Meet the festivals: Fest Anča International Animation Film Festival

Today, the 19th edition of the Fest Anča International Animation Film Festival kicks off in Žilina. Running from June 30 to July 5, Slovakia’s only festival dedicated to animated film will present a wide selection of works from 86 countries. This year’s theme, “FAKE”, explores the relationship between myths and facts, truth and fiction, and the search for identity. Fest Anča has chosen to address this topic in response to the rise of AI-generated films, conspiracy theories, and fake news in today’s society. Directly tapping into these contemporary issues is this year’s main guest, French multimedia artist Boris Labbé, whose award-winning work has been celebrated at prestigious festivals such as Venice and Annecy.

Founded in 2008 by animation students from the Academy of Performing Arts (VŠMU), the festival was born out of a desire to create a space for presenting their own work, engaging with international filmmakers, highlighting new trends, and promoting informal education. Today, it stands as Slovakia’s only multimedia festival focused primarily on animated films for adult audiences. Year after year, Fest Anča continues to elevate not only the quality of its curated films but also its signature atmosphere, which remains welcoming and inclusive. Reflecting this commitment to inclusivity, this year’s program offers accessible screenings for hearing-impaired audiences, featuring The Best Animated Short Films for Children 2025, Best of Fest Anča 2025, and the feature film Arco.

Since 2023, Fest Anča has held the status of an Academy Awards Qualifying Festival. As a result, winners of the Anča Award are eligible to compete for an Oscar, specifically in the categories of Best Animated Short and Best Slovak Animated Short. For this year’s edition, a selection committee consisting of Jakub Spevák, Ema Nemčovičová, and Peter Gašparík curated a program of 233 films, most of which will be making their Slovak premieres. The ultimate winners will be decided by an esteemed international jury. Evaluating the Best Animated Short and Best Student Animated Short categories are Lise Fearnley, Luca Tóth, and Philip Ullman. Meanwhile, the Best Animated Music Video will be selected by Patricio Cejas Martinez, Marek Jasaň, and Anastasiia Falileieva, while Daniel Sterlin-Altman, Michaela Režová, and Tomek Popakul will decide the winner of the Best Slovak Animated Short.

This diverse film selection highlights the best of both domestic and international animation, reflecting on the current state of society through a mix of contemporary and archival works. This year’s core themes – the search for identity, anxiety about the future, and the deep need to belong – are woven not only throughout the Curators’ Picks (specialized sections curated by dramaturg Ema Nemčovičová and programme director Jakub Spevák) but also throughout the accompanying program and the feature lineup. Highlights include Bouchra, the story of a queer female coyote and a New York filmmaker on a journey of self-discovery; Dog of God, a dark feature exploring the fragile line between faith and hysteria; and Dukla, a local puppet-animated film examining what happens when humanity is eclipsed by ideology. Fest Anča will also screen the cult Japanese feature Paprika, a mind-bending film that brilliantly challenges our perception of reality through the motifs of illusion and dreams.

The diversity of the festival programme is equally reflected in its wide range of animation techniques. This year’s lineup features paint-on-glass animation in the Brazilian film The Girl & The Pot and pinscreen animation in the Japanese film Rest. This versatility extends to the themes as well: Merrimundi presents a twisted utopia infused with psychedelic elements, while Bardo offers an experimental journey inspired by the spiritual experience of spending time in darkness. Meanwhile, Greek mythology is playfully explored in the children’s film Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe!

This year, for the first time, Fest Anča introduces a special section titled Don’t Look Away, focusing heavily on human rights issues. The showcase will feature the Iranian documentary By the Way, as well as Ping Pong, a film that explores how interpersonal relationships shift under political influence. Additionally, audiences can look forward to a dedicated virtual reality section, curated by Ondřej Moravec, director of the ART*VR festival.

Fest Anča also features the Student Forum, an initiative aimed at connecting educators and students from universities specializing in animation. This year, the forum will bring together 17 European schools. Thanks to a packed collaborative programme, participants will have the opportunity to network and exchange insights on teaching methodologies, as well as the production and distribution of student animation projects.

In addition to the international competition and thematic showcases, the festival once again offers a rich lineup of exhibitions, workshops, lectures, discussions, and concerts. This year’s evening program features the Fest Anča Karaoke Night, alongside DJ sets by Nowalover and IRRENAFFORD.

Although Fest Anča has held its Oscar® Qualifying status for three years now, you won’t find any red carpets or the rigid, overly formal atmosphere often associated with major international festivals. Instead, the organizers and attendees come together to create a welcoming, authentic space where the doors are wide open to both seasoned film geeks and newcomers to the world of animation.