In an interview with IndieWire, Festival director Matt Kaszanek spoke about how the festival was created in 2017 to challenge narratives about animation as a lesser form of art, as well as showcase the best of international animated cinema. <\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s unique to other festivals in that it\u2019s its name is also its mission, which is to celebrate animation, to push back on a narrative that some people have, even subconsciously, that animation is kind of some lesser form of cinema. That you can like animation, but those are not titles that should be considered among the best films of the year,\u201d Kaszanek told IndieWire. \u201cI hear the word animated used as a qualifier a lot. When people are talking about films, they\u2019ll say \u2018Oh, I really, really loved \u2018Flow.\u2019 That was the best animated film of the year.\u2019 And I would counter that, I think \u2018Flow\u2019 was one of the best films of last year. Animation Is Film is very much about that, and that\u2019s its mission.\u201d<\/p>\n Reflecting on how the festival has grown, Kaszanek told IndieWire that the festival has grown in attendance every year since its inception. He also said that, as the festival has established a foothold in the industry, it has become a bellwether for the Animated Feature and Animated Shorts race, with it becoming common for the majority of the movies that make the categories to play at the festival.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the films that you\u2019re seeing at the festival, these are the films that are getting nominated for Academy Awards,\u201d Kaszanek said. \u201cFour of the best animated shorts had played at Animation Is Film [last year]. And then on the feature side, if you look back over the last four years, it\u2019s pretty common we\u2019ll have typically four, sometimes five of the Best Animated Feature nominees.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2025 festival opened with \u201cScarlet,\u201d an anime film from director Mamoru Hosoda. \u201cArco<\/a>\u201d served as the centerpiece film for the festival, while \u201cLittle Am\u00e9lie\u201d was the official closing selection. Other movies that played at the festival included \u201cLesbian Space Princes,\u201d \u201cAll You Need Is Kill,\u201d \u201cA Story About Fire,\u201d and a remastering of \u201cParanorman.\u201d Panels from the festival included talks with the directors behind \u201cKPOP Demon Hunters\u201d and a sneak preview of the upcoming \u201cZootopia 2.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe really try to position ourselves as, this is your opportunity to really see everything that\u2019s played at the bigger festivals over the course of the year. So you\u2019re looking at what was at Berlin? And so we got \u2018A Story About Fire\u2019 from there, and then what was playing in Cannes, and that\u2019s \u2018Arco\u2019 and \u2018Little Am\u00e9lie,’\u201d Kaszanek said. \u201cGeographical diversity is great because we really do sell this festival as an international event, and you\u2019re seeing films from all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Reflecting on how the festival has made an impact and the state of animation has evolved, Kaszanek told IndieWire that he feels critical respect for animation has only grown in the years since the festival started. He brought up an increase in animated movies playing at other festivals as a sign of the medium\u2019s evolution and a sign of a promising future for the industry. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not the only people that are kind of beating that drum that animation is film, and it should be taken seriously, and that these are films that should be celebrated alongside live action films. The progress that I\u2019m seeing is that that\u2019s more people are saying it. The call for that is getting louder,\u201d Kaszanek told IndieWire. \u201cThe more film festivals that are showing animation in their lineup, in their competition, is a good thing for the entire industry, and we\u2019re seeing that.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Mamoru](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/scarlet.jpeg\")
<\/a> ![\"'Little](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AMELIE_PHOTO8.jpg\")
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