chickens from a factory farm takes a dramatic turn when everything goes wrong. Forced to flee into the wilderness, four activists find themselves navigating a series of extreme situations and ethical dilemmas—ultimately confronting the unsettling truth that nature, too, is not a safe haven for animals.
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Adrián Hnát, Studio Kouzelná, Daniel Kunst, Peter Martinka, Viktor Svoboda, Matúš Vizár
Μουσική | Music: Adam Matej
Παραγωγή | Production: Tomáš Hrubý, Jakub Viktorín
Hurikán 13’07’’ | 2024 | BA, CZ, FR, SK/EU
Hurikán rushes out to save his favourite beer stand from closure by fetching a new keg to impress the bartender he has a crush on. In a wild Prague district, he faces robbers, cops, and his own thirst.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Jan Saska
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Vaclav Hasez, Jan Saska
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Daphna Awadish Golan
Παραγωγή | Production: Kamila Dohnalova, Mladen Dukic, Antoine Liétout, Juraj Krasnohorsky, Alena Vandasova, Martin Vandas, Ivan Zuber
With the support
I found a box Βρήκα
10’00’’ | 2025 | FR/EU
One day, Guy, a bird flying through the forest, bumps into a box. And then he wonders: “But what could this box be used for?”
Accused by the authorities of not working hard enough, Vladimir's punishment is to live with an idiot. He chooses him from an insane asylum, and his name is Vova. This idiot can only pronounce one syllable: ouh.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Theodore Ushev Παραγωγή | Production: Miyu Productions
International Competition Section
Luna Rossa
Red moon
32’35’’ | 2024 | EE, FR/EU
He is an observer. She plays the game. Why? Is there still a hint of forgotten Love in the air? And the Moon? The Moon is just a witness. Still pale.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Olga Pärn, Priit Pärn
Παραγωγή | Production: Eesti Joonisfilm, Miyu Productions
Mother's Child
08’00’’ | 2024 | ΝΟ, NL/EU
With the support
Mary, a devoted mother and full-time carer, faces daily battles with bureaucracy, exhaustion, and the challenges of understanding her non-verbal son. As reality begins to blur, she struggles to find beauty in the everyday. This surreal animation honors the unsung heroes who dedicate their lives to caring for others
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Lara Adriolo, Max Gierkink, Naomi Noir
Μουσική | Music: Kris McDonald
Παραγωγή | Production: Naomi Noir, Sanne Versteeg
With the support
Linnud läinud
On Weary Wings Go By
Φτερά
10’00’’ | 2024 | EE, LT/EU
A wintry, poetic reflection on Nordic nature. The sun lingers low on the horizon, and the days grow shorter. Birds fly south, while porcelain animals and insects retreat from the freezing wind and snow. Alone in the silent, desolate landscape, a small porcelain girl wanders—with no way out.
Φωτογραφία | Cinematography: Francesco Rosso, Anu-Laura Tuttelberg
Μουσική | Music: Maarja Nuut
Παραγωγή | Production: Marianne Ostrat
Futsu no Seikatsu
Ordinary Life |
09’48’’ | 2025 | FR, JP/EU
With the support
Ordinary life repeats itself daily, yet no moment is ever truly the same. In a shifting world, only the sensation of touch grounds us in the present. That fleeting, embodied moment—real and unrepeatable—is quietly beautiful.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Yoriko Mizushiri
Παραγωγή | Production: Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron
International Competition Section
Ovary Acting
Όταν
12’24’’ | 2025 | UK
Στο
At her sister’s baby shower, 34-year-old Eva unexpectedly gives birth—not to a baby, but to her own talking reproductive organs.
As she’s chased through town by the cheerful, baby-obsessed Ovy, a surreal inner conflict unfolds. Through humour and absurdity, Eva is pushed to confront her own truth about motherhood.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Ida Melum
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Laura Jayne Tunbridge
Παραγωγή | Production: Michelle Brøndum, Johann Edström, Kjersti Greger
Paradise Buffet
08’00’’ | 2024 | ES/EU
In a lavish buffet restaurant, a diverse group of characters indulge in a wide array of exquisite delicacies—unaware of the deadly sin of gluttony that silently looms over them.
Παραγωγή | Production: Arianna Gheller, Nicolas Schmerkin
Psihonauti
Psychonauts | Ψυχοναύτες
08’00’’ | 2025 | HR/EU
Leaving their human hosts, mental disorders take on anthropomorphic forms and find new refuges.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Niko Radas
Παραγωγή | Production: Filip Gašparović Melis
International Competition Section
Quota
Ποσοστό
02’35’’ | 2024 | NL/EU
When every global citizen is required to have their CO2 emissions tracked, it makes little impact… that is, until they discover the consequences of reaching their designated QUOTA.
In a fantastical sequence of events, a young man confronts not only his personal fears, but also the adversities of life. A story of learning and finding a path of inspiration.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Παραγωγή | Production: Bruno Caetano
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Bruno Caetano, Manuel Ruas Moreira
Silent Cinema is a one-shot coming-of-age tale set in a small theatre at the twilight of the silent film era. A former movie star clings to the past, raising his son in a world where only silent films exist. But a mysterious discovery shatters the boy’s beliefs—and the delicate bond between father and son.
Παραγωγή | Production: Dimitar Dimoski, Darko Popov, Zharko Ivanov, Radu Nicolae, Dorin Stelescu
Silent Panorama
05’09’’ | 2024 | BE/EU
In this animated miniature a drawing gradually comes to life before our eyes, telling a story not only of a wild boar on the run, but also of the ways in which people occupy the places that used to belong to nature. Based on memories of a walk in the Belgian Ardennes.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Nicolas Piret
Παραγωγή | Production: Delphine Cousin, William Henne, Delphine Renard
International Competition Section
Taste of Heaven
Η γεύση του Παραδείσου
09’07’’ | 2024 | IL
Baruch dreams of reaching Heaven after death. To ensure this, he marries a woman he believes will make his life a living hell—so he can earn paradise in the afterlife. But things don’t go quite as planned…
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Isaac Sverdlov
Παραγωγή | Production: Amit Russell Gicelter
La Mort du Poisson
The Death of the Fish | Ο Θάνατος του Ψαριού
13’45’’ | 2025 | FR/EU
A mother’s lifelong sorrow resurfaces through a small, symbolic loss—the death of a fish. As she spirals into grief, her daughter tries to anchor her through dance, when words fail. Guided by the enigmatic presence of a heron, the daughter begins to accept powerlessness and find her place.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Eva Lusbaronian
| Production: Miyu Productions
Les Bottes de la nuit
The Night Boots | Νυχτερινές Μπότες 12’29’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
The Refusers
In the middle of the night, while his parents are entertaining friends, a child slips on his wellington boots and sneaks off into the woods. There, a strange solitary creature leads him into the heart of the forest to meet the nocturnal inhabitants.
Παραγωγή | Production: Yves Bouveret (AM STRAM GRAM)
On a city street corner, a pile of discarded garbage surrounds two bins. A worn-out mattress speaks up: “They say I’m dirty…” One by one, other pieces of trash share why they were thrown away. When a newspaper catches the wind and dances under a streetlamp, the garbage is inspired to see themselves differently. Their newfound optimism turns into a joyful spectacle of song and dance.
| Direction: Wiep Teeuwisse
| Production: Nienke Deutz
International Competition Section
Voiceless
Χωρίς
14’47’’ | 2024 | CH
Dan escapes his isolated daily life through techno music, drugs, and nightclubs, where he feels truly free. But a fleeting moment of connection with a baby shifts his perspective on the world around him.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Samuel Patthey
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Julie Ecoffey, Samuel Patthey
Παραγωγή | Production: Mark Olexa
Winter in March
Χειμώνας τον Μάρτιο
16’22’’ | 2024 | ΑΜ, FR, BE, EE/EU
Helpless under the weight of a repressive regime, a young couple flees their home—only to find their escape spiraling into a surreal nightmare.
Παραγωγή | Production: Kadriann Kibus, Armine Harutyunyan
Τηλεοπτικές & κατά Παραγγελία Ταινίες Διαγωνιστικό Τμήμα
TV & Commissioned Films | Competition Section
2024 Ottawa International Animation Festival - Signal Film
Διεθνές
της Ottawa 2024
00’40’’ | 2024 | CN Ace
05’47’’ | 2024 | PT/EU
A young girl—possibly a future filmmaker—journeys across the city to catch the owl, encountering a series of magical experiences along the way. Her destination is a cinema theatre. So sit back on a cozy couch and get ready for the show.
| Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay,
| Production: Lei Lei
When a fire breaks out in Joe's building, putting everyone’s lives at risk, his guide dog Ace risks his own life to save the day.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Bruno Simões
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Titus Herman
Παραγωγή | Production: Carlota Pou
With the support
Breeding is engaging! 01
H
01’00’’ | 2025 | CH
Ένα
Οne of four clip made for "Οbservatoire du spécisme": a Swiss animalist association.
An office worker gradually unravels as he struggles to cope with bullying, psychological pressure, and harassment in the workplace. Mental health at work can be so fragile that it quite literally “hangs by a thread.” The campaign seeks to spark open conversations and encourage meaningful preventive action.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Dale Hayward, Pierre Dalpé
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Zoé Forest-Paradis
Παραγωγή | Production: Guillaume Bilodeau, Martine Goyette
Coldplay - feelslikeimfallinginlove
04’22’’ | 2024 | UK
Two friends. Lovers. Soulmates. A pair of two, searching—and ultimately finding—each other. Their journey unfolds across different worlds and shifting forms, brought to life through 15 distinct animation styles, crafted by 15 animators from around the globe.
A terrible shadow disrupts the security inside the house and threatens the plate painting on the wall. The deer takes shelter in the tree and finally the tree protects the deer.
Je Ne Sais Pas is an artistic collaboration between musician Clara Néville and visual artist Cemre Beyza Yağız. The music video follows a lonely boy who offers fleeting glimpses into his inner world.
"Julie" is a music video capturing the bittersweet journey of moving out of a familiar home to the big city, balancing the excitement of newfound independence with the quiet melancholy of leaving the past behind.
Maaimä is a music video created in collaboration with renowned Estonian musician Mari Kalkun, based on her song from the 2023 album Stoonia lood. The song reflects on the complex relationship between humans and nature, addressing global concerns like climate change, overpopulation, and biodiversity loss. Musically, it blends traditional elements with electronic soundscapes and is performed in Võro, a dialect from southeastern Estonia. Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Lucija Mrzljak
| Music: Mari Kalkun
With the support
Leiber & Stoller.
This music video accompanies Mary Coughlan’s haunting interpretation of Is That All There Is?, from Mirrors, her bold reimagining of Peggy Lee’s 1975 album by Leiber & Stoller. Through intimate portraits of its characters, the video reflects on despair, loneliness, and the human search for meaning in the 20th century.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Josh O'Caoimh
Μουσική | Music: Mary Coughlan
Juniore-Méditerranée
03’40’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
Το Méditerranée
Juniore,
Clément Soulmagnon.
Mind The World | Pune Design Festival 2025
00’54’’ | 2025 | IN
Méditerranée is an animated music video by French band Juniore, directed by Clément Soulmagnon. Through vibrant visuals and summery nostalgia, it follows a woman on a bicycle discovering the carefree charm of the Mediterranean coast, capturing the essence of beauty, solitude, and the sea.
This powerful statement reflects on a world pushed to its limits by human greed and environmental neglect. It calls on designers to stop serving destructive systems and instead take responsibility as agents of change—before nature strikes back.
Sula washes up on a mysterious island full of puzzles, illusions and surreal challenges. Will she unlock the secrets of the island and reconnect with her lost community?
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Daniel Chester, David Prosser, Margaux Scanatovits
Σενάριο | Screenplay: David Prosser, Daniel Chester, Leo Amiel
Παραγωγή | Production: Ifor Ashton, Anastasia Gorelova
My Algorithm
Mon Algorithme à Moi | Ο
05’34’’ | 2024 | FR, HU/EU
One day, while scrolling through his Instagratte feed, Benjamin Efrati encounters his algorithm—an enormous, cosmic neon cat. A vivid reflection of his own behaviors, this algorithm becomes a golden cage: comforting yet alienating, reinforcing his beliefs while trapping him in a digital echo chamber. This a contemporary fable—a psychedelic odyssey through the virtual landscapes of social media.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Benjamin Efrati, Balazs Turai
| Screenplay: Benjamin Efrati
| Production: Valentin Maupin
My dearest ones, I'm writing to you from…<illegible> Αγαπημένοι
04’59’’ | 2025 | ΒΥ
Σύντομη
Γκούλαγκ
A short story about the correspondence between Gulag prisoners and their families.
A snoozing fisherman, a dozing gardener, a restful raver... a diverse collection of characters fall asleep whilst listening to 'The Sleeping Forecast' in this hand-crafted stop motion spot for the BBC Sounds podcast.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Joseph Wallace
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Steve Warne
Φωτογραφία| Cinematography: Malcolm Hadley
Παραγωγή | Production: Yoav Segal
Paulinha
02’39’’ | 2025 | PT/EU
Ένα
A music video about a woman named Paulinha.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Ana Marta Mendes
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Raul Manarte
Phytovex Tales
Phytovex
00’45’’ | 2025 | GR/EU
Paulinha.
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Ana Marta Mendes, Laura Conde, Jorge Ribeiro
Μουσική | Music: Raul Manarte
Παραγωγή | Production: Jorge Ribeiro
“The Dragon” and Other Tales form the magical core of the Phytovex campaign. In a series of short stories, the heroes face a range of challenges—but they are never alone. With the help of Phytovex herbal remedies, every tale finds its happy ending. Audiences are drawn into the adventures while discovering the many benefits of herbal products.
Παραγωγή | Production: Yiannis Christoforou, Sergio Kotsovoulos
With the support
Reason and Impulse - Disappear
03’30’’ | 2024 | PT/EU
κινουμένων
One person's futile struggle to turn back time in a form of a music video / animated short film.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Ala Nunu
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Ala Nunu, James Asturias
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Ala Nunu, Ana Lutes
Μουσική | Music: James Asturias
Παραγωγή | Production: Bruno Caetano
SPEAK - Together we stand for gender equality
03’34’’ | 2024 | GR/EU
SPEAK is a film that aims to eliminate gender-based violence in Uzbekistan, created as part of the EQUAL Project campaign. It captures the loneliness and fear experienced by survivors of abuse, while inspiring us all to SPEAK up.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay:
Εμψύχωση | Animation: TROUT Creative Hub
Μουσική | Music: MD Recording Studio
Παραγωγή | Production: TROUT Creative Hub
With the support
Stranger in Paradise
06’10’’ | 2025 | FR/EU
In his last few breaths, a man drifts between vivid memories of the world he's leaving behind and haunting visions of what it might yet become.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay:
Gabriela Fernanda Orozco
Μουσική | Music, Παραγωγή | Production: Marc Teitler
Une guitare a la mer
The drifting guitar | H παρασυρόμενη
29’55’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
A weasel, whose absurd job is selling ties, roams the countryside. Considered a pest and constantly wandering, she decides to take a chance in the forest. Her fate is about to change, thanks to the unconditional help of a hedgehog.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Sophie Roze
Παραγωγή | Production: Jean-François Bigot, Camille Raulo, Nicolas Burlet
The Glitch
Through the Eyes of Franz Kafka: Between Image and Language
Trailer for the 48th edition of CINANIMA
CINANIMA
00’50’’ | 2025 | PT/EU
A short film showcasing the power of contemporary classical music to generate imagery, through the collaboration of artists from various disciplines.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Michał Janicki
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Michał Janicki, Katia Kaliada
Μουσική | Music: Jan Kalinowski, Marek Szlezer
Παραγωγή | Production: Ola Kuzemko
00’20’’ | 2024 | UA
Universidade
An artistic spot inspired by Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Featuring the book’s opening line in three languages and a visual transformation of the author’s portrait, the film explores Kafka’s relationship with visual art and the imagery of his era.
| Direction: Hanna Palamarchuk
| Music: Julie Lupačová
CINANIMA 2024's trailer, made by students, from the Master's Degree in Sound and Image (specialisation in Animation) at the Escola das Artes, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, under the guidance of professor Sahra Kunz. The theme of that edition was freedom.
