Animation Is Film Unveils October Dates, Fest Poster

Animation Is Film (AIF), the acclaimed Los Angeles-based animation sister festival to France’s iconic Annecy Animation Festival, has announced its 2025 return with a run scheduled from Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 19, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood.

Now in its eighth year, the festival will once again celebrate the art and innovation of animated cinema, presented in partnership with the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, GKIDS and Variety.

“Since its inception, Animation Is Film’s purpose has been to celebrate the idea that animation pushes the boundaries of what cinema is capable of. The growth of the festival year after year is confirmation that American audiences embrace this. 2025 is shaping up to be an extraordinary year for the medium. We love Los Angeles and are so happy to be back,” said Matt Kaszanek, Director of Animation Is Film.

“We are proud to be a partner for Animation Is Film, a festival that celebrates animation as a bold, boundary-pushing art form,” added Mickaël Marin, director general and CEO of Annecy Festival. “Each year, it brings together a passionate community of cinephiles and animation lovers in the heart of Los Angeles. We’re thrilled to continue this journey, united by a shared love for animated storytelling in all its forms.”

To mark the announcement, the festival also unveiled its 2025 teaser poster, created by French artist Camille Authouart. Authouart’s short film “La Grande Arche” was featured at AIF in 2023.

Animation Is Film has become a key stop on the road to awards season, with many films premiering or gaining early traction at the festival. At the 2024 edition, the Grand Jury Prize went to “Flow,” which went on to win both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. The Oscar-winning short “In the Shadow of the Cypress” also had its Los Angeles premiere at AIF.

In recent years, acclaimed and award-winning titles such as “The Boy and the Heron” by Hayao Miyazaki, “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” and Disney’s “Encanto” held early events at the festival.

Founded in 2017, AIF continues to fill a unique role in the U.S. by providing a world-class platform for animated cinema, celebrating the medium’s full artistic potential.