Festival of Childhood, Kindness and Creativity - Animaevka-2026 Festival of Animated Films opened in Mogilev

The XXIX International Animated Film Festival “Animaevka-2026” started in Mogilev, which will last until October 2. By tradition, the competition will select the best animated films, works of children's animated creativity, children's fine and decorative and applied creativity. This season, another nomination was added - now the jury will determine the "Best Animator of an Animated Film", reports sb.by.

Almost 2 thousand applications from 99 countries of the world were submitted for participation in the festival this year. For the first time, authors from 11 countries, including Kenya, Nepal, Senegal and Yemen, are participating in the competitions. During the days of Animaevka, screenings of animated films, creative meetings, master classes, presentations, exhibitions are planned.

The holiday began on the street in front of the cinema “Rodina” – the organizers prepared creative performances, after which the participant and the jury of the competition traditionally passed along the red carpet. The festival has long become a cultural brand of the region, says the head of the culture department of the Mogilev regional executive committee Alexander Zhigun:

- This is a landmark event not only for the region, but also for Belarus, because this is the only animated film festival that takes place on our territory. And I would like to note that every year the festival adds more and more participants. If earlier we started with 47 participating states, this year we have a record of 99 participating countries and almost two thousand applications. This shows that interest in Belarus, Mogilev region and animated cinema is growing and in great demand. And, of course, the festival knows no borders - we show that Mogilev region is always ready to receive guests and conduct a dialogue in the cultural space. This is a real Mogilev brand. And next year we will have the 30th anniversary of the festival. I am sure that we will grow in geography. The holiday next year will be even bigger.

Chairman of the jury of the animated film competition, Honored Artist of Belarus Igor Volchek noted that the secret of the longevity of Animaevka is its sincerity:

- When we first conceived this project in the Minsk cinema “October”, it was not even a festival, but just a modest holiday of animation. But after moving to Mogilev, he acquired a completely different scale and official status. Honestly, I could not imagine that he would grow and grow stronger. Behind each such holiday is a colossal work of an amazing team. I have been to many international festivals and I know how much effort it takes to organize an event of this level. Today, there is a huge interest in our business both from the state and from people who sincerely burn with animation. For me, animation is not just a job, but a source of daily joy and satisfaction throughout my life. Yes, the years are taking their toll, and now our main task is to pass on the experience of young people. And the young guys are just wonderful! And our festival just gives them a great chance to express themselves, to show everything they are capable of.

One of the most interesting parts of the festival are creative workshops. Homeland and Cosmos cinemas will become huge interactive laboratories. They don’t just watch movies, they make them. Within the framework of the festival days, unique master classes will be held, where young spectators under the guidance of masters from Belarus, Russia and China will try themselves as animators, master the stop-motion technique, work with classical plasticine and even test modern neural networks for character generation.

Among the guests of the festival is animated film director and comic book author, Beijing Film Academy teacher Xi Chen. By the way, this is not his first experience with Animaevka:

- A few years ago, I was on the jury of the competition, also participated in the commission for the selection of paintings. And I can say that during this time, just over the past two years, the quality of work has greatly improved. The number of applications has also increased. I saw a lot of works that were already known at this festival. This year, when we participated in the conference together with the jury, it was very difficult, as all the works are presented in a very good technique, in very good quality, but I am pleased with the results and work with the jury team.

The results of the festival will be announced at the closing ceremony of the festival on October 2.