Cineteca Madrid and Madrid Film Office present the fourth edition of Animario PRO for professionals in the animation industry
- Animario PRO collaborates with Píxel Clúster Madrid to launch its first recruitment session for students from Madrid’s animation schools
- Inspired by Mexico, the guest country of this edition, the visual identity is created by animation director Antoni Sendra, known as “Podenco”
- The Madrid premiere of Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol, the long awaited feature by Sylvain Chomet, will open the festival
- The film Arco, by French filmmaker Ugo Bienvenue, winner of the Grand Prize at Annecy 2025, will close it
- Tickets are now available at cinetecamadrid.com
Cineteca Madrid, part of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports, hosts the eighth edition of Animario from 11 to 14 December. The International Festival of Contemporary Animation of Madrid is directed and curated by Carolina López. As part of the festival, Cineteca Madrid and Madrid Film Office, the audiovisual office of the City Council attached to the Tourism Department, will present the fourth edition of Animario PRO on 12 and 13 December, aimed at students and professionals in animation and the industry.
This section seeks to foster the exchange of experiences and serve as a forum for reflecting on the challenges, trends and opportunities of contemporary audiovisual animation from an industry perspective. Across two days of round tables and case studies, respected professionals from the sector and representatives of national institutions and platforms will take part.
In this edition of Animario PRO, attendees will have the chance to explore the career of Chelo Loureiro, a leading producer and director in Spanish animation. They will also enjoy Decorado, the anticipated new film by Alberto Vázquez, who will give a talk and speak with the audience about his creative process. In addition, several animation projects linked to Madrid and currently in development will be presented, all worth keeping an eye on.
The sessions will also feature the participation of TV channel Clan from RTVE, celebrating 20 years of supporting children’s and youth animation on free-to-air television in Spain. The platform Women in the Animation Industry (MIA) will take part once again, highlighting the essential work of the association and MIANIMA, a mentoring programme now in its fourth year that supports the development of animation projects created by women.
This year, Animario PRO also collaborates with Píxel Clúster Madrid, the cluster for animation and digital creation in Madrid, to launch its first recruitment session. Students from Madrid’s animation schools will be able to connect with some of the leading companies in the animation and visual effects sector to learn about the most sought after profiles, hold interviews, review their showreels and explore potential job opportunities.
Animario 2025
The eighth edition of Animario, directed and curated by Carolina López, champions animation as a form of artistic expression and as a field for experimentation and contemporary reflection. It brings filmmakers, professionals and audiences together around a programme that combines premieres, retrospectives, talks and workshops.
In a context of technological change and now an international reference point, Animario defends artistic authorship and creative freedom as essential values. The festival celebrates the technical and aesthetic diversity of contemporary animation, from stop motion to animated documentary, from digital collage to new hybrid narrative forms.
Animario also maintains its awards structure, a key element that recognises creative talent, artistic risk and the dedication this form of cinema requires. The animation production grant, worth 18,000 euros, and the award for best animated short film, worth 5,000 euros, help support the work of national and international creators and boost their visibility in global circuits.
The jury for the Best Short Film Award is composed this year of Igor Prassel (Slovenia), Irene Iborra (Spain) and Juan Medina (Mexico). The jury for the Production Award includes Carla Pereira, Guillermo García Carsí and Nuria González Blanco.
Mexico, guest country
Animario 2025 dedicates its international focus to Mexico, guest country of this edition under the slogan “Mexico, viva la vida!”, inspired by the famous phrase by Frida Kahlo. In collaboration with the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE) and thanks to the Mexican Animation Archive, the festival presents a series of five programmes showcasing the vitality, ingenuity and poetic force of Mexican animated cinema.
The festival poster takes visual elements from Mexican culture and uses techniques commonly found in that country’s animation, such as collage, stop motion, autographic traditional animation and cut out animation. The visual identity has been created by Antoni Sendra, known as 'Podenco', an independent Spanish director specialised in mixed media animation. Over the past ten years he has honed his craft across a wide range of work, from advertising and documentaries to music videos and title sequences.
Opening and Closing: from folk art to futuristic fantasy
Animario 2025 will open with the Madrid premiere of Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol, the long awaited feature by French director Sylvain Chomet, creator of Les Triplettes de Belleville and The Illusionist. The film pays tribute to playwright and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, a key figure in French culture who inspired generations of storytellers through his humanist vision and his celebration of language and everyday life.
The festival will close with Arco, by French filmmaker Ugo Bienvenue, winner of the Grand Prize at Annecy 2025. The film tells the story of a rainbow child who accidentally travels between the future and the present, offering a dazzling visual reflection on identity, technology and the desire to belong. During the closing gala, Algo en la casa by Carla Pereira, winner of the 2024 Animario Production Award, will also be screened for the first time on the big screen.
'Animario en familia': emotion and creativity
The “Animario en familia” section offers films that blend emotion, imagination and universal values. Highlights include Olivia y el terremoto invisible, by Irene Iborra, an international stop motion co production that tenderly addresses the right to housing, and Amélie et la Métaphysique des tubes, by Liane Cho Han and Mailys Vallade, an animated adaptation of Amélie Nothomb’s novel.
The programme also includes a selection of children’s short films from the open call and the family workshop 1 point, 1 line, led by Daniel Tornero, which combines sound stamping and collective abstract animation.
Workshops and special sessions
Alongside the documentary animation workshop with Carlos Hagerman, the festival hosts a special screening presented by Igor Prassel — film programmer at the Slovenian Cinematheque, founder of the Animateka International Animation Film Festival and jury member — with a carte blanche dedicated to contemporary Slovenian animation. There will also be a special session dedicated to the current panorama of Spanish animation, with short films by both emerging and established creators.
Tickets on sale at cinetecamadrid.com
More information and contact:
comunicacion@mataderomadrid.org