Fest Anča International Animation Festival (Medzinárodný festival animácie Fest Anča)

Fest Anča International Animation Festival

Medzinárodný festival animácie Fest Anča

Also known as: Fest Anca
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Fest Anča International Animation Festival in Žilina, Slovakia, focuses on animated film primarily for adult audiences. It was founded in 2008 at the Stanica Žilina-Záriečie cultural centre by animation students of the Academy of Performing Arts (VŠMU), and the festival still takes place there, in the New Synagogue and in other venues across the city. It is organised by the non-profit association ANČA and has been a founding member of the Animation Festival Network since 2020.

Each edition is built around a theme that reflects a social issue; past themes include utopias, women in animation, identity and propaganda. Films compete for the Anča Award in international competitions of animated shorts, student films and music videos, in a Slovak competition, and in a children’s competition judged by children. Winners of Best Animated Short and Best Slovak Animated Short qualify for the Academy Awards. The programme also includes the Student Forum for animation schools and Slovak Industry Day. The dates for the 2027 edition, the festival’s 20th anniversary, are 29 June – 4 July 2027.

Country

Slovakia

Focus

Animation

Categories

Animation, Music Video, Short, Student

Dates

29 June 2027 — 4 July 2027

Awards and prizes

Anča Awards (categories and prize money of the 2026 edition): Best Animated Short – international competition of animated shorts made in the last two years, decided by an international jury; 1,500 EUR. Best Student Animated Short – international competition of student animated shorts, decided by the same international jury; 1,000 EUR. Best Animated Music Video – international competition of animated music videos, decided by an international jury; 1,000 EUR. Best Animated Short for Children – international competition of animated shorts for children, decided by a children's jury; 1,000 EUR. Best Slovak Animated Short – Slovak competition of animated shorts, decided by an international jury; 1,500 EUR. Juries may award special mentions. Winners of Best Animated Short and Best Slovak Animated Short are eligible for the Academy Awards short film categories.

Festival rules

Summary of the regulations of the 19th edition (2026): - Competitions accept animated films under 30 minutes; for 2026, films completed after 1 January 2024. - The Slovak competition accepts works with the majority participation of a Slovak producer or Slovak filmmaker; such films may be considered for it automatically. - Films must be original and created by humans. Works made with the help of artificial intelligence are accepted if the artist's direct contribution is evident. - Submissions are made through FilmFreeway. The 2026 call ran from 31 October 2025 to 31 January 2026: free until 30 November 2025, then 5 EUR per film in December and 10 EUR per film in January. - Selected films are screened in their original version with English subtitles (unless the original is in English), without screening fees. - A submitted film cannot be withdrawn after selection; submitted copies stay in the festival archive. Submitters are informed of the selection by 31 March. - The festival may use up to 20% of a film (a maximum 1-minute sequence) and film stills for promotion. - Submitters of selected films receive festival accreditation; travel costs are arranged individually. - Submitting the entry form and the film means acceptance of the regulations. 2027 call on FilmFreeway: opens 31 October 2026; earlybird deadline 30 November 2026, regular deadline 31 December 2026, late deadline 31 January 2027; notification 31 March 2027.

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