Animest

Animest is Romania’s most important animation film festival, celebrated annually in October in Bucharest, and the country’s only Oscar-qualifying film festival.

Each year, since 2006, Animest presents a carefully curated mix of competitive and non-competitive sections, featuring international and local films across categories such as short films, feature films, student projects, music videos, VR and Minimest—an exclusive program for children. The festival is also renowned for its established special events, including the Creepy Animation Night, Trippy Animation Night, Erotica, Animusic Night, and cine-concerts.

Beyond entertainment, Animest champions three key priorities: education, inclusion, and sustainability, and builds its projects according to them. Sisterhood of Young Animation Auteurs is the first large-scale project dedicated to increasing the number of female filmmakers leading their own animation projects. Minimest Academy and The Animation Incubator are two other major educational projects of the Festival. Eyes and Ears is a project aimed at making the festival experience inclusive for the hearing impaired audiences.

Animest also fosters professional growth through workshops and pitching events and remains devoted to its role as facilitator between the Romanian and international animation communities through collaborations with international networks such as the Animation Festival Network.