International Animation Day 2026

The idea of International Animation Day emerged at the beginning of the 21st century to commemorate the first public screening of animation, Émile Reynaud’s Théâtre Optique, which took place on October 28, 1892, at the Musée Grévin in Paris. This event is widely regarded as a symbolic starting point of the modern history of animation. Since 2002, International Animation Day has been a flagship event organised around the world by the International Animated Film Association (Association Internationale du Film d’Animation – ASIFA), in cooperation with numerous organisations and festivals.

This year, to celebrate International Animation Day, we invite you on an animated journey to Brazil, France, Greece, Germany, the USA and Taiwan. The journey will take you through 14 exceptional films and last 102 minutes. By the end, you’ll be left with a whirlwind of emotions, a variety of thoughts and some surprising memories.

The programme is curated by Piotr Kardas, director of the O!PLA and Rising Of Lusitania festivals, while this year’s IAD poster was created by Japanese artist Yoriko Mizushiri.

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Razors, dir. Griffin “The” Hansen, USA 2025, 04’39”

A man with a razor in his head asks to be repaired.

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Pressure, dir. Che Marcheti, Brazil 2023, 02’21”

A woman confronts emotions she has kept hidden for a long time, now on the verge of spilling over.

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Susurros, dir. Alexandra Pewinski, Marie Lombard, Florian Reignier, Emma Pluchard, Lisa Francillon and Alice Parmentier, France 2025, 07’27”

From the witch hunts of 17th-century Europe to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States in 2022, Susurros tells the story of two women who became pregnant against their will. Separated by four centuries, Maria and Adeleida inevitably find their fates intertwined. In the shadow of obscurantism, history repeats itself.

Winner of the 2026 ASIFA Student Award.

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How Smart Are Crows?, dir. Irida Zhonga, Greece 2025, 04’36”

In one of Aesop’s fables, a crow is searching for water. It spots a pitcher, but the water inside is out of reach. The bird begins dropping pebbles into it, one by one, displacing the water until it can finally quench its thirst. This is just one of many fascinating examples of corvid intelligence. Katharina Brecht explores what makes this bold and clever family of songbirds so remarkably intelligent.

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Guaracy, dir. Eliete Della Violla, Daniel Bruson, Brazil 2023, 12’08”

A granddaughter delves into her relationship with her grandfather, a retired police officer who loves music, creating a vivid mosaic of feelings, doubts, and memories that are lived, told, and imagined.

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Outshine, dir. Eliza Dorothy Russell Keating, Taiwan 2026, 04’00”

One day, the light in a lighthouse goes out. When the lighthouse keeper replaces the bulb with an even brighter one, it sparks a competitive spirit in his fellow keeper across the water. Soon, the two engage in an absurd contest, constantly trying to outdo each other with increasingly elaborate lighting upgrades. Caught up in their rivalry, they seem to forget their original duties as lighthouse keepers…

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How a River Is Born, dir. Luma Flôres, Brazil 2025, 08’33”

Ayla awakens in a mountainous landscape, surrounded by nothing but vegetation and a river. Driven by curiosity and a desire to understand this place, she embarks on a journey of discovery and diving. As she discovers where she is, she also discovers herself.

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Land of No Man, dir. Muling Tzai, Olivia Lin, Taiwan, USA 2026, 03’50”

A lonely capybara is approached by passing animals who ask, “Don’t you feel lonely?”

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Kabuki, dir. Tiago Minamisawa, Brazil 2025, 14’37”

Kabuki lives in a male body they do not recognize as their own. Without an identity, they awaken the Soul. Through the impermanence of the material body, they transcend.

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Still February, dir. Anya Ryzhkova, Germany 2026, 09’37”

A wolf-like figure awakens in a world threatened by fire and decay. It feels that everything around it is disappearing, unable to understand why – almost blind, it cannot see what is right in front of it. But soon it begins to perceive the truth: enormous, destructive feet are crushing the world, setting everything ablaze and dragging the past and the future into darkness. In the end, only one thing remains: to save itself.

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Before You Gone, dir. Xie Cha-Ping, Taiwan 2026, 08’16”

Today, one year after you left, I sit before you and tell you the story of our family, how much I miss you, and what I regret. Emotions intertwine with reality and memories, leaving behind everything that was never said. Before You Gone uses personal narration, combining real-life footage with hand-drawn animation to capture emotions that are difficult to preserve in memory alone.

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<3 [Less Than Three], dir. Petra Stipetić, Germany 2026, 02’35”

A film about the struggle to belong against all odds.

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Under Water, dir. Jen-Hsiang Chuang, Taiwan 2026, 15’10”

Emaciated and exhausted girls are trapped in a dark dungeon, where they are subjected to constant violence at the hands of a terrifying creature. Supporting one another, they search for a way to escape, only to eventually realize that the companions helping them on their journey were in fact reflections of themselves.

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Holy Shit!, dir. Taxiarchis Deligiannis, Vasilis Tsiouvaras, Greece 2025, 04’37”

We see contemporary Athens, Greece, where old buildings, offices, open-air cinemas and other spaces are rapidly being transformed into hotels and other tourist accommodations. The city is suffocating under the overwhelming number of tourists gathering in hotels, public spaces, beaches, bars, restaurants and elsewhere. Complete chaos prevails and grows worse by the day. Suddenly, foul-smelling fumes begin emerging from toilets and sewer systems in different parts of the city, forming clouds that cause discomfort among the people…