Frame-by-Frame Eco-Education at Animest.21: Kids Become Active Viewers at Minimest

Between October 2-11, 2026, the 21st edition of the Animest International Animation Film Festival is ready to welcome and charm its youngest cinephiles. Minimest, our section dedicated to kids and families, returns with an impressive selection of feature and short films exploring powerful, timely topics in line with this year's festival theme: NATURE. Beyond the screenings, we have prepared an enticing series of creative workshops, as well as the Kids Corner, a space designed for quality family time. Get your Family Pass on Eventbook.

So, what can families expect? First: a carefully curated film selection. The section's main focus remains education through film: "In a world where kids are increasingly drawn to screens, I believe one of our challenges is no longer keeping them away from screens, but helping them discover how to look at, understand, and evaluate what they see," explains Andreea Stan, Minimest coordinator. "Animation can inspire conversations, help develop empathy and imagination, and help kids form their own opinions. That's what we're trying to do through Minimest. [...] The Minimest Mini-Jury also plays an important role in our mission, because we want kids' voices to be a real part of the festival. Every year, children from the audience become jurors and watch the films in competition, analyze them, and award the section's trophy. It's a simple but important exercise: we encourage them to watch closely, argue for what they like, and see that their opinion about a film matters."

The Short Film Competition: Kids' Voices Matter

This year's Minimest competition brings together 20 international short films grouped in three programs, emphasizing emotions, imagination, family, and the relationship between humans and the environment. The films competing for the trophy awarded by the Mini-Jury include productions with a remarkable visual and civic message. Examples include The Song of Storms (directed by Caroline Attia Larivière), a captivating story about the signs nature gives us and the link between weather phenomena and animal behavior, as well as Aller & Retour (directed by Michele Greco and Lucia Bulgheroni), which follows, without dialogue and through the eyes of two little stoats, how they adapt to change and how human intervention affects nature.

The Minimest selection also includes moving life stories, such as Dog and Tree (directed by Franka Sachse), a retrospective chronicle of the friendship between an aging dog and a tree, as well as humorous comedies such as 3 Captains (directed by Julia Ocker), which presents an unusual way of resolving a conflict aboard a ship. Also in competition is Under the Sun, which explores the curiosity and innocence of childhood through a distinctive tactile aesthetic populated by extremely expressive puppets. The film comes from Spanish directors Anna Solanas and Marc Riba, a renowned duo with over 150 international awards to their name, whom our audiences might recognize from past festival editions, including the first Animest, in 2006.

Minimest Competition Teaser:

Coming-of-Age Journeys on the Silver Screen: Feature Films for the Whole Family

On Animest.21 weekend mornings, grab the fam and stop by the cinema to enjoy feature films that have already charmed audiences at prestigious festivals such as Annecy or Cannes – all in special screenings, most of them national premieres or previews.

Among this year's most anticipated films is Lucy Lost, produced by the renowned French studio Xilam Animation (known for the multi-award-winning I Lost My Body). Selected this year both at Cannes and in the official competition at Annecy, the film is the feature directorial debut of Olivier Clert, already an established animator who’s worked on international productions such as Klaus and The Little Prince. An adaptation of the bestselling novel Listen to the Moon by British author Michael Morpurgo (the author of the famous War Horse), the film is set in the turmoil of World War I and follows Lucy, a mysterious little girl rescued by a family from an isolated fishing village. Beyond its magical elements, the animation explores profound themes such as isolation, tolerance, and children's resilience in the face of trauma, with rare delicacy throughout. Praised by Variety for its superbly rendered landscapes, "frequently lit like an English Romantic painting," and lauded for its visual style, clearly influenced by the classic Studio Ghibli aesthetic, this film is a refined cinematic experience sure to bring different generations together.

Magic and caring for the environment blend perfectly in The Girl in the Clouds, a French-Belgian co-production marking the feature debut of director Philippe Riche, already known for his contributions to famous franchises such as Arthur and the Minimoys. The film centers on Providence, a dreamy 12-year-old whose life changes completely after she finds a magic feather that can turn absolutely any wish she writes down into reality. Joined by Airbag, her talking, funny guinea pig, our young heroine sets off on a fantastic adventure above the clouds to save her planet from an ecological disaster. Thus, the movie celebrates courage, the power of imagination, and the importance of protecting nature, offering little viewers a vital lesson about responsibility and hope.