A superficial couple enjoys a carefree afternoon on a yacht, until an unforeseen twist disrupts their perfect routine.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay:
Pablo Anasse, Loane Baumer, Marine Bouvier, Marie Malaval, Maxence Mouttou, Florence Susanna
A Sparrow's Song
09’10’’ | 2025 | DE/EU
Inspired by a true story, a widowed air raid warden in the midst of World War II struggles to overcome her grief and reclaim the joy in her life—until she discovers a dying sparrow she is determined to save.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay,
Παραγωγή | Production: Tobias Eckerlin
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Lilli-Luisa Heckmann
Μουσική | Music: Dominique Girod
International Student Competition Section
AL AMAL A Journey Of Hope
ΑL
Arachnophobia
01’49’’ | 2024 | HR/EU
A seemingly harmless prank turns into a delirious nightmare revolving around spiders. Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Melita Sandrin Παραγωγή | Production: University of Nova Gorica School of Arts Ο
Orhan, a young refugee from Syria, embarks on a perilous journey in search of safety. This animated film traces his path to Greece, portraying his hardships, resilience, and enduring hope for a new beginning.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Orhan Koshkar, Jalal Rasho, Thomas Kunstler, Fausta Pereira
Σενάριο | Screenplay, Παραγωγή | Production: Fausta Pereira
Le temps qu'il faudra
As long as it takes
04’21’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
Montreuil.
Martine is a marriage counselor at La Maison des Femmes de Montreuil (The Women’s House of Montreuil). Between casework and dance steps, she invites us into this space, sharing how they welcome and support women who are victims of violence, and the ongoing fight they lead through the association.
Renato, an eccentric Renaissance inventor, dares the impossible: capturing a lightning bolt in a jar! Fuelled by ambition and defying the skepticism of his peers, he races against time in a thrilling journey, where each storm offers an extraordinary glimpse into the mysteries of nature and the power of love.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Marco Russo
Μουσική | Music: Matt Loveridge
Παραγωγή | Production: Aardman Academy
International Student Competition Section
Better man
Καλύτερος άνθρωπος
06’08’’ | 2025 | CZ/EU
Το Better Man
Better Man is an animated documentary about bodybuilding and the complex relationship men have with their bodies. Through three personal stories—marked by bullying, family pressure, and domestic violence—the film shows how exercise became a way to heal and rebuild, inside and out.
A mother and son navigate their lust and loneliness in the queerest of ways.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Daniel Sterlin-Altman
Μουσική | Music: Lena Radivoj
Παραγωγή | Production: Luis Morat
With the support
CAZAFORTUNA
To
03’51’’ | 2025 | FR/EU
In Mexico, Daniela is secretly seeing her neighbor Javier. On her birthday, he gives her a diamond necklace and together they devise a daring plan to protect their secret.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Valentine Castillo Παραγωγή | Production: Antoine Rivière
Confessions of Undecided Women
19’59’’ | 2024 | FI/EU
Confessions of Undecided Women is an animated short documentary exploring the emotional whirlwind women in their thirties face when unsure if they want to become mothers. As the biological clock ticks, society—and even loved ones—press them to decide.
In the world of three dolls, each mends the other's torn threads, offering her own fibres with love. But when Grannie becomes so ill that she begins to come apart, her daughter must find a way to restore their bond—before it’s too late.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Stephanie El Khoury
Μουσική | Music: Benoît Gagnon
Fishbones
Ψαροκόκκαλα
05’40’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
Φιν.
Sam, a young woman living with an eating disorder symbolised by a fish, finds herself sinking deeper into her illness despite the unwavering support of her partner, Finn.
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Gaelle Jarrige, Amandine Roland
Μουσική | Music: Diego Sanchez-Przystal
Παραγωγή | Production: ECV
Cztery ściany pamięci
Cztery ściany pamięci
11’46’’ | 2024 | PL/EU
καταλήγει
A girl longs to escape her own fear, but ends up trapped with it inside a small cabin in the woods. Locked within four walls and with no way out, she must endure hunger, cold, and the lingering terror of something that once sought to harm her… but now lies dead beside her.
On a summer night, a visit to an empty museum in the heart of a meteorite crater takes a magical turn when a star bursts through the cloudy sky. As it plunges into the museum, the world transforms into a sea of life, myth, and ages long past.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Εμψύχωση | Animation: Linn Grankull
Μουσική | Music: Edvin Johansson, Pontus Hummelman
Παραγωγή | Production: Stockholms Konstnärliga Högskola
Nie!
A young woman struggles with life in a foreign country, where bureaucracy and language barriers leave her feeling powerless. In a public office, her anxiety takes on a surreal form, silencing her completely—a story of isolation, vulnerability, and the inner battles of living far from home.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Janka Kočíšek
Παραγωγή | Production: ASP Kraków/University of applied Arts Vienna
International Student Competition Section
Poppy Flowers
04’24’’ | 2024 | EE/EU
Remembering is a fluid affair. A daughter tries to reconcile with her mother through memories of their shared rituals, exposing the intricate aspects of their relationship. As the daughter matures, she begins to contemplate conventional notions of divinity. The blank frames of the 35mm strip regain their function as memorabilia in the process of engraving her past onto its surface.
Παραγωγή | Production: Eesti Kunstiakadeemia (Estonian Academy of Arts)
Shibuya Meltdown
Χάος
04’30’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
An office worker spends his time drawing instead of working. After a long, monotonous day, he stumbles upon a small ramen stand tucked away on a street corner. The ramen chef opens the door to a new world of possibilities. After this magical night, he decides to take a new path in life.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Manon Casmarec, Marius Faraci, Marine Dufosse, Victor Paris
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Marius Faraci, Marine Dufosse, Victor Paris
Μουσική | Music: Titouan Lencou, Yanis Drioush, Hamza Benbahlouli Παραγωγή | Production: ECV LILLE
With the support
Sphere Supreme
05’02’’ | 2024 | BE/EU
Follow Arama, guided by a mystical pomegranate tree, as he encounters a mysterious man. Along the way, he confronts fragments of himself, slowly piecing together the puzzle of his identity. But before it is complete, will he be able to keep himself from falling apart?
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Hasan Pastaci
Μουσική | Music: Yohann Brun, Anthony Touzalin
Az utolsó dobás The Last Drop
10’43’’ | 2024 | HU/EU
Rhythmic gymnastics is often seen as one of the most beautiful women’s sports. We watch young, graceful athletes in glittering leotards move lightly across the carpet, their faces beaming with smiles. Yet behind this mask of perfection lies a constant sense of dissatisfaction and an endless inner struggle within the team.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Anna Tőkés
Παραγωγή | Production: József Fülöp
International Student Competition Section
Two Point Five Stars
2,5 αστέρια
05’26’’ | 2024 | CH
Robin sits at the reception desk of a hostel, as she does every day. She plays online chess to the monotonous melody of the lobby music. However, the pleasure of playing chess doesn't last long as various guests gather in the lobby and cause increasingly bizarre situations until Robin herself gets carried away by this absurdity.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Sina Lerf, Dario Boger, Dario Marti
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Sina Lerf, Dario Boger
Urban Duo
06’20’’ | 2024 | CN
Παραγωγή | Production: Tongji University H
Longchang—ένα
Amid the bustle of Shanghai, Longchang Apartment—a century-old building—stands as a haven untouched by time. Here, a father enjoys a peaceful, unhurried life, surrounded by neighbors living in harmony. His son, however, is swept up in the relentless pace of the city. Their lives run in parallel, yet could not be more different.
In a world where, after every break-up, ex-partners must exchange a body part of their choice, Wish You Were Ear explores the enduring impact of relationships. With each split, people lose a literal piece of themselves—while carrying visible reminders of every past love. Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
| Screenplay: Mirjana Balogh Παραγωγή | Production: József FÜLÖP
Writing Home
Το
11’52’’
A small bark beetle girl lives a peaceful life in the forest, until a fire destroys her home. Getting separated from her family, she finds refuge in a human school, discovering a new talent, writing.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Eva Matejovičová
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Eva Matejovičová, Ráchel Absolonová
Μουσική | Music: Guillaume Marrone, Juras Karaka
Παραγωγή | Production: Kristýna Žďárská
With the support
Eθνικό
National Competition Section
13m2
13 τ.μ.
05’30’’ | 2024 | GR/EU
Set against the backdrop of COVID-19 quarantine in the vibrant neighborhood of Exarchia, Athens, "13 Meter Squared" is a short animation film that delves into the lives of emotionally isolated residents in a single apartment building.
Inspired by the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs, this film follows three siblings who flee war and arrive in a land ruled by the tyrannical Wolf. Facing oppression, violence, and fear of the foreign, they rise against the regime and build a New City. But when lambs—refugees of another war—arrive at their gates, the pigs must confront their own response to exile and belonging.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Christos Magganas
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Zeti Fitsiou
Παραγωγή | Production: Effie Skrobola, Vassilis Tzanidis
Νational Competition Section
Children of War
Τα Παιδιά
02’20’’ | 2025 | GR/EU
Στις
«Χρόνια
Ahmed».
On 26th February 2025 NASA launched a capsule with poems to the moon, one of them was the anti-war poem “Happy Birthday Ahmed”.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Εμψύχωση | Animation,
Παραγωγή | Production: Zina Papadopoulou
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Eva Lianou Petropoulou
Μουσική | Music: Grigoris Grigoropoulos
Παραγωγή | Production: Zina Papadopoulou, Ovalimage Animation & Design
Dream
Όνειρο
05’00’’ | 2025 | GR/EU
Inspired by Paul Éluard’s poem Homme Utile, this visually rich journey drifts into a surreal world where colors bloom and reason fades. What begins as an escape from reality becomes a quiet discovery of freedom and the beauty of simple things.
In modern Athens, relentless tourism transforms the city into chaos. Suddenly, foul fumes and floods of waste erupt from sewers and hotels, spreading panic. Soon, the same disaster engulfs cities worldwide, as a wave of filth overwhelms the planet.
Παραγωγή | Production: Konstantinos P. Kakarountas, Maria Mavroeidi
Inspired by the tension between nature and technology, the conscious and the unconscious, this work unfolds as both a digital experiment and a visual–philosophical exploration of form, movement, environment, and the fragile presence—or absence—of communication between different modes of existence.
| Direction,
| Screenplay,
| Production: Isidoros Plakotaris
Levi
Holy Shit
Νational Competition Section
Mnemonic Nebulae
Νέφη
08’00’’ | 2024 | GR/EU
Built in 1852, a childhood home is revisited and digitally scanned through photogrammetry. The resulting point clouds reconstruct a navigable 3D twin—suggesting a future where memories may be preserved as virtual spaces.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
| Screenplay: Vasiliki Betsou
Plantasia
03’40’’ | 2023 | GR/EU
Small human-like creatures devour nature's flora, thus defecating the building blocks for creating a human-controlled super-tower.
The super-tower, with its ignorant eyes, destroys nature. In response, nature gives birth to a mega-flower to enter a boss fight with the super-tower.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Angelos Gourzis
Poplars
Λεύκες
10’55’’ | 2025 | GR/EU
Lesvos, 1997, Gulf of Geras. A father waits for his children at the port, cigarette in hand, while their mother helps them board the gazolina. When they arrive, they are no longer the same. In the olive grove, beneath three poplars, time accelerates for his children with every cigarette, with every burst of his anger. Unable to distinguish memory from reality, the father sinks into a golden crater and becomes one with the tree. Years later, the children return to the grove. They climb the tree, and its leaves embrace them.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
| Screenplay: Alexandros Vounatsos
Εμψύχωση | Animation:
Yorgos Softas, Konstantinos Trichias (3D)
Παραγωγή | Production: Τasos Koronakis, Marina Danezi
Prikosymphono
04’56’’ | 2025 | GR, ES/EU
In Lefkada, a young girl discovers a 1955 document listing her great aunt’s belongings. Her grandfather explains it is a dowry contract—an old Greek tradition where the bride’s possessions were formally offered to the groom.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Elena Gazi, Dolan Bailey, Alejandra Diaz, Leonardo Dal Fabbro
Μουσική | Music: Jose Ramon Madrid Alonso
Νational Competition Section
Roe
03’00’’ | 2025 | GR/EU
A girl sleeps by a spring. When the water stops, a glowing sphere emerges, altering the world’s balance in a cycle that feels like a dream or like a repetitive incident.
From drawing and painting to video and photography, this work explores how movement and time transform perception. By blending reality and imagination, it opens space for fiction to exist within the urban landscape.
An elderly wooden creature writes to his childhood friend, Icarus. Through memories and reflections, the past resurfaces, revealing the events behind Icarus’s violent departure from the city.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay,
Εμψύχωση | Animation, Παραγωγή | Production:
Dimitra Papaefthymiou
Μουσική | Music: Dimitris Mathiopoulos
The Little Things That Move The World
Τα
02’36’’ | 2025 | GR/EU
A short film celebrating nature’s small, everyday movements— from birds and fish to splashes of water and passing ants—that quietly set the world in motion and make it beautiful.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay,
Παραγωγή | Production: Dimitrios Sakkas
Μουσική | Music: Memphidos
Νational Competition Section
The Synthetic Age
H
07’39’’ | 2025 | GR/EU
In a city where humans consume cartoons, a dog reunites with old friends and together they attempt to escape.
Time is not simply passing—it is woven. This animated film pays tribute to the Greek Resistance and to the unfulfilled life of a teacher, reminding us that every thread, whether broken or strong, weaves a portrait into eternity.
An alien woman responds to a half-forgotten message of interplanetary friendship. A film about communication, and the fingers that stir the digital.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay,
Παραγωγή | Production: Katerina Athanasopoulou
Συνάρμοση | Editing: Ian Clark
Μουσική | Music: Savvas Metaxas
Greek Animation Talks
As part of ANIMASYROS’ initiatives to strengthen Greek animation, the highly successful Greek Animation Talks powerd by EKKOMED will once again take place this year. In these sessions, Greek creators present their work, discuss the challenges of the creative process, and share practical insights.
This series of discussions offers Greek filmmakers participating in the Festival’s competition program the opportunity to showcase their projects, exchange experiences as members of both the Greek and international animation community, and receive valuable advice for their artistic journey. An unexpected encounter designed to encourage and support Greek creativity.
This year, the Greek Animation Talks powerd by EKKOMED will be hosted by director, visual artist, and Film Professor at the University of Athens, Eva Stefani.
With the support
GR / EU
(Oberhausen, IDFA, Cinema du Reel. Fipresci, κ.α).
Oberhausen, Europe autour de
Eva Stefani Film Director, Visual Artist, Professor of Film
Eva Stefani was born in the United States and lives in Athens. She has directed more than thirty films, ranging from anthropological movies to experimental cinema. Her works have been acclaimed in many film festivals, and the awards she has received include the Oberhausen, IDFA, Cinema du Reel and Fipresci. There have been special presentations of her work in both film festivals, such as Oberhausen and Europe autour de l’ Europe and in universities such as New York University and Columbia. She has also taken part in international exhibitions for the visual arts, including Documenta14 and the Venice Biennale. Her most recent work in this field is part of an exhibition entitled “If women ruled the world” in the Athens Museum of Contemporary Art and is an installation called “Shining Cave”.
She is also a Professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Athens, where she teaches Film.
She is a graduate of the Political Studies Department of the Athens Law School. Her postgraduate studies were in Film Theory and Anthropology (New York University), in Film and Documentary (VARAN School in Paris and the British National Film & TV School), and with a PhD from the Greek Panteion University on reproductions of Greece in anthropological cinema (1997).
Her most recent film is Bull’s Heart and is a study of the director and choreographer Dimitris Papaioannou.
K.ID.S Competition Section
Capybaras
Καπιμπάρα
10’30’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
καπιμπάρα
As hunting season begins, a family of capybaras hides in a chicken coop. Distrust runs high, until the curiosity of the youngest forges an unlikely bond with surprising consequences.
