2026 National Animation Film Festival: Adaptation in the Spotlight

32nd National Animation Film Festival Unveils Its Program

From April 7 to 12, Rennes will host the 32nd edition of the festival dedicated to French animation and its talents. Nearly 150 short and feature films will be presented to both the general public and industry professionals, while special screenings and events will highlight the annual theme: adaptation.

Founded in 1983 by AFCA (the French Animation Film Association), the National Animation Film Festival aims to promote animated cinema through distribution and educational initiatives. A showcase for French animation and a platform for the future of the industry, the event returns to Rennes from April 7 to 12 with support from the CNC (French National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image).

The Competition section will feature sixty-nine short films from the past year, divided into ten programs. The Panorama section will consist of seventy-eight works, including series, music videos, self-produced films, workshop productions, and feature films. Among them, several adaptations tie into this 32nd edition’s central theme: Les Légendaires by Guillaume Ivernel (supported by the ATA – Animation Technique Assistance), Allah is Not Obliged by Zaven Najjar (supported by an advance on receipts, original music creation assistance, and feature film development assistance), Olivia by Irene Iborra (supported by the ATA – Animation Technique Assistance), and a marathon screening of the series Splinter Cell, created by Derek Kolstad (supported by the C2i international tax credit).

Numerous events will explore the relationship between animation and comic books, novels, and video games. Screenwriter Marie de Banville, known for Tobie Lolness, will lead a masterclass on the challenges of writing for animation. A “Behind the Scenes” session focused on La Quête d’Ewilan will take audiences behind the production of the series adapted from Pierre Bottero’s novels, followed by a screening of the first two episodes. A roundtable discussion on adaptation will also examine the financial and artistic stakes of this rapidly growing practice.

Other highlights punctuate the program. Filmmaker Michel Ocelot will present Les Lapins Trois-Oreilles in a 360-degree immersive session at the Planetarium, while a meeting will be held with César Award-winning composer Arnaud Toulon for his work on Arco by Ugo Bienvenu.

Special screenings will focus on the connections between documentary and animation, such as the program “People Who Doubt” and the screening of The Trial against Mandela and the Others (UFO Production, Rouge International), followed by a discussion with co-director Gilles Porte. Conceived as a bridge between cinema and video games, the “Animated Dystopias” screening will pair a game and a film in dialogue: Bioshock, created by Ken Levine (2K Games), and April and the Extraordinary World, directed by Franck Ekinci and Christian Desmares (Je suis bien content). Additionally, the festival will hold repertory screenings in tribute to two figures of animated cinema, André Martin and Co Hoedeman.

Alongside the screenings, several workshops will be offered. These will include an introduction to stop-motion with musical loops and a discovery of pre-cinema techniques. An exhibition conceived by Jean-François Laguionie and Anik Le Ray will trace the design and production stages of Jean-François Laguionie’s film Slocum et moi (supported by the ATA – Animation Technique Assistance, selective distribution assistance, original music creation assistance, and feature film development assistance). A second exhibition will immerse festival-goers in the making of the first feature-length cut-out animated film in a hundred years: Le Secret des Mésanges by Antoine Lanciaux (supported by selective distribution assistance, the ATA – Animation Technique Assistance, and feature film development assistance).

Over 500 industry professionals will participate in the festival’s professional section. Three days of exchanges, debates, and information will be offered around five thematic tracks: distribution/exhibition, technology, stop-motion, production, and writing.

The festival will close with the screening of the unreleased film Au cœur des ténèbres by Rogerio Nunes (Special Touch Studios).