CEE Animation Workshop Presents the 2026 Selection

Twelve projects and 31 participants from 18 countries have been carefully chosen from 55 applications submitted from 27 countries. Participants and their teams will embark on a year-long intensive programme, developing projects from early concept to market-ready production packages. This year’s lineup includes 6 feature films, 3 TV series and 3 short films. Once again, the workshop welcomes participants from across Europe while maintaining focus on the CEE region and low production capacity countries. Producers and their creative teams with selected projects, including a scholarship-winning project from CEE Animation Forum 2025, will be joined by two career-oriented participants without projects, as well as two animation script consultant trainees, a new category introduced this year.

Throughout the year, participants will engage in group work, masterclasses, expert lectures, and individual consultations, under the guidance of group leaders: esteemed producers Réka Temple (Cinemon Entertainment, HU) and Annemie Degryse (Lumiere Group / Beast Studio, BE), and seasoned script consultants Phil Parker (UK) and Rita Domonyi (HU).

The workshop will consist of four modules: two online (May and October) and two on-site (February 23–March 1 in Lillehammer, Norway, and July 27–August 2 in Budapest, Hungary). Upon completing the workshop, participants will gain privileged access to the CEE Animation network and various industry and market events across Europe.

Saša Bach, the Managing Director of the CEE Animation Workshop, commented:

“We are ready to launch the 2026 edition of the year-long workshop with new partners and old friends. We are grateful for the continuous support of the Creative Europe – MEDIA, and thankful to our partners Lillywood and Animation Norway to have the opportunity to visit Lillehammer now and to the Hungarian Animation Producers Association to be able to go to Budapest in the summer, and connect with both animation industries. We are excited to meet and to welcome the eighth generation of international participants, who are coming as part of interesting project teams, career-oriented participants and the new script consultants in animation trainees”

The first module will launch in Lillehammer on February 23, 2026 with a programme of group and individual work, expert lectures, and an Open Industry Day, where participants will network with Norwegian animation professionals.

In addition to more than 30 participants, coming from the animation industry, the following guest lecturers will attend the first module: producer Sarah Winge-Sørensen (Stray Dog Productions, NO), concept artist Simon Nyhus (NO), director and producer Rasmus A. Sivertsen (Qvisten, NO), script doctor Sara Wikler (FR/BE), legal expert Ulrich Michel (Noerr, GE), business and company development specialists Caroline Williams and Bernie Cullinan (Mileway, IE), producer Juraj Krasnohorsky (CEE Animation, Artichoke Production, SK), and directors and pedagogues Luca Tóth and Katinka Bognar (MOME, HU).

The CEE Animation Workshop is organised with the support of the Creative Europe MEDIA programme of the European Union, Ministry of Public Administration, Slovenia, Østnorsk Filmsenter, Filminvest, Innlandet fylkeskommune, Lillehammer kommune, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Czech Audiovisual Fund, Czech Audiovisual Producers’ Association and National Film Institute Hungary.

Selected animated projects:

Fairy Tale for Gnomes – p. Aneta Zagórska, Krakow Animation Center, Poland | d. & s. Maria Görlich-Opyd (Feature film)
Holy Moly – p. William Holten, Microfilm AS, Norway | d. & s. Margrethe Danielsen (Short film)
In Between – p. Irene Sparre, Sparre Production, Denmark | s. Marie-Louise Højer Jensen, Ditte Lundsgaard Nielsen, Metteline Ibsen | d. Marie-Louise Højer Jensen, Ditte Lundsgaard Nielsen (TV Series)
Inner Glow – p. Gabrielė Vaičiūnaitė, WHY Films, Lithuania | s. Emilija Juzeliūnaitė (Short film)
Mould – p. Tereza Havlová, BATCH film, Czechia | d. & s. Philippe Kastner (TV Series)
Recordanza – p. May Odeh, Mayana Films, Germany | d. & s. Jalal Maghout | c.p. Zorana Mušikić (Feature film)
The Climbing Girl – p. Christopher Zitterbart, Watchmen Productions GmbH, Germany | d. & s. Benjamin Quabeck (Feature film)
The Ghost of the Riverbend – p. Bella Szederkényi, CUB Animation, Hungary | d. & s. Bálint Gelley (Feature film)
The Summer of the Moth – p. Petri Kemppinen, Good Hand Production, Finland | d. & s. Vera Lamminpää (Feature film)
Through the Blizzard – p. Sonja Đurić, Sonet, Bosnia and Herzegovina | s. & d. Igor Đurić (Short film)
Trixi – p. & d. Katarína Kerekesová, Fool Moon, Slovakia | s. Katarína Moláková | p. Verona Dubišova (Feature film)
Tulip – p. Valentin Maupin, Avec ou sans vous, France | s. & d. Juli Tudisco (TV Series)