Παραγωγή | Production: Nicolas Schmerkin, Luciana Roude, Bernardita Ojeda
Krížom Krážom
Criss Cross | Σταυροβελονιά
07’59’’ | 2023 | SK, CZ/EU
A delicately cross-stitched tale of friendship and betrayal unfolds between a little bird, a baby goat, and a cunning fox. Inspired by the folk proverb “A friend in need is a friend indeed,” the film weaves a timeless fable about trust, loyalty, and the price of treason.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Nina Rybárová, Tomáš Rybár
Flickerlight is a five-minute animation following a small flame on its journey of self-discovery. Inspired by the charm of 1940s Disney classics, it offers a nostalgic yet timeless tale.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay,
| Production: Nikolaos Aletras
Forevergreen
13’04’’ | 2025 | US
An orphaned bear cub finds a home with a fatherly evergreen tree, until his hunger for trash leads him to danger.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears
Παραγωγή | Production: Steph Gortz, Jennifer Gandrup Sackheim
Morfar har et ødelagt øye og Mamma
er en adventure
Grandpa has a broken eye and mom is an adventure
08’13’’ | 2024 | NO/EU
«Πώς
“How can you think if you cannot speak?” Four kids, age 5 to 15, share their thoughts on aphasia and show us how they communicate and interact with someone, who has difficulties expressing themselves verbally.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Marita Mayer
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Jens Jonathan Gulliksen, Kim-Quy Nguyen
Μουσική | Music: Eirik Myhr
Παραγωγή | Production: Anton Nyman, Marita Mayer
House Trap
02’15’’ | 2024 | NL/EU
When a mouse steals the last piece of a puzzle, an estranged family is brought together for a cat-and-mouse game.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: George Hampshire
Μουσική | Music: Darius Timmer, Tessa Rose Jackson
Παραγωγή | Production: Chris Stenger, Noortje Wilschut, Floor Onrust
K.ID.S Competition Section
Ja sam Akiko
I am Akiko | Είμαι η Akiko
06’31’’ | 2024 | RS
H Akiko
Akiko is an unusual girl whose different view on the snow gets her into trouble during the art class.
Olivia, a girl of boundless imagination, and Joseph, a lonely boy lost in his smartphone, meet during a school break—an encounter that sparks a strange, colorful story.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Karolis Kveselis
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Lina Žutautė
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Alex Ferreira Simões, Carina Henriksson
Μουσική | Music: Martin Bezjak
Παραγωγή | Production: Mindaugas Jokubaitis
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA TO THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC
Little Caesar
O Μικρός Caesar
06’26’’ | 2024 | IE/EU
In a world ruled by conformity, Little Caesar—a lamb who defies social expectations—sets out on a quest for acceptance. Shunned by his family and the other animals, he embarks on a journey of tender, humorous encounters, until a final test awaits in the form of a cunning wolf.
Ant carries a small red Egg through her daily routine—serving coffee in an office and cleaning at night. As the fragile Egg grows heavier, she must face the hardest decision of her life.
Παραγωγή | Production: Stephen Vandingenen, Dries Phlypo
K.ID.S Competition Section
Lola et le piano à bruits
Lola and the Sound Piano
Η Lola και
25’00’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
Lola is the older sister of Simon, aged 5, who lives in a world of his own. By observing him, she notices how sensitive he is to small, hidden sounds. With her friend Rolih, she decides to build a noise machine to communicate with him.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Augusto Zanovello
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Luis Ignacio De Marco Laporte, Carla Pereira, Sergio Lara Jimenez, Emmanuel Briand, Sylvain Desrones, Patricia Sourdes, Lorelei Paliès, Chaïtane Conversat
Μουσική | Music: Christian Perret
Παραγωγή | Production: Emmanuel Baron, Reginald de Guillebon, Katarzyna Gromadzka, Nicolas Burlet
One Track Mind
06’57’’ | 2024 | UK
Sophia the squirrel embarks on a journey of self-discovery, helping her navigate emotions of grief after the loss of a close friend.
Purple and a Panda Purple is the official animated music video for the Greek song "Όλα και Panda Μωβ" about a girl and her love for the purple color and a purple panda.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Panagiotis Tsimpiridis
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Ino Theodorou
Μουσική | Music: Lydia Servou
Παραγωγή | Production: Panagiotis Tsimpiridis, Ino Theodorou
Skin Colour
Το
03’24’’ | 2025 | IL
Eight-year-old Maya wants to draw the best portrait in art class, but when she realizes that the shade the teacher calls "skin color" doesn't match her own, she feels torn between her truth and her desire to please the teacher and excel. Through her journey, Maya will discover the beauty in the different shades and colours that exist in the world.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Gilad Pfeffer, Liya Daniel Elbashan
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Liya Daniel Elbashan
Παραγωγή | Production: Gilad Pfeffer, Liya Daniel Elbashan
K.ID.S Competition Section
Slime Time - Episode 3: Hiking Time
Slime Time - Επεισόδιο 3:
Πεζοπορίας 01’00’’ | 2024 | SE/EU
Το
Slime Time!
Slime Time is a stop motion animated short format kids show starring a bunch of mischievous snails. Each one-minute episode is a whirlwind of slapstick comedy and visual trickery, proving that even the smallest creatures can have the biggest adventures. Whether deep in the woods, lost in an urban jungle, or marooned on a desert island, one thing is certain—no prank goes unchallenged in Slime Time!
| Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay, Παραγωγή | Production: Stefan Max Goblirsch, Laura Fernández Garcia
With the support
Snow Bear
Set in a rapidly changing world, "Snow Bear" tells the story of a polar bear in an unforgiving environment on his quest to find a friend.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Aaron Blaise
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Aaron Blaise, Nicholas Burch
Μουσική | Music: Mark Mancia, Marlon E. Espino
Παραγωγή | Production: Nicholas Burch
Muca Copatarica
Slipper Keeper Kitty | Η
10’31’’ | 2024 | SI/EU
In the Small Village, children play all day but carelessly toss their slippers at night. By morning, the slippers vanish. Their parents explain that Muca Copatarica, the Slipper Keeper Kitty, took them. The children find her in the forest, where she returns their mended slippers. Grateful, they promise to care for them better.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Rok Predin
Παραγωγή | Production: Miha Černec, Tanja Prinčič
The Little Miracle
05’36’’ | 2025 | UK
Two siblings dive into the realm of their imagination to find a real-life miracle.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Elle van Knoll
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Christina S. Nerland
Μουσική | Music: Adam Speck
Παραγωγή | Production: Elle van Knoll
K.ID.S Competition Section
Le tunnel de la nuit
The Night tunnel | To Νυχτερινό τούνελ
08’58’’ | 2024 | BE/EU
Μαζί,
After digging a tunnel on the beach, two kids from different sides of the world meet each other. Together, they dig their way to the North Pole, where they discover a magical way to go back home.
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Jeroen Ceulebroeck, Jasmin Elsen, Febe Van Avermaet
Μουσική | Music: Yan Volsy
Παραγωγή | Production: Arnaud Demuynck
A Cada Dia Que Passa
With each passing day | Με κάθε μέρα που περνά 10’55’’ | 2024 | PT/EU
D. Piedade is an old mouse who lives in a small village in the mountainous interior of Portugal. Her existence is mainly composed of loneliness and memories, and a hardened routine, guided by the regular rhythm of the clock and the tea she drinks with her friends, two sisters, who live in the same village.The accumulation of this routine will awaken in D. Piedade the desire to break it. Using a strong memory that drives her to act, she returns to where she was happy, hoping to regain some kind of new happiness.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Emanuel Nevado
| Screenplay: Bruno Caetano, Pedro Vieira de Moura Παραγωγή | Production: Bruno Caetano
With the support
My school 1st Primary of Ilion
The day the world turned into stone
Fragments of memory
A Mysterious Night
The mural of freedom
Message of change
160 International Animation Festival, 22 - 28.09.2025, Syros island, Cyclades
K.ID.S _ Out of Competition _ Films made by children
A Mysterious Night
Fragments of Memory
Message of Change Grupo
My school 1st Primary of Ilion
The day the world turned into stone
The Flower of Freedom
The handmade flowery complex
The mural of freedom
The Wandering Balloon
Valuable collection
Vanima for Varaždin 2
04’52’’ | GR Margarita Simopoulou
04’19’’ | GR 6th grade students of 6th Experimental Intercultural Primary School of Eleftherio-Kordelio/Thessaloniki Greece
02’53’’ | PT EB1PE Cruz de Carvalho 3.º/4.º EBCC
03’23’’ | GR 6th grade students of the 1st Primary School Of Ilion/Attica Greece
05’57’’ | GR Athina Berdeka, Konstantinos Tsagkaroyiannis
02’52’’ | PT FRAME project by CINANIMA Festival
02’57’’ | PT Class 5ºB, School EB 2.3 of Palmeira and Carolina Prat
10’00’’ | PT Associação de Ludotecas do Porto/Anilupa´s workshop participants Year 4ºA of EB Vilarinha
01’00’’ | PT Leo Fajardo
03’43’’ | GR Christina Gkougkoura, Primary School of Koroni Messinia Greece
05’14’’ | HR Anabela Mlinarić, Vita Dvoržak, Sara Majnarić, Vigo Gulić, Eva Košić, Emili Milisavljević, Oleksandr Saško Moskalov, Kala Šmic, Franka Bogović, Bernard Herceg, Karlo Kokijer, Lovro Ledenko, Leona Lesjak, Klara Nagy, Franka Žnidar, Jan Štimec
The Wandering Balloon Varazim
Διαγωνιστικό
Αnimapride Competition Section
Butterfly Kiss
Tο
10’00’’ | 2024 | DE, IL/EU
Carol panics and argues with her girlfriend Ray after an unexpected proposal. The situation gets worse when she wakes up in an apocalyptic reality and terribly discovers that Ray has transformed into a butterfly. Ray's transformation, the invasion of the outside world into their home, and the growing tension between the two threaten their relationship. Carol is afraid of losing Ray... but devoting yourself to your girlfriend could come at a price.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Zohar Dvir Εμψύχωση | Animation: Zohar Dvir, Amit Cohen, Harry Bhalerao, Valya Paneva
Μουσική | Music: Hila Ruach
Παραγωγή | Production: Amit Russel Gicelter, Fabian Driehorst
Cleanliness
05’00’’ | 2025 | LV/EU
A diary of an office worker’s day. A humorous look at his casual homosexual adventures turns bitter when it is revealed that he is already in a relationship with a deeply depressed, alcoholic man.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Andrejs Brīvulis
Animapride Competition Section
Dare to be Fabulous
Τόλμα
06’04’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
As to prove himself to his gangster father, Alessandro decides to rob a bar. What he wouldn’t expect is to meet another side of his father: Lady Victoria the drag queen.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Zhen Zhou, Xinxin Qin, Carla Sampaio da Silva, Adam Meziane Philipps, Yangjia Chen, João Buosi
Dragfox
Ντραγκ αλεπού
08’10’’ | 2024 | CH/UK
Sam's search for identity gets interrupted by a mysterious neighbourhood fox. Together they embark on a magical journey to the attic to discover the surprising things they might have in common, and how to celebrate the ways in which they differ.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Lisa Ott Παραγωγή | Production: Owen Thomas
FRYD
06’39’’ | 2024 | NL/EU
άμμο.
A young woman filled with regret retraces her footprints in the sand. As she walks along the shore, she relives how a shocking confession to her friend Fryd changed the course of their friendship forever.
Ayla wakes up in a mountainous landscape, surrounded only by vegetation and a river. Driven by curiosity and a desire to get to know the place, she goes on a journey of discovery and diving. As she discovers where she is, she also discovers herself.
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Ambrósio Pentu, Atmo, Bia Peres, Camila Vianna, Fernanda Costa, Guilherme Zabu, Henrique Ferreira, Janaína Zanusso, Larissa Rangel, Louise Bonne, Kelvin Lima, Mateus Di Mambro, Sofia Travassos
Μουσική | Music: Andrea Martins
Παραγωγή | Production: Flávia Santana, Alana Barros
Animapride Competition Section
Immature
Aνώριμο
06’00’’ | 2024 | TW, NL/EU
IMMATURE is an animated documentary that explores the fluidity and complexity of gender identity through the lens of body imagery. The film delves into the evolving experiences of a transgender gay man, capturing the nuances of his self-exploration.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Eddy Wu
Kabuki
12’47’’ | 2025 | BR, FR/EU
Kabuki is a stop motion animation short film that poetically follows the transgender character Kabuki’s search for self-acceptance and identity. The film is dedicated to the transgender people killed every day and revisits this ancestral form of theatre from Japan to give full significance to the object of the mask.
Παραγωγή | Production: Tiago Minamisawa, Gabriel de Azevedo, Bruno H Castro, Cesar Cabral, Mathieu Rolin, Jonas Brandao
Sous ma fenêtre la boue
The mud under my window
H
12’32’’ | 2025 | BE, FR/EU
One of Emma’s mother is too busy, the other one is too far away: a presence she rejects, an absence she sublimates. Out of a trivial tension, an intimate and unsettling face-to-face confrontation suddenly arises.
Παραγωγή | Production: Marion Barré, Jérémie Mazurek, Christophe Beaujean
Two Black Boys in Paradise
08’54’’ | 2025 | UK
(τον Edan, 19
Dula,
A movingly tender animation, based on Dean Atta’s eponymous poem, sees two boys (Edan, 19 and Dula, 18) on a journey of self-acceptance and love – for each other and themselves..
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Baz Sells
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Dean Atta, Baz Sells, Ben Jackson
Μουσική | Music: Picturesonix, RéY
Παραγωγή | Production: Ben Jackson
Animapride Competition Section
Pietra
Stone | Πέτρα
13’00’’ | 2024 | PT, LT, ES, PL, BR/EU
In daydreaming about unlikely relationships, the flower - as delicate as it is revolutionary - represents an act of love amidst the suffocation and embrace of a classic Portuguese neighborhood.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Cynthia Levitan
Παραγωγή | Production: Nuno Beato, Diogo Carvalho, Leticia Montalvá, Anna Szadkowska, Robert Banasiak, Vicente Mallols, Pablo Muñoz, Iván Madolell
With the support
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA TO THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC
FEB. 1 MAR. 2026
International Panorama
Agapi
Αγάπη
09’50’’ | 2025 | US
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay,
Παραγωγή | Production: Julia Despina Speropoulos
COO-RAGE
ΚΟΥ-ΜΑΝΙΑ
02’15’’ | 2024 | NL, UA/EU
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Alina Milkina
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Britt Snel
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Alina Milkina, Blanka Petryka
Μουσική | Music: Rens Machielse, Willem Schneider
Παραγωγή | Production: Peter Lindhout
A Woman and Her Lives
Μια γυναίκα και οι Ζωές της
07’54’’ | 2024 | LT/EU
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay: Rasa Joni
“How can you think if you cannot speak?” Four kids, age 5 to 15, share their thoughts on aphasia and show us how they communicate and interact with someone, who has difficulties expressing themselves verbally.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Marita Mayer
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Jens Jonathan Gulliksen, Kim-Quy Nguyen
Μουσική | Music: Eirik Myhr
| Production: Anton Nyman, Marita Mayer
Supported by
In a visually surreal zoo, Salty—an odd little duck with a rainbow tuft—narrates his own coming-of-age tale. From a young age, he feels out of place, until a flamboyant pair of outcast birds arrive with a shy gosling and settle in the punk side of the garden. A tender friendship and first love blossom between the two outcasts, despite bullying, prejudice, and parental doubts. However, when gentrification threatens to erase their world, the animals must unite to defend their home and their chosen family. Blending pop culture, humor, and emotion, Salty is a vibrant animated story about identity, love without labels, and the beauty of belonging.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
| Screenplay: Andreas Raptis
| Animation Direction: Charalambos Margaritis
| Animation: Maria Christou, Andreas Koukoumas, Daniel Nicolaou, Dimitris Perikleous, Yiannis Sakellis, Alexandros Theocharous
| Narration: Dimitris Vrachnos
| Music: Theodore
| Production Manager: Athena Kalkopoulou
| Production: Cosmote TV, Animasyros Productions, Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center (H.F.A.C.), United We Fly
Cinematherapy is a program by the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center, Audiovisual Media and Creativity – Creative Hub GR (E.K.K.O.ME.D) that harnesses the power of cinema as a tool for psychosocial support and personal development. Through screenings of selected films and guided discussions led by mental health specialist Denise Nikolakou, participants are encouraged to recognize, express, and process emotions and personal experiences.
The program aims to enhance empathy, self-awareness, and social cohesion, integrating the art of cinema into a broader context of creative therapy and community empowerment.
