BALKANIMA - European Animated Film Festival (Балканима - Европски фестивал анимираног филма)

BALKANIMA - European Animated Film Festival

Балканима - Европски фестивал анимираног филма

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Balkanima focuses on European auteur and student short animation, with particular attention to the Serbian and wider Balkan animation scene. Based at the Students’ City Cultural Center in Belgrade, Serbia, the festival combines competitive screenings with workshops, discussions, presentations and exhibitions connected to animation and related visual arts.

The festival dates back to 2004, with its origins in the center’s Academic Film Club and an initiative by Serbian animator and cinematographer Nikola Majdak. Its juries bring together European animators, filmmakers, theorists and visual artists, while its accompanying activities connect local authors and students with their European counterparts.

Country

Serbia

Focus

Animation

Categories

Animation, Short, Student

Awards and prizes

Festival awards include the Grand Prix, Best Student Film, Best Domestic Animated Film and Best Film for Children, alongside special mentions.

Festival rules

The published regulations for the 2025 edition accept European-produced animation up to 20 minutes, completed after 1 January 2024. Frame-by-frame and computer animation are eligible; live-action and animation combinations must contain no more than 50% live footage. Competition programmes cover short animation, student animation (film-school or diploma work), and animation for children; films outside competition may be selected for Panorama. Authors may submit more than one eligible film. The festival charges no submission or screening fees and pays no screening fees. Entries use an online preview link, rather than a download link. The 2025 submission deadline is 31 July 2025, with preview links valid until 14 September 2025 and selection notification by 22 September 2025. Submitted films remain in the festival archive for research; awarded films may also screen at non-commercial events promoting Balkanima.

Contacts

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