Multi-Awarded Feature Films from Major Animation Festivals: Stories of Satire, Living History and Magical Realism Outside the International Feature Films Competition

Over 320 animated productions make up the full program of the 21st edition of Animest (October 2-11, 2026): a 10-day cinematic marathon for animation fans of all ages. The selection of out-of-competition feature films includes several of the year’s most acclaimed international animations, presented and awarded at the world's leading festivals.

Among these films is Decorado, Alberto Vázquez's third feature film, after the acclaimed Birdboy: The Forgotten Children and Unicorn Wars. An extension of the multi-award-winning 2016 short film of the same name, this Spanish production was crowned Best Animated Feature Film at the 2026 Goya Awards and the 2026 Quirino Awards. Vázquez has built a psychological black comedy with existential thriller accents about Arnold, a middle-aged mouse who strongly suspects that his entire life is nothing more than a play directed by the megacorporation ALMA (Almighty Limitless Megacorporative Agency). Proven correct, he embarks on a desperate escape from this fabricated reality.

The film will be screened twice: Saturday, October 3, at 8.30 PM at the Peasant Museum Cinema, and Saturday, October 10, at 9 PM at the Eforie Cinematheque.

From the screens at Cannes, where it evoked minutes of standing ovations, comes Tangles (directed by Leah Nelson). Faithfully adapted from the autobiographical graphic novel by Sarah Leavitt, the film's black-and-white hand-drawn 2D animation creates surreal visual metaphors portraying the confusion and disorientation brought about by dementia in Sarah's vibrant mother. Produced by a team that includes Seth Rogen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the feature film brings together a remarkable cast which also includes Abbi Jacobson, Bryan Cranston, Beanie Feldstein, and Wanda Sykes. They breathe life into the alternatingly light and heavy snippets of a young woman's suddenly upturned life as she's forced to make peace with her mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis.

The film will be screened twice: Saturday, October 3, at 6.30 PM at the Peasant Museum Cinema, and Saturday, October 10, at 7 PM at the Eforie Cinematheque.

Historical fact and dark fantasy meld in Dog of God, brothers Lauris and Raitis Ābele's latest, nominated for Best European Animated Film at the European Film Awards 2026, and Latvia's official entry for the Oscars. Animated in an abrasive rotoscoping technique that combines live-action footage with a psychedelic palette and a contemporary electronic soundtrack composed by Lauris Ābele, the script is based on the real-life trial of Thiess of Kaltenbrun in the year 1692. In a village ravaged by religious fanaticism and guilt, the 80-year-old claimed to be a werewolf in the service of divinity, descending into hell to snatch the community's crops back from the clutches of demons.

The film will be screened twice: Friday, October 9, at 8.30 PM at the Peasant Museum Cinema, and Sunday, October 11, at 8.30 PM at Cinema Elvire Popesco.

We move on to irreverent comedy and free spirit, celebrated in the sci-fi satire Jim Queen, Nicolas Athané and Marco Nguyen's directorial debut produced by Bobbypills Studio. Presented at Cannes as part of the Midnight Screenings, where it was nominated for the Caméra d'Or and Queer Palm, the film's fluorescent pop aesthetic and fast pace inspired comparisons to a "queer South Park." The story follows the crisis of a Parisian club influencer whose life is turned upside down by a mysterious virus that turns gay men (himself included) heterosexual. He must traverse the Marais district with a shy admirer in order to find a cure.

The film will be screened twice: Wednesday, October 7, at 9 PM at the Eforie Cinematheque, and Saturday, October 10, at 8.30 PM at the Peasant Museum Cinema.

Animest.21's feature films menu also grants you access to the poetic universe of Papaya, the feature directorial debut of artist Priscilla Kellen, under the artistic coordination of the renowned Alê Abreu (The Boy and The World). The first Brazilian animated feature film ever selected for the Berlin Film Festival (where it was nominated for the Crystal Bear), the film is told exclusively through images and original music by Talita Del Collado. Prepare to join the journey of a rebellious seed in the Amazon forest who refuses to take root; she yearns to fly. Her daring dream triggers an unexpected ecological revolution right on the green space of a busy highway. The film will be part of the event Glitches in the (Eco)system curated by Diana Voinea and Anda Duțescu and developed through the F-SIDES Wildcards 2026 Residency.

The film will be screened twice: Sunday, October 4, at 8.30 PM at the Peasant Museum Cinema, and Sunday, October 11, at 6.30 PM at Cinema Elvire Popesco.

Highlights Teaser: Watch the teaser on YouTube

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