EFM Animation Days (12 - 14 Feb, 2026)
The EFM Animation Days are a new industry platform within the European Film Market, strengthening the visibility of a sector in which Europe excels. The programme brings together producers, financiers, sales companies, broadcasters and distributors to explore international animation projects with strong market potential, build new business connections, and gain practical insights through talks, workshops and curated exchange formats.
With a focus on co-production, financing and creative collaboration, the first edition combines pitch and works-in-progress sessions, case studies and workshops, consultations, as well as targeted networking formats—creating a concentrated animation-focused programme within the EFM.
Programme Overview
Over the course of three days, the EFM Animation Days present a carefully curated selection of early-stage animation projects alongside industry events. The programme brings together regional showcases and international selections, reflecting a broad spectrum of creative approaches and production contexts.
Discover all animation-related events 2026 via the pre-filtered EFM Event Schedule.
Pitch Sessions & WiP
The programme features five curated pitch sessions and one works-in-progress session, presenting a wide range of animated projects—from commercial family entertainment to documentary and arthouse adult animation.
Thursday, Feb 12 | 3pm - Mirror Tent
Spotlight On: Canadian Animation
3 projects curated by Téléfilm Canada
Thursday, Feb 12 | 3.45pm - Mirror Tent
Spotlight On: Central Eastern European Animation
5 projects curated by CEE Animation
Friday, Feb 13 – Cinemobile
Spotlight On: International Animation
7 projects from 7 countries
9am
Spotlight On: German Animation
8 projects
2pm
Spotlight On: UK Animation
5 projects, curated by Animation UK
3.30pm
Friday, Feb 13 | 11am–12.30pm – Gropius Bau Cinema
Annecy Animation Showcase at EFM
5 projects curated by the Annecy International Animation Film Festival
Case Studies & Workshops
Saturday, Feb 14 | 11.30am–12.30pm – Producers Hub (Gropius Bau)
Building Global Animation: Lessons from a UK–Germany Co-production
A case study of The Amazing Maurice 2
Saturday, Feb 14 | 1.15–2.15pm – Producers Hub (Gropius Bau)
Riding the Waves of Real-Time Animation Production
A case study of The Last Whale Singer (a German–Canadian–Czech co-production)
Friday, Feb 13 | 3–4.30pm – Café Connect
Producing Animated Documentaries
Hosted by CEE Animation
Saturday, Feb 14 | 4–5pm – Library at DC
Fritzi’s Journey: Feature Animation to Emmy-Winning Animated Doc Series
A case study hosted by DOK Leipzig
Industry Formats & Networking
Beyond pitching, the Animation Days provide curated spaces to connect and exchange:
Friday, Feb 13 | 9.30–10.30am – Café Connect
DocSalon Opening Breakfast Circle
Co-hosted by FilmFernsehFonds Bayern
Saturday, Feb 14 | 10–11.30am – Event Hall
German Animation Studios: Pitching Excellence
Pitch presentations followed by a panel discussion focusing on collaboration
Followed by an informal meet & mingle at Café Connect
Saturday, Feb 14 | 12–1pm – Event Hall
How can Indie Animation Claim a Seat at the Table?
Animation Panel with Scott Roxborough
in partnership with The Hollywood Reporter
Friday - Monday, Feb 13-16 | daily 2 – 4pm - Café Connect
One-on-one consultations with animation professionals including Sean Clarke (Aardman), Ken Anderson (Red Kite Animation) and Chris Halliday (BFI, Head of Certification).
Booking available via the EFM Event Schedule by the end of January.
Contact
Manu Guddait, Mara Scholer
Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation:
Event Hall | Café Connect | Library (1st floor)
Gropius Bau & Park:
Gropius Bau Cinema | Mirror Tent | EFM Cinemobile
Related Links:
Discover all Spotlight On: Animation Pitches & Work-In Progress via the pre-filtered EFM Event Schedule.
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market partners with the European Film Market in a landmark collaboration. The two leading film festivals and markets are joining forces to debut a curated showcase highlighting animated works-in-progress at various stages of production, designed to attract sales agents, distributors, and festival recognition. The showcase offers an exclusive preview of tomorrow’s most promising animated features.
A Door to the Woods
Two young Poles split by war—Antek hiding in Breslau and Wiktor surviving a gulag —are reunited decades later through Jola, Antek’s granddaughter, whose creative future Wiktor helps unlock.
Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
Director: Jola Kudela
Writer: Aga Lesiewicz
Genre: Historical Drama
Artistic technique: 2D, 3D, Rotoscope
Expected release date: 2028
Production companies: Opus Film, Les Films Du Poisson Rouge, PFX
Countries of production: Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
Contact:
Granny is a Tree!
Granny Onion has taken one last eternal after-lunch nap. Her granddaughter Jane decides to fulfill her last wish against her mother’s decision. She’ll set off on a wild escape to the edge of the tangible world, alongside her granny’s facetious ghost.
France, Luxembourg
Director: Hugo de Faucompret
Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Modern tale Artistic technique: 2D, hand-painted backgrounds
Expected release date: 2028
Production companies: Laïdak Films, Dandelooo, Doghouse
Contact:
MouMoush – The King of Plastic
The summer vacation of two curious teenage siblings from Paris takes an unexpected turn in Transylvania, into a time-travel adventure where they find themselves fighting MouMoush – the King of Plastic, a powerful man aiming for world domination.
Hungary
Director: Milorad Krstic
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Artistic technique: 2D, 3D
Expected release date: 2028
Production companies: Mumus Production LLC
Country of production: Hungary
Email of the main contact: Radmila Roczkov,
Pesta
As the horrors of the Black Death fuels fear and superstition, Catholic noble girl Astrid experiences the bliss of first love with Ilkka, a heathen outcast. When Ilkka is accused of witchcraft by a system based on lies, telling the truth becomes the most dangerous act of all.
Norway, Germany, France
Director: Hanne Berkaak
Genre: Romantic Horror
Artistic technique: 2D
Expected release date: 2029
Production companies: Mikrofilm, Knudsen Pictures, Rosalie Films and Charades
Email of the main contact: Tonje Skar Reiersen,
Zako
Zako – that’s how the Germans called the Armenian painter Sargis Mangasaryan, who endured the hell of concentration camps. Zako survived by drawing portraits of his tormentors. In 1956, he visits a Picasso exhibition and is stunned as he stands before the great master’s iconic work: Guernica. Zako realizes how much he had missed in his own art. Though his talent saved his life, it was stifled first by war and then by the Soviet dictatorship.
Armenia, France, Lithuania
Director: Tigran Arakelyan
Genre: Historical Drama
Artistic technique: 3D
Expected release date: 2028, 2029
Production companies: OnOff Studio, Sacrebleu Productions, Broom Films
Email of the main contact: Susanna Khachatryan,
Annecy Animation Showcase EFM in partnership with:
Since 1960, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival celebrates the richness and diversity of global animation in all its many forms. Organised by CITIA, it is now the second largest film festival in France and the third largest in the world, and is today recognised as a global benchmark for animation film.
In 2026, this international reach will take on a whole new dimension with an extraordinary year-round venue: the Cité internationale du cinéma d'animation. The grand opening will take place in June, during the next Festival.
EFM Animation Days supported by
Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung:
Spotlight On: UK Animation at EFM’s Animation Days 2026 is proudly supported by the BFI National Lottery UK Focus Fund, with the support of Animation UK as programme partner.
Media Partner
Programme & Event Partners
