THE 9TH ANIMAFILM INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL BEGINS

The 9th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival will be held on May 13-17, 2026, organized by the Azerbaijan Animation Association and “ANIMAFILM” LLC, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Film Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ARKA) and the “Creative Center”.

You can get acquainted with the full program of the festival on the website www.animafilm.az.

ANIMAFILM, which is a bridge between professionals and amateurs in the field of animation, becomes a platform for the creation of new projects through creative exchanges and is dedicated to a new topical topic every year, this time invites participants to a “Sea” journey. Events within the framework of the festival will be held at the Nizami Cinema Center, the “Surakhani” ship-museum, the first museum in the world, and the “Fluxus Space” gallery.

According to the director of the ANIMAFILM Festival, chairman of the Azerbaijan Animation Association Rashid Aghamaliyev, during the festival, the audience will watch a rich competition and non-competition programs, meet with foreign animation authors, witness the premieres of the children's animation series "Isi ve Piti" and the short animation film "Oat Spinner". And the events do not end there. The ANIMAFILM Festival will present the "ANIMAFILM School: Stop-motion" master class, the 2nd ANIMAFILM International Pitching Competition of local and foreign animation projects, the "ANIMAFILM" magazine, and animated films awarded with "OSCAR" and "BAFTA" awards.

It should be noted that this year the geography of the Festival has expanded even more. 437 animated films were sent to participate in the festival from more than 60 countries of the world. A total of 31 films representing 20 different countries were included in the official competition program. The selected films are distinguished by their visual richness, innovative animation techniques used, and the depth of global and local themes they touch upon.

In 2024, ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival was included in the “BAFTA Festival List” by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Partners: Nizami Cinema Center, “Nine Senses”, “Fluxus Space”, Embassy of Canada in Turkey and Azerbaijan, British Council, Embassy of the Czech Republic in Azerbaijan, “Şekerci Cafer Erol”, “Eminence – Events & Catering”, “Almond”, “Cuppa Coffee”, “Dynamic Box”, “Kinobiz”, “OB Film”, “KYNO”, “FAMU”. Ticket sales are carried out through the “Tripsome” platform.

It should be noted that the festival we have been organizing every year since 2018 has echoes in the regions throughout the year. Our goal is to develop the art of animation not only in the capital but also in the regions, to communicate with the audience and learn their wishes and desires, to explore opportunities for training professional personnel, and to put forward proposals for opening new jobs. For this purpose, the festivals “ANIMAFILM in Sheki” have been held since 2021, “ANIMAFILM in Nakhchivan” in 2023, “ANIMAFILM in Lankaran” in 2024, “ANIMAFILM in Ganja” in 2025, “ANIMAFILM in Lankaran”, “ANIMAFILM in Khankendi”, “ANIMAFILM in Lachin”, and “ANIMAFILM in Ganja” in 2026.