London International Animation Festival Announces 2026 Line-Up
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Still from The Debutante by Lizzy Hobbs
The London International Animation Festival (LIAF 2026), the UK’s largest, longest-running and most eclectic animation festival returns for its 23rd year celebrating the whole spectrum of animation with a mammoth 27 programmes showcasing every style, technique and genre within animation. A 10-day feast of 250 of the best animated shorts and features from 29 countries around the world, with many of the filmmakers present to introduce their films in person.
Be prepared to feast your eyes on a sumptuous banquet of the world’s best, wildest and most awe-inspiring animated films.
We are excited to be back screening for our live audiences at 5 London venues – the Barbican, the Garden Cinema, the Horse Hospital, the Puppet Theatre Barge and Close Up Cinema.
For those unable to travel to London, virtually the whole festival will also be available WORLDWIDE to view online on our streaming platform, bringing the best independent animation directly into people’s homes. Everything our audience loves about LIAF is being transformed into a virtual version; screenings, free industry panels, audience voting and insightful and entertaining talks.
Screenings will be available daily from 27 November to 6 December, running alongside live and pre-recorded panel discussions with many of the worlds’ leading animators and industry players.
As ever, this year’s uncompromising programme promises to inspire, delight and challenge the notion that animation is merely a bunch of cute cartoons for kids. Independent animation is an art form that continues to thrive and develop as a breathtaking medley of styles, materials, techniques and production – from hand drawn, paint on glass, collage, pixilation, cut outs, puppets, abstract, sand and everything in-between to some of the more interesting and cutting-edge developments in CGI – all of which can be seen at this year’s LIAF.
A snapshot of LIAF 2026
Opening night
On Friday 27 November, Barbican Cinema 1 celebrates one of British animation’s most distinctive and mischievous voices, Lizzy Hobbs, in a special event spanning 25 years of wildly inventive filmmaking. Featuring 30 minutes of films that have inspired her, an hour-long journey through her extraordinary work and an exclusive on-stage conversation with the animator herself, the programme plunges into a world of dubious Napoleon anatomy, Serbian vampires, Scottish cannibals, expressionist heartbreak and runaway debutantes—with a hyena in tow. Blending paint, ink, collage, watercolour, charcoal, typewriter marks, rubber stamps and direct-to-film prints, Hobbs creates tactile, unruly and gloriously alive animations. One animator, 25 years of fearless creativity, and a universe of wonderfully weird stories—discover the inspirations, mischief and magic behind her remarkable work. More details here – https://bit.ly/4zOsn8H
8 x International Competition Programmes
Independent animation is bolder, stranger and more inventive than ever. This year, LIAF celebrates the limitless possibilities of the medium, from hand-drawn, paint-on-glass and collage to puppetry, sculpture, abstract forms and cutting-edge CGI. Selected from a staggering 2,300 submissions, our 8 international competition programmes bring together 75 exceptional new films from 29 countries, spanning the hilarious, the haunting, the bizarre, the beautiful and the deeply personal. Dive into the unexpected, discover your next animation obsession and experience the world’s most exciting independent animation on the big screen.
More details here – https://bit.ly/4ilqtFr
The British Showcase
Bold, inventive and bursting with originality, independent British animation is a cinematic force to be reckoned with. From hand-drawn gems to stop-motion marvels and everything in between, these films capture the many voices, identities and experiences of contemporary Britain, pushing creative boundaries and telling stories you won’t find anywhere else. Nobody screens more British animation than LIAF, and this unmissable snapshot of the nation’s animation scene showcases a vibrant, fearless and wildly imaginative filmmaking community. Meet the animators, hear the stories behind the films and catch the creators live on stage as they introduce their work.
More details here – https://bit.ly/4zLwsKM
3 x Animated Feature films – all UK premieres – from Japan, Brazil and the USA.
O Filho da Puta/Son of a Bitch
A gloriously filthy, anarchic animated romp, taking in family dysfunction, bad behaviour and surreal mayhem and throwing them into one beautifully unhinged blender.
More details here – https://bit.ly/4yFrpdQ
The Orbit of Minor Satellites
A psychiatrist and his troubled patient drift between grief, memory and a hallucinatory Cold War space station in this strange, handmade cosmic odyssey about love, loss and the search for forgiveness.
More details here – https://bit.ly/4yAZGLh
Jinsei
A bullied boy’s extraordinary journey through a century of identities – from J-pop idol to outcast, leader and oracle – unfolds in Ryuya Suzuki’s bold, surreal and entirely hand-drawn anime odyssey. Suzuki wrote, directed, edited, scored and hand-drew the film himself over 18 months.
More details here – https://bit.ly/4zSpvHX
Additional Highlights
LIAF will also host Late Night Bizarre, a programme of the weirdest, wildest and most demented films submitted to LIAF this year; Are You OK?, a programme addressing mental health issues – raising awareness and understanding about emotional well-being, Queer Shorts, celebrating queer lives, loves and imaginations in 10 bold, joyful and beautifully diverse animated shorts that push boundaries, challenge conventions and open up new worlds of connection, visibility and possibility, two children’s screenings for audiences aged 0–15. The festival concludes on the final night with The Best of the Fest, celebrating jury and audience award winners.
Online industry panel discussions – free for all, available worldwide
LIAF presents the 2026 UK Animation Industry Event: seven unmissable panels tackling the hottest topics shaping the industry today. Hear from a dynamic line-up of passionate, candid and insightful experts from across the animation and film worlds as they share ideas, challenge assumptions and offer fresh perspectives. Whether you’re an industry professional, an aspiring animator or simply curious about the business of animation, these essential talks are for you. Free to everyone, worldwide, and streamed live online on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December.
FULL PROGRAMME ONLINE AT https://liaf.org.uk/
Tickets for in-venue screenings available from cinema box-offices.
Passes for online screenings available here: https://liaf2026.eventive.org/passes/buy
VIP PASS – £79 (access to 23 screenings and 7 talks)
CURATOR PASS – £39 (access to 8 screenings of your choice)
Single tickets for online screenings – £5