Italy Archives | Cartoon Brew

Festivals

Who Is Animation For, And Who Will Pay For It? 5 Takeaways From Rome’s MIA Market 2026

International co-productions, new financing models, and a shortage of European animation for teens shaped discussions at this year’s market.

Artificial Intelligence

View Conference Was Inspiring: The AI Sales Pitches Were Exhausting (And Occasionally Bullshit)

Filmmakers shared their craft at Turin’s View Conference, while AI evangelists (a real job title of one speaker) insisted everyone already uses the technology.

Awards

2027 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Cosmonauts’ Director Leo Černic

Three lonely travelers seek sex, affection, and belonging on an intergalactic singles cruise in a 2D comedy that pairs bawdy humor with tenderness.

Events

Brad Bird, Pixar, DreamWorks, Aardman, And More Headline View Conference 2026

The five-day event will feature sessions on ‘Toy Story 5,’ ‘Forgotten Island,’ ‘GOAT,’ and more, plus talks on AI and the future of filmmaking.

Feature Film

‘I Am Frankelda’s’ Ambriz Brothers Return With ‘The Ballad Of The Phoenix,’ Heading To Venice’s Gap-Financing Market

The long-gestating stop-motion fantasy follows a fire-wielding goblin princess forced to choose between saving her tyrannical father and freeing his kingdom.

Festivals

Venice-Bound Short ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ Turns An Amusement Park Into A Coming-Of-Age Nightmare (EXCLUSIVE TRAILER)

Virginia Mori’s dialogue-free 2D short uses pastel amusement park imagery and dark humor to explore childhood’s first encounter with violence.

Artist Rights

Italian Industry Rallies Around Zerocalcare, DogHead, Movimenti After Right-Wing Senator Offers His 2 Cents On Anonymous Labor Allegations

ASIFA Italia, ANICA, and Cartoon Italia backed the creator and studios behind Netflix’s ‘My 2 Cents’ after anonymous labor claims sparked political backlash.

Awards

View Conference’s New Trailblazer Award Honors 15 Women From Across The Motion Picture Industry

Italy’s annual animation and VFX gathering will honor 15 women across directing, cinematography, production design, VFX, publicity, and education.

Feature Film

‘Spacetime Chronicles’: A Cat Named Freud, A Man In Limbo, And A Stop-Motion World Made Of Paper

Director Stefano Bertelli discusses his handcrafted stop-motion feature ‘Spacetime Chronicles,’ an introspective journey through memory, identity, and limbo.

Cartoon Brew Pick

‘The Cat & The Composer’: A Famed Publishing Mistake Makes For A Fun Watch In Matteo Bernardini’s Short

Inspired by a 19th-century misprinted novel, Bernardini’s short blends sketchy illustrations and era-appropriate music into a playful, fragmented experience.

Distribution

‘Allegro Non Troppo’ At 50: GKIDS Acquires Bruno Bozzetto Catalog

GKIDS picks up Bruno Bozzetto’s full catalog as the restored cult classic gets a 50th anniversary screening in New York alongside ‘Fantasia.’

Awards

2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Il Burattino E La Balena’ Director Roberto Catani

The haunting Ottawa-winning short explores identity, autonomy, and the human world through the eyes of a puppet who, unlike Pinocchio, rejects transformation.

Distribution

‘Distribution Is Free’: ‘Claynosaurz’ Boss Nic Cabana Says The Future Of Entertainment Belongs To Creators

At View Conference, Cabana shares how ‘Claynosaurz’ is reshaping traditional distribution through fan collaboration, collectibles, and community integration.

Events

Phil Tippett On His Studio’s Use Of Generative AI: ‘Like Having A Dog, It Trains You As Much As You Train It’

At Italy’s VIEW Conference, Tippett Studio veterans explore how artificial intelligence could accelerate stop motion and VFX without losing the human touch.

Feature Film

‘Spit And Duct Tape And Dreams’: How A Small Global Team Built The Queer CG Feature ‘Bouchra,’ Premiering In Toronto

‘Bouchra,’ a queer CG-animated story and Morocco’s first animated feature, world premieres at Toronto tonight.

Anime

Mamoru Hosoda’s ‘Scarlet’ To Screen At Venice And Toronto, Marking Prestigious Festival Double

Oscar-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda’s ‘Scarlet’ will screen at Venice and Toronto ahead of its North American release on December 12.

Cartoon Brew Pick

Low-Poly Stop-Motion Takes Flight In Stefano Bertelli’s ‘Don’t Make It A Song’ Music Vid

Set against a backdrop of soulful retro grooves, “Don’t Make it a Song,” a music video for Canal Power Club, is a breezy, funk-infused stop-motion piece.