ANIMASYROS 2026: Highlights, Irish Animation Focus, Guests, Agora Programme & 200 Years of Hermoupolis
Skwigly
The ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival returns for its 19th edition in the capital of the Cyclades from 21 to 27 September 2026, with a rich programme featuring seven competition sections, special tributes, the Agora – one of the leading meeting points for the animation industry in the Eastern Mediterranean – educational workshops, a VR Lounge, parallel events, and new international collaborations.
The main theme of this year’s edition is dedicated to “200 Years of Hermoupolis,” marking the anniversary of the naming and founding of the island’s capital in 1826 and the birth of Hermoupolis, the city of Hermes, the ancient Greek god of commerce and eloquence – an anniversary that Syros is celebrating throughout the year. Building on the major anniversary event held in June at the Apollon Theatre, with the participation of ANIMASYROS, the Festival presents a programme of screenings and educational activities exploring the key historical and social transformations that shaped the modern world, while highlighting Hermoupolis as a place of creativity, coexistence and culture.
This year’s Country in Focus at ANIMASYROS is Ireland, recognising the significance of its animation scene, which combines a strong and long-standing tradition with remarkable contemporary momentum and has emerged in recent years as one of the most creative and dynamic in Europe. In collaboration with Animation Ireland, the organisation representing Ireland’s animation community, and with the support of the Embassy of Ireland in Greece and Culture Ireland, the Festival presents a tribute featuring screenings of feature and short animated films by contemporary Irish creators, and activities of the Agora. The film programme brings together some of the most significant Irish productions of the past decade, including Second to None by Vincent Gallagher, Deadly by Aidan McAteer, and the Oscar-nominated Late Afternoon by Louise Bagnall (Cartoon Saloon). From outstanding student films that have introduced emerging talents to acclaimed works by established creators, the tribute offers audiences a comprehensive overview of the rich heritage, storytelling strength, and creative boldness that define contemporary Irish animation. As part of the Agora programme, a one-to-one conversation will also take place with Andrew FitzPatrick, one of the leading figures in the development of Ireland’s animation industry, who will discuss the history and evolution of the sector, as well as its future prospects. In collaboration with the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center (HFAC), the Festival’s institutional partner, ANIMASYROS will also host the roundtable “From Greece to Ireland: Institutional Support for Animation in the Far Corners of Europe,” focusing on the role of institutional support in the growth of the animation sector in Greece and Ireland.
One of the highlights of ANIMASYROS 2026 is the presence of internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning sound designer Olivier Calvert. Throughout his distinguished career, and through collaborations with leading creators and organisations, Calvert has shaped the sonic worlds of numerous acclaimed productions, including the Academy award-winning animated short The Girl Who Cried Pearls, and was also member of the Academy Award-winning sound team behind Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. As part of the Festival, he will deliver a masterclass exlporing sound as an essential storytelling tool. ANIMASYROS will also present a comprehensive tribute to his work, featuring selected films including Blind Vaysha by Theodore Ushev, Affairs of the Art by Joanna Quinn, The Subject by Patrick Bouchard, and Entropic Memory by Nicolas Brault, highlighting his contribution to shaping the contemporary language of animation.
Among the highlights of ANIMASYROS 2026’s feature animation programme is Decorado by Goya Award-winning Spanish director Alberto Vásquez (Unicorn Wars, Birdboy: The Forgotten Children), which will receive its Greek premiere at the Festival with the support of the Embassy of Spain in Greece and Instituto Cervantes. A sharp satire on life and society, the film unfolds through the director’s distinctive and beautifully macabre visual style, blending innocence with dark humour in a truly unique way. The programme also features the highly anticipated return of Sylvain Chomet, a legend of 2D animation and director of the iconic The Triplets of Belleville. In A Magnificent Life, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, the four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker brings the life of writer and pioneering filmmaker Marcel Pagnol to the screen, creating a moving and enchanting cinematic experience filled with humanity, humour, and magic. The screening is presented in collaboration with Rosebud.21. Also of particular interest are Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake by Irene Iborra, a touching stop-motion film that sensitively explores the loss of a home through the eyes of a child, and Dog of God by Lauris and Raitis Abele, an atmospheric Latvian feature inspired by folklore, mysticism, and pagan legends. Combining pioneering animation techniques, the film creates an intense – almost hallucinatory – cinematic experience.
