Five Animated Titles Score European Film Award Nominations

The European Film Academy has unveiled this year’s contenders for the 38th European Film Awards, set to take place on January 17, 2026, in Berlin.

Announced during a public event at Seville’s historic Real Alcázar, this year’s lineup showcases the breadth and artistic ambition of European animated filmmaking.

Five features, ranging from intimate literary adaptations to expansive international co-productions, will compete for the European Animated Feature Film Award, presented in partnership with Cartoon, the European Association of Animation Film that hosts events including Cartoon Springboard, Cartoon Forum, Cartoon Movie, and Cartoon Business. All five also automatically qualify for the European Feature Award, competing against the fiction and documentary live-action nominees for that honor. One of the five, Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco, is also in the running for the European Young Audience Award.

The selected films reflect a broad geographic span across Europe (and beyond), underscoring the continued rise of cross-border collaboration in European animation. France is represented twice, while Central and Eastern Europe continues to strengthen its footprint through high-profile co-productions. The Academy’s 5,400 members voted on this year’s nominees, with the eventual winners to be revealed at the Berlin ceremony. Voting procedure details are available in full here.

2026 European Animated Feature Film Nominees

• Arco, Ugo Bienvenu (France)
• Dog of God (Dieva Suns), Raitis Ābele & Lauris Ābele (Latvia, United States)
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Amélie et la Métaphysique des Tubes), Maïlys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han (France)
• Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake (L’Olívia i el Terratrèmol Invisible), Irene Iborra Rizo (Spain, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Chile)
• Tales From the Magic Garden (Pohadky po Babicce), David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar & Jean-Claude Rozec (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, France)