The commemorative edition takes place between 6 and 22 November, running for 17 days for the first time.
CINANIMA – International Animated Film Festival of Espinho – announces the official selection for its 50th edition, which will take place between 6 and 22 November, marking half a century of history with an extensive programme.
For the first time, the Festival will run for 17 days strengthening its connection with the public and creating more opportunities to celebrate five decades dedicated to animated cinema. This special edition marks a milestone in the festival’s history, reaffirming CINANIMA’s commitment to discovering new directors, promoting artistic creation and raising the profile of animated films amongst audiences of all ages.
Under the theme ‘Dreams Shape Our Lives’, inspired by António Gedeão’s poem ‘Pedra Filosofal’, CINANIMA celebrates dreams as a transformative force in life. At this particularly symbolic moment, as it marks its 50th anniversary, the Festival chooses to look to the future through imagination, creativity and animation’s ability to shape new ways of thinking about and experiencing the world.
Official Selection: diversity, talent and innovation
With entries from a wide range of countries and international co-productions, the Festival received over 2,400 submissions. The International Short Film Competition features 34 films. France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic and the United States are just some of the countries represented in a selection that reflects the global nature of contemporary animation. Portugal will be represented by three films in this competition: “Terminal”, by Alexandre Siqueira; “No Princípio”, by Ala Nunu; and “Virgin Fandango”, by Marcy Page, a Portuguese co-production featuring Abi Feijó.
The International Student Film Competition also features 34 films, establishing itself this year as the category that received the highest number of submissions. The selection includes films from countries such as Japan, Mexico, France, Germany, Canada, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia and the United Kingdom, reflecting a wide variety of techniques, visual languages and narrative approaches.
This competition continues to stand out as an important international platform for discovering new talent in animation
The selection for the International Feature Film Competition will be announced shortly.
All Aboard reinforces its commitment to diversity in animation
Following its debut in 2025, the All Aboard International Competition returns to CINANIMA with 24 films, establishing itself as a platform dedicated to the aesthetic and narrative diversity of contemporary animation.
The selection brings together works from different regions and cultures, exploring traditional, digital and experimental techniques, and reflecting the rich variety of styles that characterises animation today.
Portuguese cinema continues to take centre stage
CINANIMA remains committed to promoting national film production through its Portuguese competitions.
António Gaio Award, the most prestigious national honour awarded by the Festival, will feature 10 films in competition this year.
Meanwhile, the Young Portuguese Director Competition features 13 films made by Portuguese animation students aged between 15 and 25, from various higher education institutions, and 10 works created by children and teenagers up to the age of 15, produced mainly in the context of workshops, schools and educational projects.
These competitions continue to play a key role in discovering and promoting new Portuguese authors.
Young Dolphin Award: one of the new features for the 50th anniversary
This commemorative edition of CINANIMA will also be marked by the launch of the Young Dolphin Award, a new competitive section aimed at children and young people, with the official selection to be announced in September.
This new competition aims to introduce children and young people to animated films through free screenings in Portugal, in various CPLP countries and at a number of Portuguese schools across Europe, encouraging them to engage with high-quality films and helping to build new audiences.
The prizes for this competition will be awarded by a jury of children and young people, directly involving the younger generations in the festival’s 50th-anniversary celebrations and reinforcing the educational mission that CINANIMA has been pursuing throughout its history.
Half a century of dreaming of the future
Over the course of five decades, CINANIMA has established itself as one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious animated film festivals, keeping pace with developments in international animation and helping to discover countless generations of directors.
In this edition, which marks its fiftieth anniversary, the festival renews this commitment by presenting an official selection that spans different regions, techniques, sensibilities and generations of directors, keeping alive the spirit that inspires this year’s theme: as long as there are those who dream, there will be a way forward.
The full programme for the 50th edition, including the Feature Films in Competition and the selection for the new Young Dolphin Competition, will be announced shortly.
