‘Scarlet,’ ‘Arco,’ ‘Little Amélie’ Headline 2025 Animation Is Film Lineup

Animation Is Film (AIF), Annecy’s U.S.-based sister fest organized in partnership with GKIDS, has unveiled the full lineup for its 8th edition, set to run October 17–19 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood.

This year’s program brings premieres, special screenings, industry panels, and shorts that celebrate animation as a bold, global cinematic art form.

The festival will open with Scarlet, the latest feature from Academy Award-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai), produced by Studio Chizu and released in the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics.

AIF’s centerpiece presentation is the Los Angeles Premiere of Arco, this year’s Annecy Cristal Award-winning debut feature from French director Ugo Bienvenu, who spoke with us at the film’s recent appearance in the Toronto International Film Festival lineup. The film is being distributed in the U.S. by Neon.

This year’s AIF will close things out with the U.S. Premiere of another Annecy standout, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, co-directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, distributed by GKIDS.

Alongside the competition titles, AIF will host the U.S. premiere of the Chinese feature Nobody – which set the record for a Chinese 2D feature at the box office this summer,  the world premiere of Laika’s newly remastered ParaNorman in 3D – paired with the new short ParaNorman: The Thrifting, a special screening of the highly anticipated Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc, and the U.S. premiere of the Mexican stop-motion feature I Am Frankelda, spawned from the popular HBO Max series.

Short film programming remains a cornerstone, featuring four curated blocks, the return of Best of Annecy (presented with Women in Animation), and the annual Student Showcase spotlighting emerging talent.

AIF will also host a curated selection of short films from students at CalArts, USC, CSU Long Beach, CSU Fullerton, and ArtCenter College of Design.

Industry highlights include filmmaker panels for Disney’s Zootopia 2, Netflix and Sony’s KPop Demon Hunters, and the pilot preview Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to Be a Magical Girl. A pre-festival showcase will be hosted by Netflix where the streamer will screen its upcoming Roald Dahl feature adaptation of The Twits at the Egyptian Theatre on October 13.

AIF director Matt Kaszanek said of this year’s event:

It’s with enormous pride that AIF returns in its role as the first opportunity for Los Angeles to experience these essential films on their journey to end-of-year awards and Best-of lists. This carefully curated lineup — featuring new works from animation legends alongside feature film debuts — is a celebration of the medium. It’s wonderful to be home.”

Mickael Marin, CEO of CITIA — Annecy International Animation Film Festival, added:

As a founding partner, we’re proud to see AIF thrive as a landmark event for animation in Los Angeles. Each year, many of the films discovered and celebrated in Annecy find a new audience, confirming the strong bond between our two festivals. Together, we continue to champion animation as an art form that is daring, universal, and endlessly inspiring.

2025 AIF Official Selection

Competition Section

• All You Need Is Kill, Ken’ichiro Akimoto (Japan)
• Arco, Ugo Bienvenu (France/United States)
• ChaO, Yasuhiro Aoki (Japan)
• Decorado, Alberto Vázquez (Spain)
• I Am Frankelda, Arturo & Roy Ambriz (Mexico)
• Lesbian Space Princess, Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese (Australia)
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, Maïlys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han (Belgium/France)
• Nobody, Shui Yu (China)
• Scarlet, Mamoru Hosoda (Japan)
• A Story About Fire, Wenyu Li (China)

Shorts Program 1

• Éiru, Giovanna Ferrari (Ireland, Cartoon Saloon)
• Forevergreen, Nathan Engelhardt & Jeremy Spears (U.S.)
• Cardboard, J.P. Vine (United Kingdom, Locksmith/DNEG/Ritzy)
• Versa, Malcoln Pierce (U.S., Walt Disney Animation)
• Snow Bear, Aaron Blaise (U.S.)

Shorts Program 2

• Autokar, Sylwia Szkiłądź (Poland/Belgium)
• Como Si La Tierra Se Las Hubiera Tragado, Natalia Leon (Mexico/France)
• Gigi, Cynthia Calvi (France)
• The Night Boots, Pierre-Luc Granjon (France)
• Playing God, Matteo Burani (Italy/France)
• Retirement Plan, John Kelly (Ireland)
• Shadows, Rand Beiruty (France/Jordan)

Best of Annecy (with Women in Animation)

• Afterglow, Sophia Belleli, Lazarine Biaud, Joyanne Marquetant, Sarah Remane & Yann Tournois (Hungary)
• Hairy Legs, Andrea Dorfman (Canada)
• Ovary Acting, Ida Melum (Norway/Sweden/United Kingdom)
• Safo, Rosana Urbes (Brazil)
• Sulaimani, Vinnie Ann Bose (France)
• Zwermen – Murmuration, Janneke Swinkels & Tim Frijsinger (Belgium/The Netherlands)