Northern Animation Network Concludes Record 2025 With Dedicated YouTube Channel Announcement (EXCLUSIVE)

After kicking off 2025 with new funding and renewed energy, the Northern Animation Network (NAN) — a collaboration between four animation festivals in Denmark, Norway, Lithuania, and Sweden — is set to conclude a record year, with each festival welcoming more guests and professionals than ever before.

As Fredrikstad Animation Festival (FAF), the biggest animation festival in Norway, wrapped its 29th edition, Cartoon Brew spoke with Denmark-based Sandra Brunkow Simonsen, head of program at Viborg Animation Festival (VAF), about NAN’s latest project: a new YouTube channel dedicated to animation in the northern part of Europe, featuring exclusive interviews with renowned short- and feature-film directors throughout the Nordic-Baltic region.

“This series of video portraits will be released online at the beginning of 2026,” said Simonsen. “We have conducted a flurry of interviews at the partnering festivals throughout the fall. The long-time collaboration among our festivals has already manifested this year through the first-ever joint submissions initiative, and we are very excited about this next step.”

For those not familiar with the regional festivals, FAF, VAF, REX Animation Festival (Sweden), and BLON Animation and Games Festival (Lithuania) all take place close together on the calendar, making fall an especially busy season for animation in the region. The Network arose after years of discussion. In 2025, NAN received a Creative Europe Media grant of €300,000 to support increased collaboration and growth, along with funding from the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, which is backing the new channel.

The Northern Animation Channel — unveiling its first interviews in early 2026 — will spotlight talent from across the region, with a few names already teased by Simonsen. Oscar-nominated director and artist Sara Gunnarsdóttir (My Year of Dicks) will appear, as will Norwegian short-film director and “poetry filmmaker” Kristian Pedersen. FAF feature-film laureate and Annecy-nominated filmmaker Karla Nor Holmbäck will delve into the making of her animated feature Rosa and the Stone Troll, while Lithuanian filmmaker Ignas Meilūnas will discuss the stop-motion techniques behind his award-winning work. Stop-motion featuring porcelain puppets is also central to Anu-Laura Tuttelberg’s practice; her 2024 short On Weary Wings Go By premiered at Locarno and earned multiple recognitions this year.

Looking ahead to later in 2026, the series will continue with in-depth interviews with Titina director Kajsa Næss, directors Endre Skandfer and Nathan Jurevicius, and more to come.

Simonsen emphasized that the series will not solely focus on promoting new works: “These are conversations that can be enjoyed in five years as well — approximately 20 minutes long and focused on the artists’ general approach and creative process.”

“These productions are showcasing the art of animation and the cultural heritage that influences the region,” she added, echoing the enthusiasm shared by the other festival directors at FAF. “The mission is to highlight not only the finished films or games, but also invite people to understand the process, craft, and imagination behind them.”

The series will also feature some international guests. Earlier this year, Cartoon Saloon co-founder and Oscar-nominated director Tomm Moore attended VAF and delivered an in-depth talk about his career — a glimpse of what NAN aims to provide, driven by dedicated teams and ambitious programming.

Last year at FAF, Pixar veteran Bill Wise gave a candid presentation on the challenges behind Dreams Productions — the kind of session organizers say is uniquely possible at a regional festival. This year, audiences were treated to two masterclasses: one from Little Amélie co-director Liane-Cho Han and another from indie sensation Nikita Diakur, whose session proved particularly cathartic for attendees.

Appearing at FAF’s opening ceremony, Nordisk Film & TV Fund CEO Liselott Forsman underlined the importance of collaboration in the Nordic animation industry, from festivals to production companies. “Every time I come together with people from animation, I feel so much energy and power from this community,” she said. “People working in this industry have a strong will to share, collaborate, and find ways to help each other. It’s inspiring, and we are happy to help them structure such initiatives and create long-lasting support.”

As part of its industry support, the Nordisk Film & TV Fund is also backing the Nordic producers association Nordic Animation as part of its Year of Animation, which kicked off in March at Cartoon Movie, where Nordic creators, producers, and distributors were heavily represented in pitching sessions. The joint initiative between producers in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland aims to build bridges and foster co-production across the region and beyond.

Animation in the Nordic-Baltic region — which shone on the international stage in 2025, culminating in an Oscar win for Flow — is poised for even brighter days ahead. Expect a blizzard of shorts, series, and features in the coming years, ready to win the hearts of festivalgoers, cinephiles, and animation fans worldwide.

The Northern Animation Channel will be available here in the new year: YouTube.com/@Northern-Animation