Our animated curriculum also includes The Secret of the Great Tits (directed by Antoine Lanciaux), which already boasts over 60 selections and seven international awards, just one year after release. The animation stands out thanks to the painstaking traditional technique based on cut paper (papier découpé), which gives it a poetic aesthetic and an authentic warmth. What of the story? Nine-year-old Lucie is spending the summer with her archeologist mom. Alongside her friend Yann and an unusual gang of animals, including two insistent birds (the titular great tits), Lucie explores the past to unravel a mysterious family secret. The success of this candid universe has even inspired an illustrated novel, published in collaboration with France's National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research, underscoring the film's exceptional educational value.

Born in the Jungle, directed by the acclaimed Latvian filmmaker and illustrator Edmunds Jansons, transports viewers of all ages back to the 1950s, straight into the heart of the Venezuelan jungle, close to the spectacular Angel Falls. Partially inspired by the life of explorer Aleksandrs Laime, the story centers on Elisabetha, a nine-year-old girl who must set her books aside and show formidable courage to find her younger brother, lost in the thick of the jungle. Beyond the suspenseful adventure, this animation will win your heart with its friendly, vibrant visual aesthetic that blends cut-out technique with 2D elements – reminiscent of the unique charm of children's book illustrations. Another irresistible detail? Beyond the exotic fauna, the film features Fluffy, an adorable otter-hamster hybrid. Presented at Animest.21 in its national preview, the film will also be screened in an accessible version, for viewers with various hearing or visual abilities, turning this spectacular foray into nature into a truly inclusive cinematic experience.

The Minimest selection is rounded out by Brave Cat (directed by Gabriel Osorio), the first feature film from the prestigious Chilean studio Punkrobot, directed by the winner of the first Academy Award in Chile's history (for the short film Bear Story). Awarded the Audience Award at the Annecy Festival, Brave Cat stands out thanks to its organic aesthetic which includes 3D scans of natural elements from Patagonia. Amid this vibrant backdrop, three unlikely companions – a young wildcat, an old bear escaped from the circus, and an abandoned puppy – set off on a dangerous journey in search of their lost families. Transcending the boundaries of a classic adventure, the film is a moving allegory about the disappearances during the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, tackling themes such as loss and forgiveness with disarming depth. In celebration of this message of empathy, Animest will donate part of the proceeds from the screening of this film to an animal shelter.

Nature: a Source of Inspiration for Minimest Workshops

For our youngest animation fans, the Animest.21 festival experience will continue beyond the movie theater. Trainers Nicoleta Miron and Diana Necșulescu will facilitate eight themed workshops combining creativity with respect for the environment. During stop-motion animation workshops – Animated Nature and Dance of the Plants – kids will use recycled materials, plasticine, and natural elements (leaves, twigs) to bring their own stories to life. Meanwhile, during The Little Ecosystem, participants will build and animate sets using LEGO pieces combined with recyclable materials, to better understand the balance of nature.

The comics workshops – Cherry Plum Diary and Where Is Nature? – will challenge kids to exercises in imagination and empathy about the role of the environment. Some of these educational initiatives – the Dance of the Plants and Where Is Nature? workshops, along with two special screenings – are supported this year by Ceetrus, a real estate company focusing on sustainable transformation. A truly special moment in the Minimest program is the Relaxed Film Workshop, held on Sunday, October 11, in collaboration with the Supereroi printre Noi (Heroes Among Us) Association, followed by a short film screening. Adapted for neurodivergent kids, this creative workshop will offer them a safe and welcoming environment to explore the magic of animation.

Get full details about the films and workshops on the Animest official website.

And remember: on both festival weekends, you can stop by the Kids Corner, a special space set up in the lobby of the Peasant Museum Cinema. Here, kids can spend quality time with their parents before and after the Minimest film screenings, enjoying coloring pages and books offered by Niculescu Publishing House.

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The Animest Festival is a project of the Animest Association, co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN).

This project does not officially represent the AFCN's stance, nor may AFCN be held responsible for the festival's content or outcomes – these are fully under the beneficiary's responsibility.

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