Mogilev to host the 29th International Festival "Animaevka-2026"
14:30, 22 September
Photo: Soyuz.by, BELTA
From September 30 to October 2, Mogilev will become an international capital of animation art as it hosts the renowned "Animaevka" festival. Founded in 1998, the festival is taking place for the 29th time this year. Anastasia Korotchikova, Deputy Head of the Cinematography Department at the Ministry of Culture of Belarus, announced the details, reports a Soyuz.by correspondent.
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"Over the years, the 'Animaevka' International Animation Film Festival has grown into much more than just a film forum. It has evolved into a major international platform for a 'dialogue of cultures'—a space where, through the magical world and universal language of animation, we discover shared values, meanings, and common ground," she noted.
The festival’s geographical reach is expanding year by year. While 317 entries from 47 countries were received in 2024, that figure rose to 715 entries from 78 nations in 2025. "This year, the Animaevka festival has arguably broken all records. A total of 1,962 entries were submitted from 99 countries around the world. This proves once again that creativity knows no bounds," emphasized Anastasia Korotchikova. Eleven new nations joined the festival: Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Senegal, Palestine, Zambia, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Nepal, Yemen, and Côte d’Ivoire.
The festival jury comprises renowned professionals from Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, and Serbia. This year marks the introduction of a new award category: "Best Animator." "Through this festival, we discover new cultures, new stories, and new facets of creativity, for animation is a unique language that requires no translation. It is a language of images, emotions, and metaphors," said a representative of the Ministry of Culture.
The festival program features not only animated film screenings but also workshops, creative sessions, presentations, and exhibitions. Renowned masters of the Russian school of animation will share their expertise, and workshops led by specialists from Russia – including representatives from the Soyuzmultfilm studio – are also on the agenda. For the first time, the festival will host a creative session and a workshop dedicated to Chinese animation. The workshops will cover a wide range of techniques, spanning everything from traditional hand-drawn and puppet animation to cutting-edge technologies utilizing artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
