The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) and Anima, the Brussels International Animation Film Festival, are delighted to announce a new partnership, with a FIPRESCI jury joining the festival for the first time at its 46th edition, taking place from 19 to 28 February 2027.
One of Europe’s leading festivals devoted exclusively to animation, Anima has spent more than four decades demonstrating just how expansive the art form can be. From traditional drawing and stop-motion to digital animation and virtual reality, from student discoveries and experimental shorts to feature films for audiences of all ages, the festival brings the many languages of frame-by-frame filmmaking together in the heart of Brussels.
Founded in 1982, Anima has grown into an important meeting point for filmmakers, industry professionals, critics and audiences, welcoming more than 40,000 visitors annually. Its main home is the iconic Flagey building, while its programme extends to other Brussels venues and, through decentralized screenings, across Wallonia and Flanders. The festival’s international standing is further reflected in its status as both an Academy Award®-qualifying and BAFTA-qualifying festival.
Its history also tells a story of discovery. As early as 1984, Anima welcomed a then little-known Tim Burton, while subsequent editions have hosted major figures of international animation including Peter Lord, Michael Dudok de Wit and, more recently, filmmakers representing some of the most dynamic developments in contemporary animation.
The new collaboration represents a natural expansion of FIPRESCI’s presence across the diverse forms of contemporary cinema. Animation has long been a space for extraordinary formal invention, artistic experimentation and storytelling unrestricted by the boundaries of physical reality. Establishing a FIPRESCI jury at Anima recognizes the importance of bringing sustained critical attention to this constantly evolving cinematic language.
Anima Festival co-directors Dominique Seutin and Nicolas Moins: “Anima is delighted to welcome a FIPRESCI jury for its 2027 edition. Throughout its 47-year history, the ANIMA Festival has always sought to offer the widest possible audience a broad and open perspective on the world of animation, an art form that has continued to grow and earn its rightful recognition within cinema. The presence of this prestigious FIPRESCI jury at Anima is further testament to that recognition. The international competition presented to the jury offers a unique opportunity to explore the richness, diversity, power and beauty of animated cinema from across the globe. This collaboration with FIPRESCI marks a new milestone, and one we are delighted to celebrate”.
Kévin Giraud, the Head of FIPRESCI Animation Subsection: “It is a true pleasure to start this new collaboration with the Brussels International Animation Festival. Anima is one of the oldest European animation festivals, and has been championing the medium for more than four decades in the very heart of Europe. Bringing a FIPRESCI jury to the festival, and to animated festivals all around the world represents not only a new step in the history of our association, but also a new opportunity for journalists to discover the richness of what animation as an art form has to offer. Anima is a one-of-a-kind event where family audiences, adult animation fans and industry professionals all gather around animation in a friendly atmosphere, and I am convinced that this first jury will mark the beginning of a significant, long-lasting and fruitful collaboration”.
The FIPRESCI jury will follow the festival’s International Competition, comprising six competition programmes: four dedicated to professional films and two to student works. The jury will encounter a broad panorama of contemporary international animation and select the recipient of the first FIPRESCI Prize at Anima.
Further details regarding the FIPRESCI jury composition will be announced in due course.
© FIPRESCI 2026