Fest Anča 2025: A Gala of The Underdog Animations
– The 18th Fest Anča International Animation Festival is all set to dazzle with a rich plethora of animations from around the globe.
– The festival will run from June 24 to 29, 2025, in the charming city of Žilina, breaking the shackles of traditional film platforms.
– A staggering record of 1,800 short animated films have been selected for screening, truly a testament to the creative prowess of the animation world.
– These animations would not be found lurking in your cinemas, lurking behind your online pay walls or hiding under the “Recommended For You” category of your Netflix account. They choose Žilina as their cinematic playground.
Animation Paradise Off the Beaten Path
Taking a cinematic leap of faith
In a world dominated by cute minion memes and blockbuster animations, the Fest Anča International Animation Festival emerges as a beacon of hope for indie animators and admirers alike. With 1,800 unique stories ready to unfold over six days, this festival has become a proverbial mecca for animation enthusiasts who feel trapped in the world of mainstream animation.
And now, time for a hot take: Fest Anča 2025 promises to be the Coachella of animation- not for its love for hipster flower crowns but for its commitment to challenging the status quo, offering a platform to spectacular creations that have been overshadowed by the Disney-Pixars of the world. Remember the thrill of sneaking into an underground gig, embracing the vibrant chaos, the sweet symphony of guitar riffs that might not be perfect but were real? That’s what this festival is—a celebration of raw, untamed, unglossed creativity. So here’s to hoping that these 1,800 maverick animations move us, shock us and, most importantly, make us LOL!
Get Ready for the 18th Edition of the Fest Anca International Animation Festival! Showcasing surpassing animations from around the globe. Catch these films nowhere else but in Zilina, from June 24 to 29, 2025!
Preview: Mambo No.2 (Anne Feldmeier, 2024)
This year, Fest Anca received an astounding 1,800 short animated films from 83 countries! That’s 203 hours or over eight and a half days of uninterrupted viewing. Our pre-selection committee, consisting of Jakub Spevak, Ema Nemcovicova, and Peter Gasparik, worked tirelessly for months to bring you a selection of 218 films.
Winners of the Anca Award for Best Animated Short and Best Slovak Animated Short are eligible to compete in the Oscar Best Animated Short Film Competition.
Featuring Renowned and Rising International Animators
Only 36 films made the final cut, including 13 student productions. Our lineup boasts some of the biggest names in contemporary animation. We’re bringing you top-notch animation that challenges traditional processes and offers an alternative approach to storytelling.
Prepare for a lineup featuring a porcelain doll exploring a snowy landscape, stop-motion animation revealing deep layers of street graffiti and the use of unconventional methods such as 3D scanning and pinscreen animation.
Highlighting Slovakia’s Finest and More
The national competition spotlights Slovakia’s top emerging talents and seasoned veterans. Fest Anca also celebrates the intersection of music and animation with a diverse array of animated music videos to fit every musical taste.
Fest Anca isn’t just for adults. Our children’s competition includes six heartwarming short films full of adventure and friendship, guaranteed to engage audiences of all ages.
Elements of Wonderland and Mordor
Our non-competitive sections offer a fascinating range of films, including animated documentaries, films for children, and non-narrative animations. The Anca in Wonderland and Anca in Mordor sections present a mix of laughter, fear, and bizarre creativity.
Exploring The Theme of ‘Our Bodies’
The primary theme of this year’s festival is ‘Our Bodies.’ We aim to examine and challenge our understanding of physicality, asking provocative questions about our relationship with our bodies. Are our bodies perhaps the ultimate instruments of resistance?
While our focus on ‘Our Bodies’ shapes the festival’s exploration, it did not solely dictate the film selection for the Fest Anca lineup. It will, however, be reflected throughout the festival’s features, retrospectives, and other programming which will be announced in the coming months.
Click here to view the full list of selected films for this year’s festival.
Original article: https://www.skwigly.co.uk/fest-anca-2025-announces-the-best-animated-films-official-selection/