As part of its international collaborations, ANIMASYROS 2026 presents, in partnership with Beirut Animation Nights – the only animation festival in Lebanon, which continues its activities despite the challenging circumstances facing the country – a programme of 12 selected animated films for children, curated by the festival’s founder and director, Nicolas Fattouh. Through stories filled with imagination, humour, and sensitivity, the tribute highlights the power of animation to bridge cultures and inspire young audiences.
With the support of the Goethe-Institut Athen, ANIMASYROS presents the programme Exploring Bonds and Inner Worlds, in collaboration with the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), dedicated to emerging voices in German animation. The selection features acclaimed films by students and young creators, showcasing the diversity of contemporary German animation through a wide range of techniques, from traditional hand-drawn animation and clay animation to 3D. With sensitivity and humour, the creators explore human relationships, family bonds, friendship, and inner emotional worlds. Highlights of the programme include With Tapes and Toasts in the Car by Kiana Naghshineh, winner of the Grand Prix and Audience Award at ITFS 2026, as well as A Sparrow’s Song by Tobias Eckerlin, which received the Gold Student Academy Award in the Animation category in 2025.
Furthermore, celebrating more than four decades of creative excellence by the renowned Animation Department of the Royal College of Art in London, ANIMASYROS 2026, with the support of the British Council Greece, presents a tribute featuring a selection of student films. Focusing on bold artistic visions, innovative approaches to storytelling and visual expression, and the diversity of contemporary animation, the tribute highlights works that have played a significant role in shaping the language of modern animated filmmaking, while also serving as the launchpad for the international careers of acclaimed creators such as Emma Calder, Maryam Mohajer, Julia Pott, Greek animator Anna Mantzari, who will be attending the Festival in Syros, and Dimitris Armenakis.
Following the call for entries for the Festival’s Competition Sections, which opened in February 2026 and concluded on 1 June, more than 3,000 submissions were received from 120 countries worldwide. Once again, the International Competition Programme of ANIMASYROS 2026 features acclaimed films from major international festivals, alongside notable works by internationally recognised animation professionals. The International Student Competition presents outstanding student films from renowned animation schools around the world, while original and groundbreaking works in terms of technique and/or artistic approach are showcased in the International Panorama. As every year, the finest Greek productions compete in the Greek Competition Programme, with the award sponsored by the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center. The Festival’s rich competition programme also includes the K.ID.S section, featuring animated films for children and families, as well as the Animapride section, dedicated to films exploring LGBTQI+ themes.
The official selection of the Competition Sections will be announced in early September on the Festival’s website: animasyros.gr
ANIMASYROS 2026 Agora
As part of the ANIMASYROS 2026 Agora, the established Agora Pitching Forum and the three-day Pitching Coaching Workshop will take place, featuring three distinguished audiovisual industry professionals as tutors: Tünde Vollenbroek (Netherlands), Elliott Palmer (United Kingdom), and Viviane Vanfleteren (Belgium). Guest speakers will include Academy Award nominee Joanna Quinn (United Kingdom). During the workshop, animation professionals, directors, screenwriters, and producers based across the wider Mediterranean and Balkan regions will further develop their projects in order to meet the demands of the international market, gain a better understanding of the expectations of potential collaborators, and acquire valuable insight into the art of pitching. At the end of the workshop, participants will present their projects-in-development to both the public and an international jury of animation professionals, investors, and potential collaborators during the Pitching Sessions. The selected Greek-language works participating in the programme will receive an award presented by ERT, the Greece’s public broadcaster, accompanied by a €1,500 cash prize. The winner will be announced on Saturday, 26 September, during the Festival’s Closing Ceremony.
At the same time, as every year, the presentations, roundtables, seminars, masterclasses, and networking meetings organised by the ANIMASYROS Agora offer international animation professionals the opportunity to expand their network, promote their work, meet acclaimed industry professionals, engage with the international animation community, and discover the future of animation.
