CINANIMA, every year in October since 2014, reaches out to 18 Portuguese academic partners, covering the entire national territory, by showcasing a selection of the best international auteur animation cinema. This includes three programmes, featuring around 30 short films.

The initiative first took place at the University of Porto and has been expanding year by year to many other higher education institutions in Portugal. Examples include UTAD – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, the Universities of Aveiro and Coimbra (2016), the Universities of Beira Interior and Algarve (2017), the School of Arts at the Catholic University and the University of Madeira (2018), and the Universities of Minho (Braga and Guimarães campuses) and the Azores in 2019.

In 2021, the University Lusófona of Humanities and Technologies (ULHT), the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), the School of Arts and Design (ESAD), and the School of Media Arts and Design (ESMAD) joined the initiative.

In 2022, the initiative included the Polytechnic Institutes of Portalegre, Guarda, and Bragança.