With the support
GR / EU
Denise Nikolakou
Integrative Psychotherapist
Denise Nikolakou (MSc Integrative Psychotherapy) is an integrative psychotherapist specializing in Cinematherapy—a pioneering approach that combines the art of cinema with psychotherapy. She is the creator and coordinator of the Cinematherapy programme, presented in festivals, cultural and educational institutions, and therapeutic settings in Greece and abroad. From 2020 to 2024, she collaborated with the Drama International Short Film Festival (DISFF), where she curated immersive sessions with films by directors such as Paweł Pawlikowski and Konstantinos Giannaris, and developed strands like Psitalk, blending screenings with open discussions on psychological, social, and existential themes.
In 2025, she assumed the scientific supervision and coordination of Cinematherapy by the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center within the Creative Hub GR, designing psychosocial empowerment initiatives through cinema and the therapeutic arts. Alongside this work, she maintains a private practice and collaborates with schools, integrating cinema as a tool for empathy, learning, and self-awareness.
2025.
We Are All Together!
The initiative We Are All Together, implemented under the auspices and with the financial support of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, is a comprehensive educational and artistic programme. It includes special animation screenings for all schools (general and special education), selected by university professors and animation experts. As part of the programme, the Greek production Salty will be presented in an accessible version for audiences with visual or hearing impairments. The film Salty sensitively addresses diversity, self-determination, and the value of inclusion across all ages. Through its inventive visual storytelling and the relatable anthropomorphism of its characters, it offers every viewer, regardless of ability, the experience of a fairy tale that gives voice to uniqueness and acceptance.
In parallel, the initiative also features animation workshops using mixed techniques, organized in collaboration with the Creative Activity Center for Persons with Disabilities (KDAP-MeA) of Syros Ermoupolis and the Special School of Syros, running throughout the year until the end of 2025.
Navarino Challenge.
The film Salty is presented by Aria Papanikolaou –Voice Actress & Aspiring Animator
Aria Papanikolaou was born in Athens in 2006 and was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3½, a fact that shaped her but did not prevent her from pursuing her artistic dreams. She is a high school graduate with studies in dubbing, vocal training, and musical theatre, and she speaks English, Spanish, and Japanese.
She has lent her voice to Disney’s Lilo and Stitch, participated in the song “Giatre mou s’agapao” (Heaven Music Kids), and appeared in Disney’s Rise as well as Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey. She has also performed at the Athens Concert Hall and the International Children’s & Youth Film Festival.
She will soon begin her studies in animation and acting. In recent years, she has been giving talks in Greece and abroad to raise awareness about autism, at schools and events such as Athens College, Giannopoulos Schools, the MOTODYNAMICS Group, and the Navarino Challenge. In autumn 2025, her first book will be released in animated form.
In collaboration with Center for Creative Activities for Persons with Disabilities- Syros
Inclusivity Activities
Salty
In a visually surreal zoo, Salty—an odd little duck with a rainbow tuft—narrates his own coming-of-age tale. From a young age, he feels out of place, until a flamboyant pair of outcast birds arrive with a shy gosling and settle in the punk side of the garden. A tender friendship and first love blossom between the two outcasts, despite bullying, prejudice, and parental doubts. However, when gentrification threatens to erase their world, the animals must unite to defend their home and their chosen family. Blending pop culture, humor, and emotion, Salty is a vibrant animated story about identity, love without labels, and the beauty of belonging.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
| Screenplay: Andreas Raptis
| Animation Direction: Charalambos Margaritis
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Maria Christou, Andreas Koukoumas, Daniel Nicolaou, Dimitris Perikleous, Yiannis Sakellis, Alexandros Theocharous
Αφήγηση | Narration: Dimitris Vrachnos
| Music: Theodore
Production Manager: Athena Kalkopoulou
Παραγωγή | Production:
Cosmote TV, Animasyros Productions, Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center (H.F.A.C.), United We Fly
| Accessibility Services: liminal
Subtitles for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (SDH): Grigoris Stathopoulos
Audio Description & Narration: Maria Thrasyvoulidou Ποιοτικός
| Quality Control: Anna Maria Foskolou, Giannis Vitsos
| Recording: Basement Productions studios
fa ce b ook .c om /N t ano sB ak er y nt a nos ba ke ry @o te ne t. gr
Lightyear
105’00’’ | 2022 | US
From Disney and Pixar comes an animated sci-fi action-adventure, the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans), the hero who inspired the toy. “Lightyear” follows the legendary space ranger on an intergalactic adventure alongside ambitious recruits, Izzy, Mo and Darby, and his robot companion Sox. As this motley crew embark on their toughest mission yet, they must learn to work as a team to escape the evil Zurg and his dutiful robot army who are never far behind.
| Direction: Angus MacLane
Lightyear, Meet the Robinsons, WALL-E
Creative Partner
Meet the Robinsons
Robinsons
95’00’’ | 2007 | US
Have the time of your life with Disney's fun-filled comedy MEET THE ROBINSONS, a thrilling adventure that takes you to a whole new world full of imagination and surprises. Join a brilliant young inventor named Lewis as he sets off on a time-traveling journey to find the family he never knew. In the fantastical world of 2037, hip-hoppin' frogs and dogs that wear glasses are as common as talking dinosaurs. In an amazing twist, Lewis discovers that the fate of the future rests in his hands, but he can't save it alone, he'll need every bit of help he can get from the wonderfully wacky Robinson family, who help him learn to keep moving forward and never stop believing in himself. Blast off with MEET THE ROBINSONS, It's an exciting trip your whole family will enjoy! Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Stephen J. Anderson
WALL-E
98’00’’ | 2008 | US
The highly acclaimed director of Finding Nemo and the creative storytellers behind Cars and Ratatouille transport you to a galaxy not so far away for a cosmic comedy adventure about a determined robot named WALL-E. After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, the curious and lovable WALL-E discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. Join them and a hilarious cast of characters on a fantastic journey across the universe.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Andrew Stanton Ambush
04’01’’ | 2025 | FR/EU
In space, a group of soldiers awaits an ambush that never comes. After a long wait, they run out of oxygen. A rookie scout faces death calmly with Sarge's comfort.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Xi Chengzhuo
Apollo nuts
03’33’’ | 2025 | CA
Children of Metroid
02’00’’ | 2022 | ΗU/EU
Cosmonaut
Ο Κοσμοναύτης
11’00’’ | 2020 | EE/EU
Subotage.
Buzz Almond
Amid the space race, a band of squirrels led by Buzz Almond sets out on their own lunar adventure.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction:
Johanna Guinodeau, Aizhan Chulakova, Jérémy Daigneault, Élodie Boudrias, Audrey Paradis, Maxime Lemasson, Samuel Chabot
Music video for Hungarian DJ and producer Subotage. A wild chase between an interstellar vagabond and a space shaman unfolds.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Tamás Rebák
An old cosmonaut lives in his flat as if still aboard a space station. He carries out “heroic” missions, misses his loved ones—yet they see things differently. A cosmonaut will always be a cosmonaut.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Kaspar Jancis
Drifter
Περιπλανώμενος
14’00’’ | 2022 | BE/EU
Eureka!
Εύρηκα!
09’54’’ | 2025 | BE/EU
Every Light in Between
Kάθε Φως
04’25’’ | 2025 | ES/EU
The story of an astronaut detached from his space station, taken into an infinite drift throughout the universe. Freed from time and space, he takes a dive into the unknown, in search of the ultimate freedom.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Joost Jansen
An alien duo travels the universe to share knowledge, but on a strange planet things go awry.
Aleks has been stranded on a desolate planet for five years after his ship's accident. In isolation, he survives by following a strict routine and holding on to the memory of Milo, his partner on Earth.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Pol Solà, Guille Comin
Hope-65
Ελπίδα-65
06’32’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
How to make a friend
07’16’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
Laika
09’00’’ | 2010 | UK
A lab-born monkey, raised by scientists, is sent into space to test if an unexplored planet could host humans.
Moo mourns her lost friend, and Yuu tries to create a new companion. The attempt fails, but a new friendship is born.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Jinfei Ge, Bin He, Myrtille Huet, Julie Jarrier-Stettin, Yuqiang Zhang
Παραγωγή | Production: Cécile Blondel
A reimagining of the first dog in space and what might have happened on her historic journey.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Avgousta Zourelidi
Moon Landing With A Twist
Προσελήνωση
03’29’’ | 2023 | GR/EU
Το 1969, όταν
In 1969 when the first humans went to the moon, they found out something they weren't expecting.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Simos Tokalakis
Nov svet, nova sled
New World, New Trace
09’55’’ | 2024 | SI/EU
No-No goes to Space
26’00’’ | 2022 | FR/EU
Wherever humans go, they leave their mark. What would it be on a new planet? Set in a time when space travel is routine, humanity discovers a habitable world.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
| Screenplay: Žoel Kastelic
Παραγωγή | Production: Academy of Fine Arts and Design Ljubljana
Three… Two… One… Go! Bigtooth’s rocket leaves Earth to plant Underwood Spring’s flag on the moon. A meteor shower diverts No-No, Magaiveur and their friends to an unknown planet, where meeting Ribbit turns the mission into a story of friendship.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Washim Boutaleb Joutei
One Small Step
Ένα Μικρό Βήμα
08’00’’ | 2018 | US/CN
Η
Luna is a young Chinese American girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut. From the day she witnesses a rocket launching into space on TV, she is inspired to reach for the stars.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Andrew Chesworth - Bobby Pontillas
Varv
Orbit | Tροχιά
01’50’’ | 2025 | NO/EU
Quasar
Κβάζαρ
04’54’’ | 2024 | FR/EU
Blender.
Orbit is a visualized poem about the moon and Mother Earth. It's made with the open source program Blender.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay, Παραγωγή | Production: Margareta F. A. Orkan
Μουσική | Music: Mads Torbjørn Martinsen
On a mission, astronaut Yoko loses her charm and is pulled by a strange star’s gravity, facing a terrifying journey through space.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Théodora Pittaluga
Solar Walk
Ηλιακός
21’00’’ | 2018 | DK/EU
Sunscreen
Αντιηλιακό
06’22’’ | 2023 | FR/EU
The Last Man on Earth
04’04’’ | 2025 | PL/EU
Flags are raised, hands held, first steps taken on new worlds. A giant creates a new universe, and two beings dive into the infinite dark. Love in space. Solar Walk tells the journey of humans and their creations across the cosmos.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Réka Bucsi
Zora, trapped in a space station for a long time after a space accident, begins to hallucinate and confront her inner world.
Music video for Hungarian DJ and producer Subotage. A wild chase between an interstellar vagabond and a space shaman unfolds.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Tamás Rebák
The Lonely Orbit
Η
10’00’’ | 2019 | CH
Η
A satellite technicians’ inability to cope with his solitude causes a chain reaction in space and in his own mind.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Frederic Siegel, Benjamin Morard
The world of Tomorrow
O
15’00’’ | 2015 | US
Todos los futuros
All
A little girl is taken on a mind-bending tour of her distant future. Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Don Hertzfeldt
Terrestrial life reaches the distant planet Somnum through microorganisms on meteorites. In its eternal night, humans bring dreams—along with fears and absurd rules. The sky collapses.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Bárbara Cerro
Σενάριο | Screenplay:
Bárbara Cerro, Luz Orlando Brennan Παραγωγή | Production:
Nicolas Schmerkin, Bárbara Cerro, Autour de Minuit, Oniro Cine
THEODORE
ANIMASYROS 2025 proudly welcomes the ingenious and inimitable Bill Plympton — a surrealist maverick, who systematically broke the rules of animation by hand-drawing entire films, frame by frame! His work cannot be contained in a simple tribute, so this year, in collaboration with his studio, we present ten — yes, ten! — films to plunge you head-first into his eccentric, magical universe.
Bill Plympton
Cheatin’
Bill Plympton is a member of the International & National Competition Sections and his bio is featured on page 51 of the catalogue.
In a fateful bumper car collision, Jake and Ella meet and become the most loving couple in the long history of Romance. But when a scheming “other” woman drives a wedge of jealousy into their perfect courtship, insecurity and hatred spell out an untimely fate.
With only the help of a disgraced magician and his forbidden “soul machine”, Ella takes the form of Jake's numerous lovers, desperately fighting through malfunction and deceit as they try to reclaim their destiny.
What if Clint Eastwood and Mel Brooks became cartoonists and united to create the wackiest, most surreal musical western ever? That’s "Slide." It's the story of a corrupt logging village, Sourdough Creek, ruled by two evil twin brothers, Zeke and Jeb, who enjoy nothing more than killing and greed. One day a mysterious cowboy arrives in town, carrying nothing but his slide guitar. With his music, Slide battles the forces of the deadly twins. He befriends Delilah, who works as a hooker at the Lucky Buck Bar, which is owned and run by the corrupt, plump twins. Delilah falls in love with Slide and reveals how she wants to be a singer in the Lucky Buck Band, but is too shy. Then, Slide is joined in his battle with the twin forces of evil by a local Bigfoot-like character called "Hellbug." This whole menagerie is then complicated by the arrival of a Hollywood studio coming to shoot their new feature film there. The final Armageddon battle is interrupted by the failure of the Sourdough Creek Dam, which results in a happy ending... or does it? Although it is not a political film, Slide does address some important issues: environmentalism and gun control. This film should easily qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most evil killers of any major motion picture.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Bill Plympton
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Bill Plympton, Jim Lujan
Ηθοποιοί| Starring: Jim Lujan, Tom Racine, Maureen McElheron, Sasha Odesa, Ana Sophia Colón, Ken Mora, Daniel Kaufman, Simone McAlonen
Παραγωγή | Production: Wendy Cong Zhao, Rachel Braga Jones, Natasha Villegas Cordero, Owen Andrejco (Παραγωγοί | Producers). Guillermo Del Toro, Edward Jordon, Daniel Neiden, James Hancock, Adam Rackoff, Oliver Ridge
(Εκτελεστικοί
| Executive Producers)
Cop Dog
05’37’’ | 2017 | US
Our plucky hero has a new occupation: patrolling our airports sniffing for illegal drugs. You know that's not going to end well.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
| Animation: Bill Plympton
Μουσική | Music: Corey Allen Jackson Παραγωγή | Production: Wendy Cong Zhao
Guard Dog
Σκύλος Φύλακας
05’45’’ | 2006 | US
Why do dogs bark at such innocent creatures as pigeons and squirrels… what are they afraid of? This film answers that eternal question. Oscar Nominated FIlm.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Εμψύχωση | Animation, Παραγωγή | Production: Bill Plympton
Μουσική | Music: Maureen McElheron, Hank Bones
Tribute
Guide Dog Σκύλος
05’45’’ | 2006 | US
αποτελέσματα.
“Guide Dog” is a sequel to the Oscar nominated short “Guard Dog”. This time our hero dog helps blind people with typical disastrous results.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Εμψύχωση | Animation: Bill Plympton
Μουσική | Music: Maureen McElheron, Hank Bones, Corey Jackson
Dog
05’50’’ | 2008 | US
This is the third film in the Dog series. In this episode our plucky hero joins the fire company to save the world from house fires and gain the affection he so richly deserves. Typically, the results never turn out the way he planned.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
| Screenplay,
| Animation; Bill Plympton
| Music: Corey Jackson
| Production: Biljana Labovic
Your Face Το
03’00’’ | 1987 | US
Bill Plympton’s Oscar-nominated short where a love song literally melts the singer’s features into surreal shapes, until an unforgettable twist swallows him whole. A landmark of hand-drawn indie animation.
| Direction, Εμψύχωση | Animation,
| Production: Bill Plympton
Μουσική | Music: Maureen McElheron
Homer’s Face
02’00’’ | 2018| US
Your Face
Bill Plympton
Simpsons.
A Simpsons couch gag variation of Bill Plympton’s Your Face.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Εμψύχωση | Animation: Bill Plympton
Mexican Standoff
Parson Brown, Mexican Standoff (Falling Into You),
The Cow That Wanted to be a Hamburger
A music video by Bill Plympton for Dutch musician Parson Brown, Mexican Standoff (Falling Into You), interweaves his trademark monochromatic animation with live-action performance by the singer, creating a striking visual duel between drawing and reality.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay,
Παραγωγή | Production: Biljana Labovic Ένα
| Animation; Bill Plympton
| Music: Parson Brown
"The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger" is a children's fable about the power of advertising, the meaning of life and ultimately the test of a mother's love.