Some of the international animation personalities participating in the ANIMASYROS 2026 Agora include:
- Acclaimed producer Imogen Sutton, nominated for both Academy Award and a BAFTA for the animated short Prologue (2015) by her late husband Richard Williams, the legendary director of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, will participate in an in-depth discussion with animation journalist and historian Nancy Denney-Phelps. The conversation will focus both on her career as a producer and on her creative collaboration with her life partner. Sutton will also discuss the book Adventures in Animation, which she and Williams began writing together before his passing, offering a unique insight into his career, the history of animation, and the creative influences that shaped his work for more than six decades.
- Maya Merigeau and José Luis Ágreda, acclaimed art directors, will each deliver a masterclass dedicated to their creative vision and artistic practices. Merigeau will reflect on her journey from animation school to Cartoon Saloon, as well as her experimental, sensorial and meditative approach to animation, offering deeper insight into the making of her award-winning short film Genius Loci. Ágreda will share his understanding of art direction and the role that personal style can play within a project, comparing his experience on his two most recent films, Robot Dreams and Decorado.
- Leading Irish industry voice Sean Cunningham, co-founder of Studio Meala – the award-winning studio behind works such as Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (2023) and the original series Doodle Girl (2024) – will share his experience navigating the challenges of independent animation production. Through the lens of selected projects and the studio’s unique artistic approach, he will provide behind-the-scenes insight into creating and sustaining an animation studio outside the major industry hubs in an ever-changing global landscape.
- Distinguished sound designer Olivier Calvert, known for his immersive and evocative sound design as well as his inventive approach to storytelling through sound, will deliver a masterclass dedicated to the crucial role of sound in shaping a film’s identity. He will also highlight the importance of collaboration between the director, composer, and sound designer throughout this creative journey.
- Composer Nik Phelps will take the audience through his working process of composing for animated short films, offering a live demonstration on how visual language, pacing, and emotional tone shape the musical approach. He will also demonstrate how rhythm and melody can enhance storytelling by closely following the movement and energy of the characters.
The Agora programme will also reflect the central theme of this year’s ANIMASYROS edition: the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Hermoupolis – the historic and multicultural capital of Syros. Emerging and established creators working in contemporary animated documentary, including Babis Alexiadis and Maria Stanisheva, will discuss how filmmakers transform personal experiences into powerful animated narratives with broader historical and social dimensions.
At the same time, artists who creatively explore the relationship between animation and contemporary culture, including Léa Esmaili, Renata Gąsiorowska, Juan Pablo Zaramella, and Dimitris Armenakis, will discuss the role of animation as a medium for visual experimentation and artistic expression through choreography, visual performance and dance.
Special emphasis will also be placed on film distribution, with representatives from leading animation distribution company Miyu Distribution, and the emerging Portuguese collective Olharapo Filmes participating in the Agora. Speakers will present different approaches to the distribution of independent animation, discuss the challenges of reaching international audiences, and examine how films circulate within today’s global markets, offering valuable insights and practical advice for creators.
The ANIMASYROS Agora will additionally host a discussion on the social and political potential of animation. Directors Leo Luna Robert-Tourneur and Elisa Beli Borrelli will explore how animation can function as a powerful creative medium for expressing queer perspectives, challenging dominant narratives, and examining issues of identity, power, and representation, ultimately contributing to social change.
Among the topics highlighted at the Agora will be animation film financing in Ireland and Greece, with representatives from Animation Ireland, the Creative Europe MEDIA programme, and Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center participating. Through their presentations, audiences will gain a comprehensive overview of the funding mechanisms and support systems currently available to animation professionals, as well as the opportunities and challenges shaping today’s complex and fragmented European funding landscape for animated audiovisual content.
With the support of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Greece and the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, ANIMASYROS 2026 will host another special discussion dedicated to two of Europe’s leading film institutions: the LUX Audience Award, the European Parliament’s flagship film initiative, which promotes films addressing contemporary European issues and shared values while giving European citizens the opportunity to actively participate in selecting the winning film through a public vote; and the European Film Awards, presented annually by the European Film Academy. The discussion is particularly timely, as the 39th European Film Awards ceremony will take place in Athens in January 2027 – the first time in the history of the Awards that the ceremony will be hosted in Greece –placing the country at the centre of Europe’s cinematic landscape. The event will bring together representatives of the European Parliament, the European Film Academy, Leonidas Christopoulos, CEO of the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, as well as distinguished figures from the European audiovisual sector.
