A Showdown in Pilsen: Animated Projects take the Spotlight at CEE Animation Forum 2025
– 29 animated projects will compete in a Pitching Competition, with another 40 on the Market.
– Almost 200 industry professionals are expected from various sectors including European broadcasters, festivals, leading distributors and production houses.
– Pilsen will host the CEE Animation Forum, a key event for pitching, financing, and co-production of European animated projects on November 4–6, 2025.
– The 13th edition of this event promises to showcase intense creativity.
Keeping Tabs on the ‘Animate’ Affairs
Watch This Space for Cartoony Capitalism!
The CEE Animation Forum 2025 in Pilsen is shaping up to be the Olympics of European animation. With 29 projects duking it out in the pitching ring, another 40 strutting their stuff on the Market, and nearly 200 industry bigwigs fluttering around, it’s bound to be more jam-packed than a Looney Tunes cartoon. The Forum, a veritable “Who’s Who” in the business of animation balkanisation, will be back this November to Pilsen – a city famous for beer and drawing, proving once again that art and ale do mix.
And as for the 13th edition of this event? Well, they’re hoping to spotlight some serious creativity in the field, but we say bring on the talking animals and fart jokes. After all, why mess with a winning formula? Good luck to all the candidates, and remember: in animation, every frame’s a painting, but only some make it into a Simpsons meme.
A Whacky Conclusion: Brace for Animation Invasion!
In conclusion, the CEE Animation Forum is a hub of excitement for anyone involved in or fanatical about the animation industry. This forthcoming event in Pilsen is not just about numbers – 29 Pitching Competition competitors, 40 Market-toting projects, nearly 200 professionals, but also the luminous creativity that pervades this field. From a talking potato to a dancing dinosaur, who knows what’ll crawl out of the animator’s sketchbook this time? Stay tuned, animation aficionados – it’s about to get drawn-in-right!
Highlighting 29 Pitching Contestants, 40 Market Entrants, and 200 Key Animation Industry Professionals
The renowned networking hub for European animated projects, CEE Animation Forum, is set to make a vibrant return to Pilsen from November 4–6, 2025. The 13th gathering will showcase European animation ingenuity through its 29 pitching projects stemming from 15 countries, placed into four categories: 9 short films, 8 student shorts, 6 series, and 6 feature films. This year’s entrants originates mainly from Central Eastern Europe, but with a good mix of West European countries.
Nearly 200 industry professionals, including producers, directors, broadcasters, sales agents, and national film fund representatives, will be in attendance. The juries of this year consist of some of the most successful names in the industry, such as the representative from NRK – Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and experts from the international distribution and sales realm.
The two-day schedule includes pitching sessions, an award ceremony to be held on November 6, Market activities, one-to-one discussions, and networking opportunities. A panel discussion focusing on boosting the funding for European Animation, emphasizes the new CODA Codevelopment Award, a venture by CEE Animation with the support of various national film funds to bolster Central and Eastern European animation.
This year’s Market is slated to feature a variety of animated projects at various production stages, aiding authors to explore their project lineup and find potential collaborators with ease.
Central and Eastern Europe has emerged as an innovation and talent hub in the European animation scenario. Our aim is to augment networking, broaden visibility for studios, and provide them with the right partners to push their projects forward. The CEEA Forum is about more than just pitching—it’s about fostering a community.
Marta Jallageas, Managing Director
The pitching projects will be vying for prizes worth over €50,000, including placements at leading European training programmes, markets, and services. In addition to CEE Animation Forum awards, there will also be an Audience Award, a CEEA Workshop Scholarship Award, and six partner awards supported by Ciclic Residency, CARTOON Movie, Forum and Springboard, Young Horizons Industry, TVPaint, Travelling Distribution and BRATROnice Residency.
CEE Animation Forum is funded by Creative Europe MEDIA, co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia via International Visegrad Fund, Czech Audiovisual Fund, Audiovisual Producers’ Association Czechia, the Ministry of Culture Czechia, Czech-German Future Fund, and Pilsen Region.
Original article: https://www.skwigly.co.uk/cee-animation-forum-2025-set-to-kick-off-in-pilsen/