Great Greek Masters is a tribute that shines a spotlight on the pioneers who laid the foundations of animation art in Greece. These are visionary creators who, with perseverance, minimal resources, and in the absence of established infrastructures, forged a new cinematic language and were instrumental in establishing animation as a distinct and respected art form.
This year, we are honored to welcome and celebrate five distinguished artists whose contributions have been vital to the development of Greek animation: Yiannis Koutsouris, Angelos Chatziandreou, Iordanis Ananiadis, Anda Ganosi, and Georges Sifianos. Their presence offers a rare opportunity to engage with their work, hear their stories, and reflect on the evolution of the medium to which they have dedicated their lives—through conversations about ideas, techniques, and the unique journey of animation in Greece.
The tribute includes screenings of films created between the 1940s and 1980s: short films, commercials, pilots, and fillers—diverse in both style and content, ranging from political and social satire to mythology, fairy tales, and allegorical narratives. Selected titles will be presented in digitally restored versions, made possible by an initiative of ANIMASYROS.
Complementing the screenings is a curated exhibition of rare visual material: original drawings, animation cels, storyboards, and photographs from the studios of these trailblazing artists. These artefacts offer an intimate glimpse into the visual language and technical craft behind their pioneering creations.
Great Greek Masters is a modest yet deeply meaningful gesture of recognition—an homage to those who first imagined and brought Greek animation to life. It serves as a bridge between the past and the present of Greek animation, and as a source of inspiration for its future.
The Tribute is curated by Kleopatra Korai & Dimitris Bellos
Doha Film Institute
Το 2015,
ASEAN Para Games
Ultima Contemporary Music
Stretching the Boundaries
Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Electronique,
Kleopatra Korai
Kleopatra Korai is the co-founder and creative director of Lokey, a studio based in Athens specializing in 2D animation, motion graphics, and stop-motion. She has collaborated with cultural institutions and organizations such as Warner Music, the Onassis Stegi, the Greek National Opera, the Doha Film Institute in Qatar, the Ultima Contemporary Music Festival in Norway, and McGill University in Canada.
In 2015, her film Stretching the Boundaries was featured in the visual installation for the opening ceremony of the 8th ASEAN Para Games in Singapore. In 2016, it was selected for the official competition of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Her work has been showcased at numerous festivals in Greece and abroad. She is also a founding member of the Medea Electronique collective, with an active presence in international platforms and major cultural institutions.
Dimitris Bellos
Dimitris Bellos was born in Athens in 1985 and developed an early passion for drawing and technology. A fortunate coincidence led him to realize that cinema—particularly animation—perfectly combines both interests, and he has pursued it ever since. He studied Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Ioannina, where he completed both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
A self-taught filmmaker and animator, he has been deeply influenced and guided by many pioneers in the field. He works professionally in cinema and animation, combining a wide range of artistic and technical skills across both animated and live-action formats. In his free time, he engages in theoretical research, documenting and studying the figures, techniques, innovations, and legacies of those who have shaped and advanced the art of animation—primarily in Greece, but also internationally.
Great Greek Masters
Duce Narrates
Ο Ντούτσε
5’ | 1945 | 2d cutout animation, 35mm, black & white
Choo
5’ | 1969 | 2d traditional cel animation, 35mm, black & white
Termites
Τερμίτες
7’ | 1974 | 2d traditional rotoscoped cel animation, 35mm, colored
animation,
The first Greek animated film, created during the German occupation, satirizes the defeat of Italian dictator Mussolini in the Greco-Italian War. A landmark in Greek animation history, the film stands out for its innovative technique and satirical tone.
A one-thousand-drachma banknote takes on human form and manages to infiltrate the human brain—like a germ—aiming to corrupt and alienate it on social, cultural, and moral levels. This surreal allegory about the power of money comes to life through the expressive medium of classical animation and inventive graphic techniques, in the hands of a then-emerging creator, Theodoros Maragos. The film received the First Prize for Best Short Film and the Critics’ Special Award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival in 1969.
| Direction,
Screenplay,
| Animation,
Production: Thodoros Maragos
Trick Photography: Triantafyllos Atmatzidis
In a desolate post-apocalyptic landscape, two distinct tribes of humans who survived the catastrophe roam nomadically, struggling to rebuild their societies from the ruins of their former civilizations. This bold, multilayered allegory explores modern social structures and their perpetual descent into entropy. The film marks the first use of the rotoscoping technique in Greek animation history. It received an Honorable Mention for Short Film at the Thessaloniki Film Festival in 1975.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay, Παραγωγή | Production: Akis Psailas
3’ | 1973 | 2d traditional cel animation, 35mm, colored
Smile
2’ | 1973 | 2d traditional cel animation & cutout, 35mm, colored
The circle
Ο κύκλος
5’ | 1981 | 2d traditional animation drawn on paper ink, 35mm, colored
An allegorical critique of society and collective conformity. In a world where people obediently follow a single line, any deviation is punished. With striking visual power, the film raises questions about individuality and authority. The first Greek animated film to receive international recognition, it was awarded First Prize at the Zagreb Festival, paving the way for Greek animation on the global stage.
Production:
Yiannis Koutsouris, Nasos Myrmiridis
A headless, neutral little man is portrayed as a helpless pawn in a ruthless consumer society.
In his debut appearance in the world of animation, Georges Sifianos delivers a sharp satire of the American way of life through a bold, experimental visual language—breaking away from the classical forms that dominated most animated films of the time. Pop culture symbolism and historical references run throughout the film, which stands as a clear reflection of the era in which it was created
Screenplay,
Production: Georges Sifianos
The short captures the timeless cycle of life—from birth to death—in a symbolic and humorous way. Through minimalist, hand-drawn imagery, the film reflects on repetition, transformation, and the futility of human existence. The film was awarded First Prize for Animation at the Thessaloniki Film Festival (1981), as well as the Best Greek Animated Film Award.
| Production: Iordanis Ananiadis
Tou Kolimpiti (of the Swimmer)
Του
17’ | 1985 | Stop motion animation, 35mm, colored
Αdam
Aδάμ
12’ | 1986 | 2d traditional animation drawn on paper ink, 35mm, colored
The Jack of all trades (pilot TV episode)
O Παντεχνής
6’ | 1982 | 2d traditional cel animation, 35mm, colored
The adaptation of the folk song “O Kolympitis”. Α young boy wanders for days and nights through the picturesque landscapes of Epirus, with a sacred mission: to slay a mythical beast that terrorizes travelers. Stratos Stasinos and Nasos Myrmiridis joined their artistic forces to create a fairytale-inspired animated road movie with elements of folklore, myths and legends. A unique complex achievement, the film was completed in four years. Leading professionals of Greek animation embraced the vision, creating a multi-awarded landmark film that set new standards for the art.
Παραγωγή | Production: Plagon Film, Greek Film Center
A post-apocalyptic story centered on the rebirth of life on a planet devastated by nuclear catastrophe. Through a bold blend of social satire and ecological awareness, it offers a powerful reflection on humanity’s resilience and the consequences of its actions. The film was awarded First Prize for Best Short Film at the Thessaloniki Film Festival (1986), the EEC Member States Award, and the Best Production Award at the Lucca Festival in Italy. It was also officially selected at the Berlin International Film Festival, firmly establishing its creator as one of the most influential voices in Greek animation. Notably, the film was among the final shortlist of ten nominees considered for the Oscars.
| Direction,
| Animation: Iordanis Ananiadis
| Production:
Ananiadis, Greek Film Center
The film tells the story of Pantechis (Jack of all trades), a resourceful craftsman of the Byzantine era, and was produced by ERT as a pilot episode—an ambitious attempt to adapt a Greek comic into animation. Created with the collaboration of many talented Greek animators, the project—although the series was never completed due to financial constraints—remains a distinctive milestone in the history of Greek animation.
Παραγωγή | Production: ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation), Aronis- Efthimiadis
Tribute _ _ Great Greek Masters
The Golden Olympics
10’ | 1987 | 2d traditional cel animation, 35mm, colored
Theseus (pilot TV episode)
6’ | 1989 | 2d traditional cel animation, 35mm, colored
TVC & TV
Filler Compilation
17’ | 1985 | Stop motion animation, 35mm, colored
1996.
A young boy travels with the winged Pegasus to Ancient Olympia during the first Olympic Games. With a distinctive graphic style reminiscent of illustration rather than classic animation, the film—produced by the Hellenic Olympic Committee—served as a key communication tool in the bid for the Centennial Olympic Games of 1996.
The pilot episode on the myth of Theseus marked the first project of the newly founded Artoon Studio by Nikos Vergitsis and Giorgos Nikoloulias. Directed by Vergitsis, with animation by Christos Zmetis and backgrounds by Nikoloulias, it stood out for its distinctive graphic style featuring anthropomorphic characters and uneven outlines. Although the series was never realized, the project was successfully presented at the Annecy Festival, becoming the first substantial effort of Greek animation to reach European and international audiences. Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
A curated collection of commercials and television fillers that highlights the significant role of advertising production in the development of Greek animation. Through these short, dynamic works, we witness how artists and animation studios combined technical excellence, innovation, and storytelling—laying the groundwork for the contemporary Greek animation scene. Advertising served as a fertile ground for experimentation and the exploration of new visual languages, offering creators the opportunity to develop their craft, gain recognition, and contribute decisively to the establishment of Greek animation.
Croatian Animation Tribute
Vukotić, Kostelac, Mimica, Kristl
Zagreb school and Croatian animationclassics and contemporary
This program introduces an incomplete selection of historically and contemporarily important short films and filmmakers from Croatia. Croatian animation can be viewed in two chapters: one known as the glorious “Zagreb School of Animated Films,” which lasted from the 1950s through the 1980s, and the contemporary period, where a new generation of filmmakers has emerged over the past two to three decades, revitalizing Croatian animation and achieving many successes at festivals worldwide.
From the late 1950s to the early 1980s, films from the Zagreb studio were among the most influential in the world of animation, securing both the filmmakers and the studio a permanent place in the international film history. Beginning in a Disney style (Big Meeting, 1951) and soon abandoning it to bring major innovations to the art form, Vukotić, Kostelac, Mimica, Kristl, and others developed what became the trademark of Zagreb authors: limited animation, flat and abstract spatial treatment, and stories about the “little man” alienated from society.
The term “Zagreb School of Animation” was coined by French journalists Georges Sadoul and André Martin at the Cannes Film Festival in 1958, where a program of films from Zagreb Film (smuggled to the festival in a private car) enjoyed its international premiere and became an instant sensation. With Vukotić’s Surogat (Ersatz) winning an Oscar in 1962—the first non-American animation Oscar in history and the only Oscar ever won by a Croatian film—Zagreb animation reached another peak, producing many acclaimed works throughout the following two decades. The Zagreb School faded in the 1980s due to creative and economic crises, followed by the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, a new generation of filmmakers began to emerge, searching for their own languages and styles and a variety of techniques. In 1998, an Animation program was established at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, ensuring a steady stream of new talent each year. Today, Croatian animation can confidently be described as vivid and flourishing again.
Z… is for Zagreb!
Daniel Šuljić
Filmmaker and Artistic Director of The World Festival of Animated Film Animafest Zegreb
With the support
Inspektor se vratio kući
The inspector returned home Ο
09’58’’ | 1958 | ΗR/EU
Surogat
Substitute | Yποκατάστατο 10’00’’ | 1961 | ΗR/EU
Don Kihot
Don Quixote | Δον Κιχώτης
10’45’’ | 1961 | ΗR/EU
An inspector walks the streets, trying to avoid “dangers”. At home he washes his feet and reads the paper. Suddenly he notices a finger-print which starts to run away. The inspector stalks its trail, passing the havens of the mysterious underworld.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay: Vatroslav Mimica Εμψύχωση | Animation: Vladimir Jutriša Παραγωγή | Production: Zagreb Film
On the beach a tourist inflates and blows up a whole village in plastics. On the beach a passionate love develops, provoking jealousy, vengeance and the end- a tragedy. But all this is blown away in one go as soon as a small real nail gets involved into the proceedings.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Εμψύχωση | Animation: Dušan Vukotič
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Rudolf Sremec Μουσική | Music: Tomislav Simovič Παραγωγή | Production: Zagreb Film
This film shows Don Quixote and his servant Sancho Panza in their adventures. The valiant knight fights against policemen, against a whole army, driving them all in a panic flight after a brawl with his old enemy, the windmill.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay,
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Vlado Kristl
Μουσική | Music: Milko Kelemen
Παραγωγή | Production: Zagreb Film
Croatian Animation Tribute
Balthasar - Hanibalove Alpe
Balthasar - Lighthouse Keeping
Φαροφύλαξη
10’00’’ | 1967 | ΗR/EU
Balthasar.
Balthasar
Mačka
Τhe Cat | Η γάτα
10’48’’ | 1971 | ΗR/EU
Tup Tup
09’52’’ | 1972 | ΗR/EU
The film is from the series about Professor Balthasar. Balthasar travels to the Alps where he meets a man who spends his whole life yodelling although his is disturbed by avalances. Soon after that he finds a lighthouse keeper in the South Seas who is unable to eat his continuously melting ice cream.
It is based on an old Aesop fable: a young poet is lonesome until Venus provides him with company, transforming his cat into a wonderful girl. However, his new passion brings the young man to sell all he has, and even more–to steal, in order to provide his mistress with the gems and jewelry she likes so much.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Zlatko Bourek
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Pavao Štalter
Μουσική | Music: Franco Potenza
Παραγωγή | Production: Zagreb Film
The quick tempo of life in polluted cities make patients out of people. Neurosis is an everyday occurrence. Overpopulation, pollution and noise are enemy number one. The film is about a person, who is bothered by a particular sound while trying to read the newspaper.
Μουσική | Music: Tomislav Simovič Παραγωγή | Production: Zagreb Film
Croatia
Riblje oko
Fisheye | Μάτι ψαριού
10’00’’ | 1980 | ΗR/EU
Kolač
Cake | H Toύρτα
08’00’’ | 1998 | ΗR/EU
Leviathan
Λεβιάθαν
14’40’’ | 2006 | ΗR/EU
In a small fishing village, people have been living the same life for generations. But one night, the normal order of things is disturbed... the morning brings doubt with it: We can never get away from nature...
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
| Animation: Joško Marušić
Σενάριο| Screenplay: Goran Babić
Μουσική | Music: Tomislav Simovič
Παραγωγή | Production: Zagreb Film
A group of people are celebrating, sitting around the table. The celebration cake is served, but unevenly divided among them...
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay,
| Animation: Daniel Šuljić
| Production: Zagreb Film
Who is the creature built from people? Why is it wearing a crown and what is it doing with a pastoral in one hand and a sword in the other? How come people shake hands with skeletons and stones obediently pile up, forming a pedestal for a golden statue?
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay: Simon Bogojević Narath
Μουσική | Music: Hrvoje Štefotić
Παραγωγή | Production: Kenges
Tribute _ Croatian Animation Tribute
I speak true things
Μιλώ
05’45’’ | 2009 | ΗR/EU
Udahnut život
Imbued life | Εμποτισμένη
12’15’’ | 2019 | ΗR/EU
Biciklisti
Τhe Cyclists | Οι
07’20’’ | 2018 | ΗR, FR/EU
I speak true things is a work that consists of 20 geographical maps, a wooden installation and an animation. This work speaks of the quest for an «Island», an eternal subject in the history of philosophy, the search for Utopia, a non existing place. The drawings on maps show us mystical calculations of the location of this Island.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
Screenplay,
| Production: Marko Tadić
Imbued Life is a film about a young woman's connection with the life force of nature. She uses her talent for taxidermy to “restore” the animals to their natural habitat. However, the true search for the answers begins when she starts finding a roll of undeveloped film in each of the animals she treats.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay, Εμψύχωση | Animation: Ivana Bošnjak, Thomas Johnson Μουσική | Music: Andrea Martignoni Παραγωγή | Production: Vanja Andrijević, Bonobostudio
During the final race, the two men in the lead are competing for more than the Grand Trophy; they are fighting for the affection of a lady and fulfilment of their erotic fantasies.