Finally, as part of ANIMASYROS initiatives aimed at strengthening Greek animation, the intensive three-day Animation Producer Workshop will take place for the second consecutive year, led by Elisa Beli Borrelli, with the support of the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center. Designed specifically for Greek animation producers, the workshop will focus on project development through a DIY approach, explaining how creators can manage productions and shape a clear creative vision outside traditional funding structures by relying on the support of the animation community. This objective will be achieved through the breakdown of a short film created specifically for the occasion, providing participants with practical experience in collaborative and inventive production processes.
Applications should be submitted to social@animasyros.gr by 31 August 2026 and must be accompanied by a short CV/bio and a portfolio showcasing previous professional or/and creative work.
The highly successful Greek Animation Talks will once again take centre stage at the ANIMASYROS Agora, offering Greek creators the opportunity to discuss their work, the challenges of the creative process, and share best practices.
For the fourth consecutive year, the highly successful speed dating sessions powered by Enterprise Greece will also continue. Greek creators selected by ANIMASYROS will participate in short 20-minute meetings with internationally renowned producers and artists from across Europe and around the world, pitching their ideas and sharing their artistic and professional aspirations with the aim of securing co-productions and professional opportunities within the international animation industry.
Applications should be submitted to social@animasyros.gr by 31 August 2026 and must be accompanied by a short CV/bio and a portfolio showcasing previous professional or/and creative work.
Educational Workshops
This year, ANIMASYROS launches its collaboration with Maria Leonida, documentary filmmaker, co-founder and director of the Karpos Centre for Audiovisual Education, who will undertake the design and coordination of the Festival’s educational activities.
One of the core pillars of ANIMASYROS, the educational workshops of this year’s edition draw inspiration from the Festival’s main theme, “200 Years of Hermoupolis”. Children, teenagers, adults, people with disabilities, as well as the Festival’s beloved “veterans” (senior citizens), will bring the stories of Hermoupolis to life, explore hidden corners of the city through old photographs and archival material, create their own characters, and travel through the city’s 200-year history through the magic of animation.
The workshops will be led by ANIMASYROS’ long-standing educators Margarita Simopoulou, Elena Pavlaki, Agisilaos Robolas, Anna Oikonomou, Thomas Künstler, and Manos Mastorakis, alongside acclaimed artists and professionals from Greece and abroad, including Joseph Conevey and John O’Connell, co-founders of Studio 9 from Ireland, Coke Riobóo Cortes from Spain, and professors from Deree – The American College of Greece, Aliki Kakoulidou and Marina Emmanouil.
Participation in all workshops is free of charge.
The workshops for people with disabilities, organised in collaboration with the Syros–Ermoupolis Municipality Day Care Centre for People with Disabilities (KDAP MeA) and the Special School, are supported by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.
Applications for the workshops can be submitted to education@animasyros.gr until Monday, 14 September 2026.
The full workshop programme, along with further information about each activity, is available on the Festival’s website: animasyros.gr
Useful Information
All screenings and activities of ANIMASYROS 2026, with the exception of the Agora’s professional sessions and events, are free and open to the public.
Agora Accreditation
An Agora Accreditation is required in order to participate in the Agora’s activities and events.
The Agora Accreditation is intended for professionals working in the audiovisual sector, including creators, producers, distributors, festival representatives, investors, and other industry professionals.
The cost of the Agora Accreditation is €80 and can be purchased exclusively through the Ticket Services platform.
The Agora Accreditation includes:
- Access to all Agora activities: presentations, discussions, talks, and masterclasses
- Access to the Agora closed networking events and the Agora party
- Registration and access to the Festival’s list of professionals
- Access to film screenings
- Invitation to the opening and closing ceremonies of ANIMASYROS
- ANIMASYROS tote-bag