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The 14th Animators International Film Festival will bring animation fans together in Istanbul, Türkiye’s largest city, from Oct. 19 to 25.
Under the theme “What Else," the festival will present diverse, innovative productions from independent animation cinema.
Screenings and events will take place at Institut francais Istanbul, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Beyoglu Cinema in the central Beyoglu district, the IBB Istanbul Cinema Office and IMC.
The program includes five feature films that have drawn international attention, 66 international short films selected from 27 countries outside Türkiye, 10 national short films and six out-of-competition short films.
In total, 87 films will be shown across 14 selections, including 10 competition selections on themes such as horror, transformation, freedom, and social crises, as well as special screenings.
“Blaise,” directed by Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue, won the Contrechamps Grand Prize at the Annecy Film Festival in France and will premiere in Türkiye at the festival.
The other features are Louis Clichy’s “Iron Boy” (“Demir Cocuk”), also titled “Le Corset,” Momoko Seto’s “Planetes” ("Gezegenler"); and the Haruki Murakami adaptation “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” (“Kor Sogut ve Uyuyan Kadin”). “Persepolis” will also be screened as a tribute to Marjane Satrapi.
The festival’s guest of honor is Thomas Renoldner, an Austrian artist, academic, and curator described as one of the leading names in experimental animation cinema.
He will attend with a retrospective covering 1990-2024 and a special selection of his work. At a masterclass titled “My Life as an Artist” (“Sanatci Olarak Yasamim”) at Institut francais Istanbul, Renoldner will discuss how he turned his experience with cancer into art, as well as his personal production practice.
South Korean animation director Miyoung Baek will present on how an idea comes to life. French screenwriter Clemence Lebatteux will share her experience in building characters and narratives in animation.
An experimental animation category joins the competition for the first time this year. The international and national selections will award categories including best film, best screenplay, and best sound design.
The main jury includes Renoldner, Baek, and director Sinem Vardarli, who has worked on projects that won British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs). A separate panel of Ayca Ciftci, Ahmet Gurata and Kurtulus Ozyazici will select the SIYAD Award. Viewers will also vote for an Audience Award.
The program also covers animation history in Türkiye. In the Respect Section (“Saygi Kusagi”), the award-winning 1988 short film “Maarif,” with a screenplay by professor Yilmaz Buyukersen, will be screened with a special panel.
In the Restoration Section (“Restorasyon Kusagi”), the award ceremony will screen a restored print of the 1969 cult animation “How Did the Amentu Ship Walk?” (“Amentu Gemisi Nasil Yurudu?”) for the first time. On Oct. 21, a limited-capacity visit to the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Professor Sami Sekeroglu Cinema-TV Center Turkish Film Archive will be held.
Industry professionals will meet at panels on copyright and production processes. Workshops on moving books and character design are open to all ages. Six independent directors selected for the 16th Canlandiranlar Talent Camp will receive mentorship support during the festival.
“Festival Pass” cards grant access to all screenings and can be obtained from the festival's website and the Institut francais Istanbul box office.
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