CEE Animation Forum Unveils Its 2025 Project Pitching Lineup

The CEE Animation Forum will return to Pilsen from November 4 to 6, gathering nearly 200 industry professionals for its 13th edition. The annual event continues to serve as the key meeting point for producers, directors and distributors focused on animation from Central and Eastern Europe, and often further abroad.

This year’s forum features 29 projects in competition, including shorts, student films, series and features from 15 countries (the full list is available at the bottom of the page). About 70 percent come from the CEE region, led by Czechia, Poland, and Hungary. The selection reflects the growing creative range of European animation outside of its major production hubs, with stories aimed at children, young adults, and, seemingly more each year, mature audiences.

Another 40 titles will appear in the Market section, highlighting projects in various stages of development or production. The market serves as a networking hub for creators seeking partners, financiers, and sales opportunities.

“The animation landscape in Europe is changing fast, and Central and Eastern Europe has become a true nest of creativity and source of talent,” said Marta Jallageas, managing director of CEE Animation. “Our mission is to facilitate networking, increase visibility for studios, and help them find the right partners to move their projects forward. The Forum has always been about more than pitching; it’s about building a community.”

Industry figures joining the juries include representatives from NRK – Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Mediatoon Distribution (France), Falcon (Czech Republic), and ShortsFit Distribution (Argentina/Italy). Producers from XBO Films (France), Cinnamon Entertainment (Belgium), and Avec ou sans vous (France) will also take part.

Special guests include Caroline Maleville of the Cinémathèque Française, Shelley Page of Locksmith Animation, Slovenian media psychologist Martina Peštaj, and filmmakers Mirjana Balogh (Wish You Were Ear) and Réka Bucsi (Solar Walk).

The event will conclude with an awards ceremony on November 6, distributing more than €50,000 ($58,200) in prizes, training placements, and residencies. A panel titled Building Financing Bridges for European Animation will introduce the new CODA Codevelopment Award, aimed at supporting cross-border collaborations.

The CEE Animation Forum is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA and co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through the Visegrad Fund, along with regional and institutional partners.

2025 Pitching Sessions

Feature Pitching

• A Loyal Friend, Luka Rukavina
• Maryam & Varto, Gorune Aprikian
• Pink Punk Delta, Alba Sotorra
• Rani, Joachim Hérissé
• The Golden Butterfly, Goce Cvetanovski
• Until Death Unites Us, Nawojka Wierzbowska

Short Film Pitching

• I’m Not Nearly Cool Yet, Anastazja Naumenko
• Maggots for Breakfast Again!, Vykintas Labanauskas
• Planet, Laura Pop
• Pogogo, Jana Švermová
• Sunshine for Everyone, Dominiks Jarmakovics
• Tense, Konrad Hjemli
• The Molepire, Marek Čermák
• The Rabbit-Shaped Dog, Roland Kazi
• Two for Me, One for You, Jan Gadermann

TV Series Pitching

• Brother Deer, Lucija Bužančić
• Coco, Stepan Gajdos
• Electric Water, Gali Blay
• Scope of the Universe, Lillian Løvseth
• Tolo & Bolo, Aleksander Matuszewski
• Tulip, Juli Tudisco

Student Films Pitching

• Ergot, Damjan Lazin
• Fell a Tree Burn a House Slay a Son, Marcin Senderowicz
• Foolish Fish Fable, Yiyang Sun
• Lunar Landscape, Foivos Chalkiopoulos
• Martirologium, Mariia-Kristina Klimt
• Perfect, Andrea Olivares López
• Reus, Alexandra Chovanová, Ondřej Tešnar
• Wavebreaker, Lilia Aleksandrova