Μουσική | Music: Pablo Pico, Siniša Jakelić, Nikola Džaja
Παραγωγή | Production: Lemonade3d, Bagan Films, 3D2D animatori
Kako se kalio čelik
How steel was tempered
Πως θερμαίνεται το ατσάλι
12’40’’ | 2018 | ΗR/EU
Eeva
16’00’’ | 2022 | ΗR, EE/EU
Cockpera
Κοκορόπερα
04’27’’ | 2020 | ΗR/EU
A father takes his son to an abandoned factory where he once worked. The space will briefly be brought to life by recorded scenes of workers solidarity, inspiring a small gesture of defiance. That symbolic act will turn into a moment of catharsis and re-establish the relationship between the father and son.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay: Igor Grubić
Εμψύχωση | Animation: David Lovrić, Siniša Mataić, Marko Meštrović
Μουσική | Music: Alen Sinkauz, Nenad Sinkauz, Bojan Gagić
Παραγωγή | Production: Kreativni sindikat, Igor Grubić
It's a sad day in Eva's life. The rain is pouring down at her husband's funeral. A woodpecker delivered a message on the coffin is killed. There is a lot of crying, too much wine, and a couple of dreams that fill in the gaps.
A short opera inspired by Aesop's fable "The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle".
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay, Εμψύχωση | Animation: Kata Gugić
Μουσική | Music: Vjeran Šalamon
Παραγωγή | Production: Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb, Zagreb Film
Tribute _ Croatian Animation Tribute
Satiemania
Satimania | Μανία
16’40’’ | 1978 | ΗR/EU
Satie.
The film is based upon the music of Eric Satie. The fauna of the megalopolis, the jungle of the supermarket, the bedlam of brothels and bars, the effect of the bars in the fog, the swaying ears of corn, the swaying of men hanging from the gallows, the ripple of water–seen by the eye of the animator.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay,
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Zdenko Gasparovic
Μουσική | Music: Eric Satie compositions played by Aldo Cicolini
Παραγωγή | Production: Zagreb Film
Vau Vau
Wοοf Woof | Γαβ Γαβ
09’32’’ | 1964 | ΗR/EU
Muha
The fly | H μύγα
08’40’’ | 1966 | ΗR/EU
Οn dog, well aware of his physical strength, mischievously bullies animals that run into him accidentally. Arrogantly he enjoys to frighten them and to bark at them from ambush. One day an animal appears that is not afraid of the dog. It is a cat. For the first time the dog is confronted by a true rival and a fight starts between them. There is no clear winner.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο | Screenplay, Εμψύχωση | Animation: Boris Kolar Μουσική | Music: Andelko Klobučar Παραγωγή | Production: Zagreb Film
A film about the relationship between a man and a fly in which the aggravating persistence of the fly grows into an obsession with the man and becomes in his consciousness a monster. At that point when the monstrosity of the fly reaches its culmination the man succumbs to the superior power of the fly.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Aleksandar Marks–Vladimir Jutriša
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Vatroslav Mimica–Aleksandar Marks
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Vladimir Jutriša
| Production: Zagreb Film
Maska crvene smrti
The Mask of the Red Death
Η μάσκα του κόκκινου θανάτου
09’43’’ | 1969 | ΗR/EU
Maxi Cat
Maxicat
03’00’’ | 1971-73 | ΗR/EU
Škola hodanja
Learning to walk
Μαθαίνοντας να περπατά
09’43’’ | 1969 | ΗR/EU
Maxicat
Funny adventures of Maxicat - Shorts from the famous animation series.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
Screenplay,
| Animation: Zlatko Grigić
| Production: Zagreb Film
Based on the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. The plague devastates the whole world. Count Prospero locks himself and his decadent court inside his castle where the orgies continue. But the castle ball is interrupted by a seductive woman who entices the court further and further through the luxurious rooms of the castle.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction:
Pavao Stalter - Branko Ranitovič
Σενάριο| Screenplay:
Zdenko Gašparovič - Branko Ranitovič
Εμψύχωση | Animation:
Pavao Stalter - Vladimir Jutriša
Μουσική | Music: Branimir Sakač
| Production: Zagreb film
Τhis is the story of Svojislav who was accustomed to walking the way he was taught by his mother. However his four friends each try to teach him their style of walking convinced that theirs is the best way. Svojislav has a hard time getting away from his “redeemers” but having done so, he continues walking the way he always has.
As the film opens a young girl is thumbing through a family photograph album. Her childhood memories are brought to life, static pictures begin to move. Memory is transformed into a methaphoric story about the past finally turning into dreams of the future.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
Screenplay,
| Animation: Krešimir Zimonić
Μουσική | Music: Tomic Simović
Παραγωγή | Production: Zagreb film
A poster announcing the opening night of an opera. A crowd of snobs, so called “music lovers” rushes by. The tenor, well aware of his magnificence, has some troubles in his wardrobe with his button refusing to fit in his collar. The performance has begun.
We used to call it moon is part of a much larger work that consists of 350 interventions on postcards and in fact is a fictional archive of the existence of the Second Moon. This work is a critique of censorship and is built around the idea that we had two Moons and one was censored out of our lives, completely erased.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay, Εμψύχωση | Animation: Marko Tadić Παραγωγή | Production: WHW
Arka
14’40’’ | 2020 | ΗR/EU
Ένα μεγαλοπρεπές, υπερωκεάνιο κρουα-
A grandiose transoceanic cruise ship sailing the seas.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay, Εμψύχωση | Animation, Μουσική | Music: Natko Stipaničev Παραγωγή | Production: Kreativni sindikat
Gamer Girl
Η Παίχτρια
09’00’’ | 2016 | ΗR/EU
Levitacija
Levitation | Αιώρηση
08’07’’ | 2014 | ΗR/EU
A love story with a happy beginning and a sad ending is set in a computer game. Its fixed and unchangeable qualities remind of social norms and limitations, leaving the protagonist with very few chances to fight for her choice in life.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay: Irena Jukić Pranjič
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Ana Horvat
Μουσική | Music: Hrvoje Štefotić
Παραγωγή | Production: Maša Udovičić
What is this force that defies gravity, a force so powerful that drives plants to reach up and imbues us with the strength to sail against the current? If we give into its upward motion, it carries us to a wonderful ease. Raise your sail and follow the drift…
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay, Εμψύχωση | Animation: Marko Mestrovic Μουσική | Music: Natko Stipaničev Παραγωγή | Production: Kreativni sindikat
Croatian Animation Tribute
Život sa Hermanom
H. Rottom
Life with Herman H. Rott
Η ζωή με τον Herman H. Rott
11’00’’ | 2015 | ΗR/EU
Herman is a rat who lives alone in a messy apartment. One day a very tidy cat shows up at his doorstep. With everything she owns.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction,
Σενάριο | Screenplay,
Εμψύχωση | Animation: Marko Mestrovic
Μουσική | Music: Natko Stipaničev
Παραγωγή | Production: Kreativni sindikat
FAN Network
Animation Trainers Meeting
FAN – Festivals Animation
To Watch, To Expand.
FRAME,
FAN.
Cristina Novo
- CINANIMA
CINANIMA - educational programs project manager
(1999)
The Animation Trainer’s Meeting is a dedicated event within the EUco-funded project FAN – Festivals Animation Network, bringing together animation professionals, educators, and institutional representatives to present best practices and pedagogical methods. The programme features contributions from the partner festivals of the FAN network, the AWG – the educational section of ASIFA International (the International Animated Film Association), the Hellenic Centre of Audiovisual Media and Creation, and the Portuguese educational organisation ANILUPA, aiming to exchange knowledge and experiences on education through animation.
FAN – Festivals Animation Network: Educational Actions in Southern Europe
Coordinated by CINANIMA (Portugal) with partners in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus, FAN develops initiatives under the tagline To Watch, To Expand. Its activities include the Film Program Tour, the European Young Talent Award, the Perspectives on European Animation Symposium, the FRAME educational project, the International Trainers Meeting, the FAN.HUB platform, and a dedicated app. Together they promote European animation, foster collaboration, and highlight the educational power of the medium.
Cristina holds a pre-Bologna degree in Sociology from the University of Porto (1999) and has extensive experience in developing social and cultural projects. Since 2018, she has been part of CINANIMA – International Animated Film Festival of Espinho, first in Communication and Partnerships, later as executive producer of several initiatives. She is currently project manager for the festival’s educational programs.
Denise Nikolakou
Cinematherapy by Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center: From Cinema to emotional Understanding and education
Cinematherapy by the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center– Creative Hub GR uses cinema as both a pedagogical and therapeutic tool, offering an innovative model that can inspire educators, students, and those working with vulnerable social groups. Through film screenings and guided discussions, participants cultivate empathy and self-awareness while strengthening social cohesion. The programme opens new pathways for integrating the art of cinema into education and creative learning.
Bio can be found on page 189 of the catalogue
ANILUPA
30 Years of Educational Practice in Formal and Non-Formal Context
For three decades, ANILUPA has integrated animation into schools and community settings, empowering learners through participatory film-making and creative audiovisual practices. Its projects foster critical thinking and self-expression across generations. Recent initiatives include school collaborations and intergenerational workshops, highlighting the educational and cultural value of animation.
PT / EU
Carla Correia
CLIA ANILUPA of Associação de Ludotecas do Porto
Η Carla Correia,
Carla Correia, project manager at ANILUPA, combines media arts and education to design participatory animation workshops. She guides children, teachers, and communities through storytelling and production, encouraging creativity, empathy, and collaboration. Her work has led to award-winning youth films and established her as a respected voice in animation education internationally.
Animating the Margins:
Building Communities through Imaginaria Experience
Imaginaria Experience, the year-round outreach programme of the Imaginaria Festival, has engaged over 3,000 children and teens from underserved areas with the power of animated cinema. Through workshops, school screenings, and residencies, animation becomes a tool for education, inclusion, and community building—where young people not only watch films but also create, evaluate, and grow with them.
Beatrice Mazzone
Animation Director, Coordinator of Educational Activities Imaginaria
To
Bio can be found on page 55 of the catalogue
Countryside
Animafest Cyprus
Countryside Animafest Cyprus
Planting the seeds of animation in Cyprus
Countryside Animafest Cyprus team uses year-round workshops and trainings with children, teenagers, and adults to cultivate animation in Cyprus. In a country with a complex past, where the practice and culture of animation are still emerging, these initiatives aim to build a strong foundation for young artists—helping them understand the medium, embrace its expressive potential, and contribute to the growth of a new creative field.
Γιώργος
Yiorgos Tsangaris
Καλλιτέχνης, Animator, Εκπαιδευτής
- Countryside Animafest Cyprus
Artist, Animator, Educator
- Countryside Animafest Cyprus
Animation and Character for Digital Media
University of Hertfordshire.
Giorgos Tsangaris, 26, is a multidisciplinary artist from Nicosia, Cyprus, focusing on 2D hand-drawn animation while exploring illustration, sound design, and stop-motion. He holds a BA with First Class Honours in 2D Animation and Character for Digital Media from the University of Hertfordshire. A freelance animator and illustrator, he is also technical co-coordinator of Animafest Cyprus, delivering animation training, workshops, and educational projects for children and adults throughout the year.
The activities are part of the project
The 3 Cs in Education:
Eirini Andriopoulou
CIFEJ
Director of the Creative Hub at the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center, Executive Director CIFEJ
The 3 Cs in Education: Creativity, Critical Viewing, Visual Culture
As head of Creative Hub GR at the Hellenic Center for Cinema, Audiovisual Media and Creativity (E.K.K.O.ME.D.), Eirini Andriopoulou leads educational initiatives that merge creativity, critical viewing, and visual culture. With long-standing expertise in audiovisual education policy, she demonstrates how the “3 Cs” approach empowers educators, media professionals, and learners, fostering a vibrant culture of critical and creative engagement with audiovisual media.
Literacy: Keys to Interpreting Media Messages».
(2020-2023).
Global media literacy expert, researcher, policy analyst and practitioner for over 20 years, advocating for a national policy in media and culture from public organizations in Greece, EU bodies, and UNESCO. Director of Creative Hub GR of the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, supervised by the Ministry of Culture, Greece. Executive Director of CIFEJ – International Center of Films for Children and Young People. Member of EU Expert Groups a) on Media Literacy (2006-2025) and b) on Tackling Disinformation and Promoting Digital Literacy through Education and Training (2022-2025). Co-author of “Media Literacy: Keys to Interpreting Media Messages” (2016). Received the First Prize of 2023 Global MIL Awards by UNESCO and served as Global Secretary General of the International Steering Committee for UNESCO Media & Information Literacy Alliance (2020-2023).
Presentation of the Digital Movie Platform for Schools – CINEDU
CINEDU is a digital platform that integrates cinema into education. It offers a diverse catalogue of short and feature films (fiction, documentaries, animation) with curriculum-linked resources, while best practices from its second year highlight its growing impact in regional schools.
Ilias Tasopoulos
CINEDU Coordinator / Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center
The
Project Manager
CINEDU
Creative Hub
Ilias Tasopoulos, Ph.D. in International Relations, has long experience managing EU-funded projects in the audiovisual and educational fields. Since 2021, he has been Project Manager of CINEDU within the Creative Hub GR of the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center.
ANIMASYROS Education:
ANIMASYROS Education: Art without Barriers –Workshops for People with Disabilities and Seniors
Through its ANIMASYROS Education programme, the Animasyros International Animation Festival has, for the past 18 years, designed and implemented informal education activities using animation techniques for diverse social groups, with a special focus on people with disabilities and seniors. Rooted in the principles of equality and respect, the workshops cultivate creative skills for the digital age and foster inclusion at both local and broader levels. The Animasyros trainers share their experiences.
Elena Pavlaki
Animator,
Director, Animator, Educator
Anna Oikonomou
Animator,
Director, Animator, Educator
The speakers’ bios can be found on pages 293, 296 & 297 of the catalogue
Margarita
Simopoulou
Animator,
Director, Animator, Educator
Animation Workshop Group through the Decades - AWG ASIFA International
Since 1971, ASIFA’s Animation Workshop Group (AWG) has involved children worldwide in creative animation projects. Through annual workshops on shared themes, it fosters artistic expression, cross-cultural dialogue, and collaboration. This presentation highlights AWG’s methodology, achievements, and challenges, showing how animation serves as an educational and communicative tool for children of all backgrounds.
Alkistis Tsikou
Secretary AWG
of the catalogue Το Animation Workshop
Anastasia Dimitra
President ASIFA International
Designer, educator, and creative director, Alkistis Tsikou has taught animation for over 20 years and is Secretary of ASIFA’s Workshop Group (AWG). Since 2009 she has been Creative Director of Technopolis City of Athens, while her work spans animation, graphic design, cultural production, and multimedia storytelling.
Animation educator, researcher, director and newly elected ASIFA International President, Anastasia Dimitra is the former President of ASIFA’s Animation Workshop Group (AWG) and former Director of Special Projects at ASIFA International. A member of ASIFA Hellas/ ASIFA International, she has published widely on animation and served on juries at numerous international festivals
Deanna Morse
Animation artist, Emeritus professor, past President of ASIFA
Bio can be found on page
FAN _ Tour of Programmes
Το FAN – Festivals Animation Network,
Creative
FAN – Festivals Animation Network, co-funded by Creative Europe MEDIA, unites five leading Southern European animation festivals to support auteur animation and emerging talent. The Tour of Programmes features films by established directors (FAN Masters) and works by new creators (FAN: Young European Talents). As part of ANIMASYROS 2025, these programmes will be presented in regional screenings in Andros, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, and Tinos, in collaboration with the Cyclades Chamber of Commerce.
Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts
Fortissimo
A concert promises beautiful music and great performers, yet sounds from the side of the stage may steal the spotlight. A cellist tries to begin his performance, but surprises await.
Screenplay: Lilith Jörg
Camera Zizanio brings to ANIMASYROS the world of Young People’s Audiovisual Creation. The programme features award-winning animated films from last year’s edition, along with a special tribute to the talented young German filmmaker Lilith Jörg. From an early age, Lilith has been dedicated to stop-motion animation, earning numerous awards both nationally and internationally. Her film Marginalisation (Randleben), which explores the issue of homelessness, received the highest distinction and has already attracted interest for educational use.
