ANIMASYROS Agora 2025 welcomes two-time Oscar nominee and king of indie animation Bill Plympton, Pixar’s Bill Kinder, and continues strategic partnership with Annecy Festival!

Agora Pitching Forum open for submissions Until July 18, 2025. Click here for more information.

ANIMASYROS returns for its 18th year, from September 22 to 28, 2025, in the capital of the Cyclades. The largest animation festival in Greece - and one of the most significant in Europe brings once again leading international animation figures to Syros, while enriching its programme even further. As part of the Agora, ANIMASYROS is continuing - now for a second year - its strategic partnership with the International Animation Film Market (MIFA) of the Annecy Festival, the largest animation festival in the world, with the support of the Institut français (Paris), The Hive Studio Greece, and SKY express, Official Partner and Air Transport Sponsor of the Festival.

More specifically, the Agora Pitching Forum of ANIMASYROS will once again be part of the International MIFA Campus, an international programme aimed at supporting young creators and artists from Mediterranean countries, namely Greece, Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Lebanon, and Tunisia, in 2025, by providing them with skills and experience. A total of six (6) professionals from these countries will participate in the programme, selected based on the project plans they submit by July 18.

From September 23 to 26, the 4-day Pitching Coaching Workshop will be held as part of the International MIFA Campus in Syros. The Pitching Workshop Tutors will be acclaimed audiovisual professionals selected by the Annecy International Animation Film Market (MIFA) team. During the workshop, the six participants will develop their projects to meet the challenges of the international market and will be effectively prepared to participate in the Pitch Partenaire to be held in June 2026 in Annecy.

At the same time, as every year, the presentations, roundtables, seminars, masterclasses, and networking events organized within the framework of the ANIMASYROS Agora offer the international audience - whether animation professionals or enthusiasts - the opportunity to expand their network, promote their work, connect with industry experts, and engage with the global animation community.

Some prominent figures from the international animation community who will be present at the ANIMASYROS 2025 Agora include:

• Legendary director Bill Plympton, two-time Oscar nominee for his short films Your Face and Guard Dog and widely regarded as the king of independent American animation, internationally acclaimed for his distinctive hand-drawn style, will be in Syros to deliver a dynamic and inspiring creative masterclass.
• Bill Kinder, Director of Editorial and Postproduction at the Pixar Animation Studios, has contributed to the company’s success for over 18 years, editing films such as Finding Nemo (2003), Monsters, Inc. (2001), and Brave (2012). Earlier in his career, he worked as a producer on Emmy-nominated documentaries and also led the post-production department at American Zoetrope.
• Rising Armenian animation director Tigran Arakelyan, known for his work on films such as Aurora’s Sunrise (2022), presents his work-in-progress feature film ZAKO, a co-production with the French company Sacre Bleu, known for the Oscar-winning Flow. The film tells the true story of Armenian painter Sargis Mangasaryan, who survived a Nazi labor camp by drawing portraits of his tormentors.

Other topics to be presented include new technologies and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in animation production, as well as animation film financing in Ireland, Lithuania, Croatia, and Greece, with representatives from Animation Ireland, the Lithuanian film production community, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC), Zagreb Film, and - of course - EKΚOMED - Creative Greece participating. At the same time, as part of the Creative Europe MEDIA Talks, Anna Kassimatis and Susana Costa Pereira, from the Creative Europe Desks of Greece and Portugal respectively, will discuss available funding schemes – including Creative Europe MEDIA – national supports, as well as the challenges and opportunities within the fragmented financing landscape for animated content in Europe.

Furthermore, as part of the tribute to the ever-evolving and highly active Croatian animation scene, creators and producers from the region (Sunčana Brkulj, Veljko Popović, and Jure Bušić) will be present in Syros. This year's Agora will also embrace the Festival’s central theme, "Animated Cosmos", dedicated to space.

Two longtime friends and beloved figures of ANIMASYROS, animation journalist  and historian Nancy Denney-Phelps and legendary British animator Joanna Quinn - recently honored at Annecy with an Honorary Cristal for her lifetime contribution to the art form - come together to present each other’s books. Denney-Phelps, in her book On the Animation Trail: 20 Years of Animation Festival History, shares in a personal and engaging tone, her experiences traveling to major animation festivals around the world - including ANIMASYROS. Meanwhile, Quinn, through Beryl: Affairs of the Art - co-written with her longtime collaborator and screenwriter Les Mills - reveals the behind-the-scenes process of creating the eponymous animated short, showcasing early sketches, storyboards, and final artworks, and offering a comprehensive look into the production journey.

Finally, as part of ANIMASYROS’ ongoing initiatives to strengthen Greek animation, an intensive three-day workshop will be held for the first time this year, led by Ivan Zuber, producer and co-founder of Laïdak Films. The workshop is specifically dedicated to Greek animation producers and will focus on project development and international co-production opportunities. This initiative is supported by the Institut français (Paris) and the Hellenic Centre for Audiovisual Media and Communication – Creative Greece.

Once again this year, the ANIMASYROS Agora stage will host the highly successful Greek Animation Talks, where Greek creators discuss their work, explore the challenges of the creative process, and share best practices.

The speed dating sessions will also return for the third consecutive year. Greek creators selected by ANIMASYROS will participate in short 20-minute meetings with internationally acclaimed producers and artists from Europe and around the world, pitch their ideas and share their artistic and professional aspirations, aiming to find co-productions or even professional opportunities in the international animation scene.

This is just the beginning… Even more cosmic news about the ANIMASYROS 2025 Agora is coming soon. Stay tuned!

Useful information:

How to participate in the International MIFA Campus & Agora Pitching Forum:

The application form for the International MIFA Campus and the Agora Pitching Forum should be submitted to the following email addresses (per country):
Greece: agora@animasyros.gr
Albania: laetitia.kulyk@diplomatie.gouv.fr
Croatia: agora@animasyros.gr
Cyprus: mathieu.devavry@ifchypre.org 
Lebanon: candidatures@if-liban.com
Tunisia: agora@animasyros.gr

Applications deadline: 18 July 2025

Detailed conditions and terms of participation here.

Agora Accreditation:

The Agora accreditation is required for participation in Agora activities and events.

The Agora accreditation is intended for professionals working in the audiovisual field.

You can apply for an Αgora Accreditation online at accreditation@animasyros.gr.

Application deadline: 20 September 2025

The cost of the Agora accreditation is 80 euros. Applicants will receive an email with instructions on how to complete their online payment.

The Agora accreditation includes:

- Access to all Agora activities: presentations, discussions, talks, and masterclasses
- Access to the Agora closed networking events and the Agora party
- Registration and access to the Festival's list of professionals
- Access to film screenings
- Invitation to the opening and closing ceremonies of ANIMASYROS
- ANIMASYROS tote-bag