Thursday | 20.11.25

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Monthly Screenings

Welcome to AniNation - The 9th International Animation Festival 

Join us for a unique celebration of inspiring, imaginative, and emotionally resonant films that showcase the limitless power of animation to cross boundaries of time, place, and perception. The festival features dozens of screenings and events, including award-winning international films, new Israeli productions, student films, short film compilations, exhibitions, a VR room, gaming experiences, lectures, meetups, a late-night rave, and much more.

Now in its 9th year, AniNation has become a highly anticipated tradition for animation lovers and a major cultural event in Jerusalem, attracting thousands of visitors annually. This year’s program is the largest and most diverse in the festival’s history, reflecting the rich global landscape of animation with a special spotlight on bold and uncompromising Israeli creators. The lineup includes standout works from Japan, the US, Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, and beyond—carefully curated and recognized at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Tribeca, Annecy, and Sundance. Alongside these, the festival proudly presents new Israeli films, student projects, and curated short film programs.

In addition, a professional animation conference will be held in partnership with the Israeli Animation Professionals Association and the Gesher Multicultural Film Fund. The conference will feature sneak previews, work-in-progress presentations, and talks. Throughout the Cinematheque, visitors can explore an immersive exhibition that includes video art, lighting installations, VR, and gaming experiences—all exploring the concept of “animation” in its broadest sense. The program also includes night-time events, live performances, workshops, and guest lectures.

Every film in the festival is a one-of-a-kind artistic statement, demonstrating the infinite possibilities of animation as a tool for creative expression.

Exhibition

Animation Exhibition inside the Cinematheque

Anination’s exhibition seeks to step outside the movie theater and present works from the past year that stray from the rules of cinematic narrative and apply extraordinary uses to the act of animation. 

Bestzalel 2025

A selection of outstanding films by first to third year graduates of the Department of Screen Arts at Bezalel for 2025. Opening remarks (in Heb.). Admission is free

Dangerous Kiss - Israeli Shorts

Showcasing the funniest, most disgusting, and terrifying local animations. Armed grandmothers, man-eating socks, and a mysterious spider-woman are just a few of the unforgettable characters you’ll encounter. In the presence of the filmmakers

Living Large

Dir.: Kristina Dufková
| 80 minutes

12-year-old Ben struggles with his weight as school starts and puberty hits his classmates—especially Klára, his crush. Bullied and warned by the school nurse, Ben begins a tough diet. After many twists and turns, Ben regains his zest for life, finds love, and wins back the friendships he nearly lost.

Best of ITFS 2025

The prize-winning films of the International Competition and the Student Competition as well as other must-see short films from the festival programme.

Opening Event

Opening remarks and greetings (in Heb.)

Arco

Dir.: Ugo Bienvenu
| 88 minutes

In 2075, 10-year-old Iris sees something extraordinary: a boy in a rainbow-colored suit falling from the sky. His name is Arco, and he comes from a distant, idyllic future where time travel is real. As Iris takes him in, she makes a promise—she’ll do whatever it takes to help him find his way back home.

Nova Seed

Dir.: Nick DiLiberto
| 64 minutes

Nova Seed is an epic Sci-Fi fantasy rendered beautifully in 2D hand drawn animation in the spirit of Heavy Metal and Rock & Rule. a fading humanity places it's last hopes of defeating Doctor Mindskull in a genetically modified NAC (Neo-Animal Combatant).

Minshar School of Art - Best of 2025

A selection of the best animated films by graduates of the Animation Department at Minshar School of Art. Featuring a variety of styles and personal stories. Free admission
Short introduction (in Heb.)

Jinsei

Dir.: Ryuya Suzuki
| 93 minutes

This anime film follows a man’s 100-year journey—from a lonely, bullied boy to an aspiring idol. Told across 10 chapters, it delves into social issues such as the dark side of the entertainment industry, war, and the mysterious deaths of young people.

Visions from the Shelf

A wild pitch night hosted by Alonzo Avidar, featuring bizarre ideas, possible prizes, zero budget—but guaranteed chaos, creativity, and over-the-top inspiration. (In Heb.)

Fish, Grandmothers and Frogs - Israeli Shorts

The best short Israeli narrative animations, spanning local rituals, bizarre dreams, Hasidic stories, repressed traumas, and Japanese-inspired fantasies. In the presence of the filmmakers

Festival Distribution

Film festivals have grown greatly. Asaf Yecheskel, owner of Costanza Film Distribution, shares essential tips for navigating the festival process (in Heb.) 

The Old Man Movie

Dir.: Mikk Mägi, Oskar Lehemaa
| 88 minutes

When his grandkids accidentally free his prized (and dangerously unmilked) cow, an Old Man has 24 hours to find her before she explodes—or the mysterious Milk Man strikes. Their wild quest through the Estonian countryside pits them against hippies, creeps, and chaos.

The Simpsons Movie

Dir.: David Silverman
| 87 minutes

The plot follows the family as they try to save their city from the glass bubble that has been laid over the town to protect it from pollution - caused not surprisingly by Homer Simpson himself.

Tales from the Magic Garden

Dir.: David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar, Jean-Claude Rozec
| 71 minutes

Three kids spend the night at their grandpa’s house. To fill the silence left by their late grandmother, the family storyteller, they invent their own tales—discovering the healing power of imagination in this uplifting tribute to creativity and connection.

Sultana's Dream

Dir.: Isabel Herguera
| 86 minutes

Taking her inspiration from a feminist sci-fi short story written in Bengal in 1905, Inés sets out on a voyage of discovery around India in search of Ladyland, the Utopian land of women.

Savages

Dir.: Claude Barras
| 87 minutes

Kéria, a spirited Indigenous girl, discovers an orphaned baby orangutan named Oshi in the jungles of Borneo. To keep him safe, she brings him to a nearby reserve. But her ambitious father, a woodsman, conspires with a poacher to steal the baby.

FAMU Shorts

Selection of animated short movies of two leading FAMU graduates Daria Kashcheeva and Phillipe Kastner.

Mad and Sad Russian Shorts

Sad and mad new Russian shorts about the things that bothers us all - death, life and fascism. (Some of the films are even banned from screening in Russia.)

Maybe It Is Really Even - Israeli Shorts

A collection of short documentary and experimental films. War trauma, childhood on a kibbutz, and emigration from Israel are some of the themes animation seeks to deconstruct and reimagine. In the presence of the filmmakers

Dog of God

Dir.: Lauris Ābele, Raitis Ābele
| 95 minutes

In a 17th-century Swedish Livonian village, a stolen relic sparks witchcraft accusations. The Dog of God, an 80-year-old self-proclaimed werewolf, arrives with the mysterious Devil’s Balls—triggering a wild chain of events that ends in a chaotic, desire-fueled rave.