Take heart
Marginalisation
09’17’’ | 2024 | DE/EU
Barriers exist in the mind. Leonhard, anxious and trapped in routine, one day breaks free and sets out on a hike to a mysterious waterfall he read about in the newspaper.
Screenplay: Lilith Jörg
The story of a homeless woman in a bustling city; isolated and worn down by society’s coldness, she struggles with loneliness while yearning for a glimmer of hope.
Screenplay: Lilith Jörg
Camera Zizanio at ANIMASYROS
Animati
Κινούμενα
10’00’’ | 2024 | IT
Crime Never Gets Old
04’50’’ | 2024 | CA
Whirlwind
Πανικός
03’50’’ | 2024 | SI
A train journey through pre-cinema, from shadows and zoetropes to the Lumière brothers’ first screening in Paris in 1895.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction:
Liceo artistico Michele Buniva
Detective Wendell Kent solves mysteries by putting the pieces together.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction, Σενάριο| Screenplay: William Manning
Katora
A boy dreams of a warm, comfortable life, only to face the harsh truth: what some take for granted remains an unattainable luxury for many.
A girl takes a walk with her little brother through a lively city, when he suddenly disappears. The cheerful setting turns nightmarish as the crowd and her fears push her into despair. Will she find him again?
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Lučka Kenda Παραγωγή | Production: Timon Leder
IFF FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE 2025
Artists Corner
Memoir of a Snail:
με τον Adam Elliot Μπορεί
Nancy Denney-Phelps
Memoir of a Snail:
A Conversation with Adam Elliot Snails may move slowly, but Adam Elliot’s stories never fail to captivate. The Oscar-winning Australian stop-motion storyteller behind Harvie Krumpet and the beloved Mary & Max joins ANIMASYROS 2025 for an online discussion about his new film Memoir of a Snail. Joining him is renowned animation journalist and historian Nancy Denney-Phelps – who even inspired one of the film’s characters. Adam Elliot’s characters, crafted in plasticine through the claymation stop-motion technique, are defined by their strong personalities, tragic humor, and sensitivity. Through them, Elliot tenderly yet powerfully reveals the profound humanity of everyday life.
Memoir of a Snail
With the support
Cinobo.
Memoir of a Snail participates at the Feature Competition Section running for the Audience Prize Award of ANIMASYROS 2025 and it is distributed in Greece by Cinobo.
Adam Elliot
Director
Memoir of a Snail, Mary and Max, Harvie Krumpet, Ernie Biscuit, Brother, Cousin
Seymour Hoffman, Sarah Snook, Geoffrey Rush, Jacki Weaver, Barry Humphries, Eric Bana, Toni Collette, Kodi Smit-McPhee και Nick Cave.
Adam Elliot is an Oscar winning and two-time Oscar nominated animation auteur. Based in Melbourne Australia, his films have a cult following and are what he calls, Clayographies, clay animated biographies based on the bittersweet lives of his family and friends. He has created seven films so far; Memoir of a Snail, Mary and Max, Harvie Krumpet, Ernie Biscuit, Brother, Cousin and Uncle. They have been voiced by some of the world’s leading actors, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sarah Snook, Geoffrey Rush, Jacki Weaver, Barry Humphries, Eric Bana, Toni Collette, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Nick Cave. Viewed by millions of people around the world his works have participated in over a thousand film festivals and won over 130 awards, including an Academy Award for Harvie Krumpet, and an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe nomination for Memoir of a Snail. They have won eight AFI AACTA Awards from twenty nominations. His first feature film, Mary and Max, had its world premiere on the Opening Night of Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival, and in 2010 it was included in IMDB’s Top 250 Films of all time. The film has been developed into a musical and several stage productions. His second feature, Memoir of a Snail, was released in 2024 and has become a global sensation and his most successful film. To date it has won over 30 awards from 70 nominations. Adam has had multiple retrospectives of his films and exhibitions of his artwork in Paris, New York, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Spain and Singapore. In 1999 he was the Young Achiever of the Year for Victoria and is a voting member for the Academy Awards.
Animate Projects:
Ο Gary Thomas,
Το Animate Projects,
Elizabeth Hobbs
Animate Projects.
Animate
Maryam Mohajer,
Gary Thomas
Animate Projects: Cultivating New Voices
Exploring Place, Collaboration, and Experimental Animation with the UK’s Leading Platform for Artist-Led Film
Gary Thomas is the co-founder and Director of Animate Projects, a UK agency dedicated to championing experimental animation. Alongside producing award-winning shorts with artists such as Elizabeth Hobbs and Maryam Mohajer, Animate initiates projects that challenge animators to create films in response to specific themes, contexts, or places, often in collaboration with practitioners from other disciplines (science, heritage) and with the wider public. In this session, he will discuss Animate’s distinctive approach and its innovative ‘residency-commission’ model, and introduce Planting — a project supporting early-career artists to explore the idea of ‘gardens’ in Animate’s home city of Derby, in the heart of England.
animateprojects.org
Animate Projects
Producer, Curator Director of Animate Projects
Animapride
Garry Thomas is a member of the Jury for the Animapride Competition Section, and his bio can be found on page 63 of the catalogue. UK
Fostering Creativity Through Digital Design and Computing Technologies
This 30-minute presentation features a dynamic selection of student projects that showcase how digital tools and computing technologies drive creative expression in game development, 3D modeling, and animation. From intricately crafted 3D scenes and stylized 2D motion graphics to immersive game experiences, these works reflect technical proficiency alongside personal and artistic exploration.
Emphasis is placed on the students' creative output, highlighting experimentation, storytelling, and design identity. Brief insights will also be shared into the educational approach behind this work— merging advanced software skills with open-ended challenges that encourage students to push artistic and conceptual boundaries.
acg.edu
Dr. Ioannis A. Vetsikas
Assistant Professor/ACG Deree
Nikolaos Chionas
Deree Student of Information Technology/ACG Deree
Deree.
Dr. Ioannis A. Vetsikas has been a member of the Deree faculty since 2015. His research interests lie in the areas of Distributed AI, Multi-agent Systems and Games. He has published papers in the top conferences on AI and multi-agent systems. He conducts research on intelligent autonomous agents and examines the properties of the resulting multi-agent systems. His agents have won the International Trading Agent Competition (TAC) on several occasions. More recently, his interests have also shifted to include AI for games and game design. He is actively developing AI and games using Unity and teaching the relevant courses at ACG Deree.
Nikolaos Chionas has completed his third year in Information Technology at ACG Deree. His interests include video, music, and video game creation. He has worked on projects in 2D/3D modelling, animation, and programming.
Animation Pro. International Animation Training Community, by Ars Animation School Online
At Ars Animation, we are committed to fostering integration and collaboration among young artists worldwide, a vision embodied in Animation Pro. This international course focuses on the creation of animated short films, with participants from Mexico, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Pakistan, and an Arab team embarking on this creative journey.
arsanimation.com
/ EU, MX
Oscar De Santillana Rojas
Ο Oscar De Santillana Rojas, δημιουργός
Oscar De Santillana Rojas, a 2D animator of Spanish and Mexican heritage, has dedicated over 30 years to teaching animation in Spain and Mexico, training generations of animators. He is the creator and founder of Ars Animation School and an active collaborator of several animation festivals, most notably Cinanima in Portugal.
Animator
CALL FOR ENTRIES 15 November 2025
IT’S NOT A TRICK. IT’S ANIMATION!
Enjoy an animated week with strong films in competition, exciting outdoor screenings, an innovative GameZone, as well as inspiring talks and panels.
Animation at its best and people up-close at the ITFS 2026 in Stuttgart from 5–10 May.
#itfs itfs.de
Milos, Greece
syllogosmandrakia.gr
GR / EU
CEO AKTO, Art & Design College
Dr. Stella Kirimi CEO AKTO, Art & Design College
AKTO, with a longstanding commitment to art, creativity and design, has supported ANIMASYROS since its very first edition. Now in its 18th year, this partnership marked by continuous and meaningful contribution, was further strengthened in 2023 with the establishment of the Petros Kyrimis Scholarship—a full three-year BA (Hons) Animation scholarship. Petros Kyrimis was a pivotal figure in Technology, Animation and Multimedia at AKTO. For over twenty years, with passion and dedication, he advanced the Animation programme and supported his students, shaping a new generation of creators. He loved journeys—real, imaginative and artistic. For him, animation was a voyage that unites all the arts, driven by a genuine thirst for exploration and the wish to share discoveries with others. The scholarship in his name honours this legacy. Once again, AKTO stands beside ANIMASYROS, affirming that Art and Education remain the most enduring pillars of progress and culture.
Το ANIMASYROS
BA (Hons) Animation & Interactive
AKTO logo in motion
Knight Game
Puppet
Alexandros Giannopoulos
ANIMASYROS 2025 presents selected works by students of the BA (Hons) Animation & Interactive Media Department, created during their three-year studies. The selection highlights quality, expressiveness and the variety of techniques used, showcasing the vitality of contemporary audiovisual storytelling and the educational value of the creative process.
ANIMASYROS and Melodia 99.2 radio station present the 6th film of the series Ninety Seconds, an animated biopic on Mikis Theodorakis. Created in collaboration with the Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts of the Cyprus University of Technology and the Friends of Music Society. The film draws inspiration from Theodorakis’ personal documentation of his works, Galaxias and is set to the orchestral piece Kites (1963).
Σύλληψη
| Screenplay Concept: Melodia 99.2 Radio Station & ANIMASYROS Σκηνοθεσία,
Kites is one of two component parts of a single musical piece by Mikis Theodorakis (the other being Chasaposerviko). Their first appearance was in a play by Iakovos Campanellis called The Neighborhood of the Angels and they have been a firm crowd favourite ever since. They are often played in Theodorakis’ retrospective concerts. Kites is the first part. It begins in dream-like fashion, as if a spirit of the air was flying merrily and reassuringly over the audience’s heads. Its sound is multifaceted, like a kite approaching the heights. There is no break with the second part Chasaposerviko. The percussion sounds imposing and insistent, while the bouzouki confers a phrenic speed to it. This part brings the listener firmly back to the ground, to the harsh and the mundane, and to the race to overtake reality, even at its most humdrum. Almost dionysiac in its intensity, this movement serves to reaffirm true life, as opposed to the dream-like first movement. However, are not our own lives somewhat like this too? Defeat follows victory, even if hope sometimes follows trouble too. Mikis Theodorakis is an undisputable winner in life’s game, always pushing himself to transcend his limits. He was able to both fly high and to follow the intense speed of reality. He lived his life the way he wanted all free people to live theirs.
Alexandros Charkiolakis
Director of the Friends of Music Society, Musicologist, Conductor
Valia Vraka
Musicologist, Head of the Greek Music Archive at the Music Library of Greece "Lilian Voudouri"
Animasyros Productions is the production branch of the Animasyros organization, dedicated to creating high-quality animated films, documentaries, and television programs. Since 2016, it has delivered acclaimed projects such as the TV series Animert (ERT2, 2016–2017), along with a wide range of commissioned works for prestigious clients including the Greek National Tourism Organization, Impact Hub Athens, composer Theodore, and most recently Fraport.
In 2021, the company produced the 48-minute documentary I Recognize You by Your Face – 200 Years of Greece, commissioned by the “Greece 2021” Committee. In 2022, two short animated films followed: Salt Duck by Andreas Rapti (animation by Charalambos Margaritis) and P by Stelios Kupetoris. P was screened at the 2024 Drama International Short Film Festival, while Salt Duck makes its Greek premiere at this year’s edition, featured in a special Cinematherapy by EKOME screening accessible to audiences with visual or hearing disabilities.
Additionally, Animasyros Productions brought its creative expertise to the co-funded European project Plato’s Plate, a contemporary exploration of Greek gastronomy and food culture. Short animated films directed by Andreas Lampropoulos reimagine the timeless philosophy of Greek cuisine for international audiences. Plato’s Plate is presented this year at the ANIMASYROS 2025 Agora.
The series "Hellenic Places" is a compelling animated documentary series that delves into Greece's rich history and culture. Through a cinematic lens, it explores the profound connection between people and their environment, highlighting the traditions and daily lives of those in remote and often overlooked locales that played a determining factor in the shaping of Greece’s modern history. Each episode offers an intimate journey, revealing the unique stories and landscapes that define these areas. The series has garnered international acclaim, with episodes screened at festivals and television in the U.S., Canada and Italy, showcasing its cultural and artistic value. "Hellenic Places" provides a captivating and insightful perspectives into Greece's diverse heritage and landscapes. The completed episodes feature 1. Ermoupoli, 2. Hydra, 3. Messologhi 4. Naoussa and 5. Kassos, while episodes 6. Psara and 7. Cyprus are in production with a release date of early 2026. Moreover, the second season of the series will feature an additional four episodes on Kalamata, Lefkas, Odessa and Trieste. The series is produced by ANIMASYROS PRODUCTIONS and co-produced by COSMOTE TV.and broadcast in early 2024.
Τόποι του Ελληνισμού: Νάουσα
Hellenic Places: Naoussa
15’35' | 2025 | GR/EU
Through the art of animation, the film chronicles the history of the Heroic City of Naousa, in Northern Greece, from antiquity to the present, emphasizing the city's contribution to the Greek Revolution and the heroic struggle of its people for freedom. The film is the fourth episode in the animated historical documentary series titled Hellenic Places.
Σκηνοθεσία,
|
Direction, Original Animation Design: Vasiliki Iskenderoglou
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Maria Sampatakaki
Μουσική,
| Original Music Score, Sound Design: Manos Paterakis
Εκτελεστής Παραγωγός | Executive Producer: Vassilis C. Karamitsanis
Παραγωγή | Production: COSMOTE TV, ANIMASYROS Productions
ANIMASYROS Productions
Τόποι
Hellenic Places: Kassos
15’02' | 2025 | GR/EU
Kassos, a small and heroic island, has had to confront Troy, Persia, revolution, and war. Its maritime tradition has shaped its identity, autonomy, and culture, while the sea brings both communication and peril in this journey from antiquity to the present. This is the fifth episode in the animated historical documentary series Hellenic Places.
Σκηνοθεσία,
| Direction, Original Animation Design: Dimitri Armenakis
Σενάριο | Screenplay: Maria Sampatakaki
Σχεδιασμός
| Animation Design: Nicholas Colliniates
Μουσική,
| Original Music Score, Sound Design: Manos Paterakis
Παραγωγή | Production: COSMOTE TV, ANIMASYROS Productions
With the support
Budget and Culture: Is Europe reaching Syros?
As the European Union prepares its Multiannual Financial Framework, a pressing question arises: how does financial planning translate into cultural progress? Within ANIMASYROS 2025, the annual discussion hosted by the European Parliament Liaison Office in Greece focuses on the LUX Audience Award—an institution that unites Europeans through cinema, promoting diversity, democracy, and artistic courage. Speakers include Konstantinos Tsoutsoplidis, Head of the European Parliament Office in Athens; Matīss Kaža, co-creator and scriptwriter of the Oscar-winning animation Flow, an inner odyssey through a changing world; and Maria Kontogianni, producer of Sofia Exarchou’s Animal, a film exploring the fragile balance between tourism myths and social realities. The EU strategically invests in its future through visionary programmes such as Creative Europe, NextGenerationEU and Horizon Europe, alongside youth initiatives like Erasmus+, DiscoverEU and the European Solidarity Corps. The ambition is clear: to strengthen expression, inclusion and creativity. The European Parliament is not only co-shaper of the budget—it is also its guardian. The LUX Audience Awards for cinema remind us that art is not a luxury but a necessity, and that the right to create and access it is a deeply political act. In a time of transformation, the question remains—does Europe reach Syros, or does it begin here through art?
The discussion will be held in English.
Maria Kontogianni Παραγωγός | Film Producer
Matīss Kaža
Constantinos Tsoutsoplides
(3D Animation), Hystera
An independent producer and founder of Athens-based WILD AT HEART (2021). The company focuses on feature films and international co-productions, highlighting the female perspective, black comedy, and original content for young audiences (animation, gaming). Kontogianni has worked on films awarded and nominated at major festivals, including the LUX Audience Awards, Locarno, Thessaloniki, Trieste, and Venice IFF. WILD AT HEART is rapidly establishing its international profile, with projects in development such as 3D animation feature NINE LIVES LEFT by Z. Mavroeidis, HYSTERA by A. Proedrou, CONCRETE DREAMS by S. Jacovides and PIKEKO by I. Baglanea.
