Top 20 Most Prestigious Animation Film Festivals Around The Globe: 2024 edition

Animation has become a powerful storytelling medium, captivating audiences worldwide with its unique blend of art and technology. Recognizing this, numerous film festivals have emerged globally, dedicated to celebrating the best in animation. Here are the 20 most prestigious animation film festivals around the world, carefully selected by our editors.

Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Annecy, France: Known as the Cannes of Animation, this festival is one of the most prestigious in the world, attracting thousands of industry professionals and animation enthusiasts each year.

Animafest Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia: This is the second oldest animation festival in the world, which takes place annually in Zagreb, Croatia. The festival brings together all animation forms, including experimental and student films.

Ottawa International Animation Film Festival, Canada: As the largest animation festival in North America, it offers a wide range of categories for competition. This festival is one of the leading animation events in the world, providing screenings, workshops, and entertainment since 1976. It’s an annual five-day event that brings together artists, producers, students, and animation fans from around the world.

Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film, Germany: This festival is one of the most outstanding events for animated film worldwide. The festival features a wide range of categories and hosts numerous workshops, informational events, and presentations.

Fantoche International Animation Film Festival, Switzerland: Known for its diverse program and innovative approach to animation, this festival takes place annually in Baden, Switzerland. It showcases a variety of animation styles and techniques and includes competitions for short animated productions.

Animac International Animation Film Festival of Catalonia, Spain: This non-competitive festival takes place annually in Lleida, Spain. It showcases a selection of the best animation from around the world.

Anifilm International Festival of Animated Films, Czech Republic: Anifilm’s goal is to contribute to the development and promotion of animated films.

Anima Brussels, Belgium: This festival takes place annually in Brussels, Belgium. It features a host of new films for children and adults, screenings of thematic and light-hearted short films, professional meetings on sound and music, a space devoted to new experiences in animated film, and a new optical playground.

London International Animation Festival (LIAF), UK: This annual festival held in London showcases around 300 independent animated films of every technique, style, and genre across London venues for 10 days from late November to early December every year. LIAF aims to dispel the popular misconception that animation is just cartoons for kids.

Melbourne International Animation Festival, Australia: This is a week-long animation film festival that features forums and over 400 of the best recently released, historical and retrospective animation from around the world. MIAF is one of the largest animation festivals in the world.

Fredrikstad Animation Festival, Norway: As the oldest and largest of its kind in the Nordic countries, it has been an important platform for Norwegian animation films.

Insomnia Festival, Russia: Sometimes referred as "Animation Woodstock", Insomnia is a vibrant open-air event that can be likened to a grand music festival, but instead of rock bands, the stars of the show are animated films.

Kaboom Animation Festival, Netherlands: Kaboom celebrates all things animated with a wide variety of programming.

Fest Anča, Slovakia: This international animation festival focuses on films for mature audiences.

Bucheon International Animation Festival, Korea: BIAF offers a platform for new talents and trends in global animation.

Monstra Lisbon Animated Film Festival, Portugal: Monstra showcases more than 500 films each year from around the world.

Cinanima International Animated Film Festival, Portugal: Cinanima is one of the most recognized festivals dedicated exclusively to animated film.

ANIMA, Córdoba International Animation Festival, Argentina: An academic and cultural event held in Córdoba, Argentina. The festival is dedicated specifically to animation in its artistic and technological dimensions.

Animasyros International Animation Festival, Greece: Animasyros combines artistic creation with cultural education.

CHILEMONOS, Chile: A significant animation festival held in Chile. The festival is recognized for its contribution to the animation industry and has been held annually for over a decade.