Producer,
Ο Matīss Kaža (1995)
Head of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Greece
Flow (2024)
Gints Zilbalodis,
Sisters
Linda Olte (βραβείο
Drowning Dry
Laurynas Bareiša (δύο
The Soft Power και The National Channel.
Matīss Kaža (1995) is an Academy Award-winning Latvian producer, director and writer. He co-wrote and produced Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow (2024), the first independent animated feature to win both a Golden Globe and an Oscar. Recent producing credits include Linda Olte’s Sisters (Warsaw FF award) and Laurynas Bareiša’s Drowning Dry (two prizes at Locarno). He has also directed live action, documentary and theatre works, including Neon Spring (Edinburgh IFF) and acclaimed Latvian National Theatre productions The Soft Power and The National Channel. He teaches at the Latvian Academy of Culture.
He was the Spokesperson of the EPLO in Greece since 2011 and the Coordinator of the EP institutional campaign for the May 2019 European Elections. As an official of the Council of the EU, he worked for the Ecofin during the creation of the Euro (1994-1998), for the enlargement negotiations (1998-2003), for the financial perspectives in the Secretary General Private Office (2003-2004) and for the Foreign Affairs Council on Middle East and Northern Africa issues (2011). He was Secretary General for the European Social Fund in the Greek Ministry of Employment (2006-2009) and Managing Director of the Hellenic Sugar Industry (2004-2006). He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Reading, UK.
- Animegaron 2025
Animegaron 2025 Bridges
For the 8th consecutive year, the International Original Music Composition Competition for Animation film Animegaron is completed by Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall in collaboration with ANIMASYROS International Festival + Animation Market, as part of the Bridges Cycle, whose aim is to support talented composers of music for images, providing skills for their career.
This year the competition was for the film "66 days” by the new award-winning director Georgia Pournara. In addition to the number of participants, the way each creator interprets the film is impressive, each one illuminating, differently, the young heroine “Tade” and the imaginary world she has created living in isolation in an apartment in the centre of Athens.
The members of this year’s jury were Athena Kalkopoulou (producer), Regina Kapetanaki (director, choreographer, writer, creator of Lillipoupolis), Dimitris Maragopoulos (composer, artistic director of the Bridges Cycle), Christos Papageorgiou (composer, pianist) and Dimitris Papadimitriou (composer).
Νικητές | Winners
Βραβείο | First Prize Κevin Nikoforos Yost GR/EU
Δεύτερο
Second Prize Salvatore Bezzi IT/EU
Τρίτο Βραβείο | Third Prize
| Gabriel Falikekas GR/EU
| First Distinction
| George Tsomidis SE/EU
| Second Distinction
| Giannis Krideras GR/EU
The three Animegaron winners will receive cash prizes and will be supported by a wide range of promotional activities. www.megaron.gr/gefures-animegaron-2/
Virtual Reality Lounge 2025
Dr. Dimitris Delinikolas (Co-Curator)
Filmmaker, Animator, Researcher at the University of Athens
For the third consecutive year ANIMASYROS presents its VR Lounge with hands on workshops and a program of awarded interactive and cinematic VR experiences
It aims to present the spectrum of extended Reality technologies and show the crucial role that the art of animation has in the development of immersive animation, interactive experiences and immersive live action VR films. Focusing on the theme of Space, for three days our visitors will have the opportunity to create their own universe using VR paint and animation tools, while we will be screening some of the most interesting films created with VR animation tools. We will be screening award winning immersive XR projects “Otto’s Planet” and “Astra”. In our Cinematic VR Corner we will screen “The journey of Piraeus” a VR journey into the history of the Athenian Port. Finally the visitors will immerse themselves in an interactive journey with a historic boat created by the university of Aegean.
Dimitris Delinikolas is a film director, new media producer and professor at the University of Athens, experienced in the fields of VR, commercials, documentary and animation.
George Zestanakis (Co-Curator)
Creative director, animator, producer and game designer.
animator,
George Zestanakis is a seasoned Creative Director, Animator, Game and VR Designer with a decade of experience, split between the creative hubs of Amsterdam and Athens.
Let’s make a UniVeRse
Films Created inside VR
Format: 6DOF VR. Dur: Various Shorts
An interactive Multi Player VR Painting experience on the theme of SPACE. Using Multi Brush, a VR painting and animation tool, each visitor will be able to create their own planet with its own features, making a collaborative uniVeRse every day.
Goro Fujita, ο Nick Ladd
Experience a curated list of animations made entirely in virtual reality, using the same tools that you will learn to use. Featuring the work of creators like Goro Fujita, Nick Ladd and more.
Oto’s Planet
6DOF VR/MR. Dur: 28 mins. | LU, FR, CA/EU
6DOF VR-MR. Dur: 60 mins. | FR, US/EU
"Oto’s Planet" follows the peaceful life of Oto, who loves nothing more than lounging in his hammock and enjoying the fruits of the single tree on his tiny planet. His tranquility is shattered when Exo, a hyperactive and cumbersome cosmonaut, crash-lands in a small spacecraft. The ensuing attempts at communication and cohabitation between these two unlikely roommates are fraught with difficulty.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Gwenael Francois
| Production: DPT. Skilllab. Small Creative
Embark on a mixed reality journey that transforms your room into a spaceship on a mission to the deepest corners of the cosmos. Following the research of your late astrobiologist mother, travel in space and visit planets and their dark moons in the search for life. ASTRA blends storytelling, mixed reality and interactive design with stunning environments, guiding you through a deeply personal yet universal adventure.
A journey that traces the timeless port city of Piraeus, through a family’s eyes across millennia. From its ancient roots as a maritime hub to modernity, witness their struggles and triumphs, over the evolving cityscape. Experience the passage of time as their story intertwines with Piraeus’ evolution, unveiling a tapestry of heritage and culture.
Σκηνοθεσία | Direction: Filippos Tsitos
Eμψύχωση | Animation: Panagiotis Rappas
| Narration: Antonis Kafetzopoulos
| Production: Pan Entertainment
What does it feel like to stand by the railing, hear the waves lapping against the hull, and watch the sails fill with wind? The historic brig Aris of of Anastasios Tsamados comes to life in a virtual environment, blending research, 3D modeling, and algorithmic physics. This immersive experience was developed as part of the “Virtual Historic Sailing Ships” project and is featured in the traveling exhibition on 18th–19th century sailing vessels.
This is a Space Soup! Stars, moons, planets, comets — and lots of color! In this space-inspired animation workshop, we will stir together our own imaginative universes using paper, colors and mixed materials. Cosmic creatures, floating shapes, and miniature galaxies come to life in a swirl of creativity.
Elena Pavlaki is a 2D animator and animation educator based in Athens, Greece. She specializes in animation characters, motion graphics and works on short films, commercials, music videos, and educational content. She studied 3D Animation and Interactive Media at Akto College. Since 2017, she has been leading animation workshops at the ANIMASYROS festival, focusing on inclusive education. She has extensive experience teaching stop-motion animation to children, teenagers, and persons with disabilities.
www.behance.net/elenapavlaki
Media Literacy Programmes
Media Programmes
Margarita Simopoulou
Alien transformations
This year we’re becoming kids again, breathing life into blobs of clay! Wacky alien creatures will shape-shift and blast off into unknown galaxies on a colorful cosmic adventure. With the magic of stop motion animation, the crew from the Hermoupolis Senior Citizens’ Center will spin wild tales of strange planets and out-of-this-world creatures. "To infinity and beyond!"
Margarita Simopoulou graduated from the Graphic Design and Visual Communication Departmentof the University of West Attica Athens University of Applied Sciences as a Graphic Desinger, with a specialization in digital 2D and 3D animation and she is a graduate of the master “Information and Communication Technologies for Education” of National and Kapodistiran University or Athens. She works as an animator and a graphic designer at the Diadrasis company and as an animation teacher at the Erasmios Greek-German School and Karpos company. As part of her master's thesis, she created an augmented reality book for learning animation entitled "Animate IT!". In 2023 she participated in the film selection jury at the ICONA animation festival. She has created four short films that have competed in notable Greek festivals. The film “Life like a pencil” has won 1st prize in the greek films category of Athens Animfest 2013.
@margarita_simopoulou
Media Literacy Programmes
Αννα Οικονόμου
Anna Oikonomou
Agisilaos
Planet Pals
Planet pals is a two-day stop motion animation workshop for students of the Hermoupolis Primary school for persons with disabilities. Children will explore the basic principles of stop motion animation by designing, constructing and creating their own short film. Through a creative and playful framework, they will collaborate to bring the planets of our solar system to life as distinct characters living a space adventure. The workshop cultivates imagination, collaboration and self-confidence, transforming creativity into movement - frame by frame.
«Looking for Joy»
«Cut the tie».
Educational workshop for students with disabilities of the Hermoupolis Primary school for persons with disabilities
Αn animator/illustrator from the island of Kos, currently based in Athens. She graduated from the Graphic Design and Visual Communication Department of the University of West Attica in 2022,an in 2025 she completed the MA program in “2D and 3D Animation”.
She is working in the creative field of animation production and the education of animation in Greece. Her first film, “Looking for Joy”, was awarded the Stratos Stasinos 2022 award for Best Student Film and in 2024 she completed the production of her second short film titled “Cut the Tie”.
An interdisciplinary artist with multi faceted experience in visual arts, cultural project management and education. He is an honors graduate of the School of Fine Arts in Florina, University of Western Macedonia. He is active in both the Greek and international art scenes, participating in exhibitions and projects that offer diverse experiences. He has served as an art curator and artistic director for the Region of Western Greece, project manager and curator for the organization Messolonghi by Locals, animation creator for Cosmote TV and ANIMASYROS, as well as an instructor in visual arts and animation workshops.
Media Literacy Programmes
Coke Riobóo Cortes
Space Out (Stop motion animation workshop)
This hands-on workshop introduces participants to the expressive potential of stop- motion animation, a technique that bridges the tactile and the digital. Its adaptable, inclusive nature makes it accessible to a wide range of participants, regardless of previous experience. Participants will explore space-themed narratives, drawing inspiration from animation history, visual arts, and their own imagination. The workshop is designed to encourage creative experimentation, technical exploration, and collaborative learning.
Coke Riobóo is a Spanish animator, musician, and Goya Award-winning director. His creative work explores personal and social themes through the lens of stop-motion animation. He has conducted animation workshops in numerous countries–from film festivals and art schools, to community centers and social projects- working with children, teenagers, and adults of all backgrounds. His teaching approach combines artistic freedom with technical skill-building, encouraging participants to use animation as a powerful tool for self-expression, play, and reflection on the world around them.
www.cokerioboo.com/workshops
LOU COU MES
Media Literacy Programmes
STOP ‘till you get enough! (Stop motion animation workshop)
Stop-motion is THE medium for animation beginners. Approachable, doesn’t require crazy tech, delivers instant results and has magical materiality and textures effortlessly. In this all-ages workshop, we’ll learn how to use the enchanting “Stop Motion Studio” app, and set out to explore the world! We’ll see how animation can be created not just with toys and clay, but also from everything and anywhere! This is for anyone who wants to open their mind and see the world as a colorful playground.
Renen Adar
Animator, illustrator, producer, stopmotion artist, tour guide, and passionate zoology enthusiast. Animation producer at The Hive studio. Directed two stop-motion films that screened at international festivals: Reviver (2018) and Subject (2020). An educator for about 15 years who loves connecting art and education. Enjoys exploring the world through animated research—which simply means he sees the whole world as one big cartoon.
Media Literacy Programmes
Antonija Veljačić
Cosmic Worlds
A creative stop-motion animation workshop for young participants, centered around the theme of space. Together, we’ll imagine and build entire universes and the unique creatures that inhabit them — from distant planets to alien life forms. Through hands-on animation techniques, participants will bring their cosmic worlds to life, frame by frame.
Antonija Veljačić is an Independent artist – animator working across animated and live-action films, as well as theatre set design. She collaborates with visual and sound artists as a VJ and leads various animation workshops and online programs (Zagreb Film, Prozor u TV). She graduated in Animated Film and New Media from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb and has been a member of the Croatian Freelance Artists Association (animation category) since 2018. She also teaches in courses such as Animation, New Media, and Video and Media Applications at the Academy of Applied Arts in Rijeka.
Media Literacy Programmes
Thomas Künstler
Ιταλός
Memories from a space odyseey
Children are invited to enter the universe of stop motion, exploring both the mysteries of outer space and the delicate landscapes of memory. Between playful experiments and animated stories, they will discover how imagination can travel across time and stars.
for the Creative Arts (Farnham,
Berlinale Talents.
Manos Mastorakis
Educational Workshop with Ceramics and Animation for Families
stop-motion, "Endless Hole".
Ιtalian director & stop-motion animator who currently lives &works in Athens. He received his degree in Film Production at the University for the Creative Arts (Farnham, UK). He is also a Berlinale Talents Alumni. His work usually is inspired by Greek music & culture. His recent stop-motion short film "Pink Mountain” was nominated for Best Short Animation at the Hellenic Film Academy Awards, has been invited to more than 80 film festivals. In collaboration with different festivals, he leads animation workshops in Greece & abroad. He is currently developing his new stop motion short “Endless Hole”.
Manos Mastorakis studied law in Athens and worked there for 12 years. Then he fell in love with ceramics and created his own pottery studio in Syros. He works mostly on the wheel with stoneware and porcelain and gets mesmerised by glaze technology. Parallel to the workshop he runs a gallery dedicated to greek crafts with emphasis on greek ceramics.
ANIMASYROS as every year organized animation workshops for all ages and audiences, in Athens and other cities and islands oh Greece.
Animated Space
Τhe two-day applied animation workshop for adults, Animated Space, was organized by the MSc Digital Culture, Smart Cities, IoT & Advanced Technologies at the University of Piraeus, in collaboration with the ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival and under the auspices of the UNESCO Chair Creative Cities in Motion. The workshop took place at the University of Piraeus and at Blue Lab—the Municipality of Piraeus’ Business Innovation Center for Blue Growth (sustainable maritime economy)—and we warmly thank them for their generous support.
23 - 24
2024 /
- Blue Lab
23 – 24 November, 2024 /
University of Piraeus - Blue Lab
Educator - Animator: Anna Oikonomou
Ziller & Syros
As part of the “200 Years of Hermoupolis” celebrations, the Documenting Heritage Festival—dedicated to bringing cultural heritage to life through creativity—organized, in collaboration with the ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival, the workshop “Ziller and Syros.” Through ideation and design, the Young Guides of Syros created animation films inspired by the Hermoupolis Town Hall and its architect Ernst Ziller.
24 - 25 Μάϊου 2025 /
24 - 25 May 2025
Hermoupolis Cultural Center
Εκπαιδευτής - Αnimator:
Educator - Animator: Thomas Kunstler
Media Literacy Programmes 2024 – 2025
Echoes of Themistocleous Street
The two-day applied animation workshop for adults “Echoes of Themistocleous Street” was organized by the MSc Digital Culture, Smart Cities, IoT & Advanced Technologies of the University of Piraeus, in collaboration with the ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival and under the auspices of the UNESCO Chair Creative Cities in Motion. Inspired by a forthcoming project of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture for the European Heritage Days 2025, the workshop focused on Themistocleous Street in Exarchia—an area reflecting Athens’ neoclassical, eclectic, and modernist architecture, and a site of cultural memory and transformation. It was hosted at Blue Lab, the Municipality of Piraeus’ Business Innovation Center for Blue Growth (sustainable maritime economy).
14 - 15 Ιουνίου, 2025 / Blue Lab
14 – 15 June, 2025 / Blue Lab
Εκπαιδευτής - Αnimator:
Educator - Animator: Anna Oikonomou
Next to Sirmata
The two-day applied animation workshop for children “Next to Sirmata” took place in Mandrakia, Milos, as part of the multidisciplinary festival Mandrakia Artis. The island’s famous Sirmata—traditional semi-underground spaces built along the coast to shelter fishing boats, with their brightly painted doors—are a unique example of Cycladic architecture and cultural memory. 27 -
