August full of animation art
11th Turku Animated Film Festival brings again together animation professionals and friends of animation art to the animation capital of Finland, Turku. The festival takes place in Manilla Culture Factory and Kino Kiltaan 26.-30.8.
This year’s festival theme is Animated to Life.
This year’s lineup features over 130 films and 20 curated screenings of festival winners, quirky rarities, and fresh hits from near and far. But Turku Animated Film Festival is not just competition screenings; there is also lots of program for the children, interesting masterclasses and panel discussions, feature animation films and of course, getting together with old and new friends.
FRESH FROM FINLAND
This year audience has an optunity to enjoy two screenings of Finnish short animations. Among the National competition there is also Panorama screening, with many deligtful animations.
FINNISH GEMS – NATIONAL COMPETITION
Wednesday 26.8. 19.00-21.00 / Manilla Culture Factory
Saturday 29.8. 13.00-15.00 / Kino Kilta
Etäisyyksiä, ohj. Jesse Lähilehto
Naisväki, ohj. Sofia Liukonen
A body without a horse?, ohj. Lara Fuke
Mother of Dawn, ohj. Clara Trevisan
Kai, ohj. Erika Weiste ja Aki Viikilä
I’d rather be a concorde, ohj. Javier Fabregas
Breaking the Ice, ohj. Troy Edery
The Witch, ohj. Tomi Malkki
Still Life, ohj. Lara Jaydha
Mindfullmess, ohj. Nina Suominen
Richard the dream cowboy, ohj. Juho Maurinen
HEART OF FOME – NATIONAL PANORAMA Friday 28.8. 17.00-19.000 / Kino Kilta Saturday 29.8. 21.00-23.00 / Kino Kilta
Kutkuttaja, ohj. Jenni Koljonen, Elina Mikkola, Juulia Niiranen, Anna Rohesalu Mamimimumemo, ohj. Komiya Tamaki Ja kolmannen päivän ollessa kauneimmillaan, ohj. Laura Konttinen Seven Years in Twitter, ohj. David John Graham Hyvää Yötä, Pupu, ohj. Onni Mäkilä White Room, ohj. Heikki Saikkonen Mun pitää olla tuol ja mä oon tässä, ohj. Oona November Pennanen Safe to work, ohj. Hilla “Northflowo” Sivill Villasukka, ohj. Katariina Haukka Bussikodittomat, ohj. Tommi Uskola
TAFF PRO – INSPIRING PROGRAM FOR ANIMATION PROFESSIONALS
TAFF Pro brings together Finnish and international animation artists as well as professionals from related fields. The program consists of talks, presentations, and panel discussions, as well as film screenings. This year, TAFF Pro focuses on bringing objects to life and object manipulation. The program offers fascinating perspectives from professionals in stop-motion animation and puppetry on how movement, storytelling, and the magical bringing to life of inanimate characters create a connection between these art forms.
This year’s TAFF Pro has interesting masterclass from croatian director Thomas Volda Breathing the Inanimate to Life, french director Anna Ivanova From the Puppet’s Perspective as well as director Anita Killi from Norway, who talks about fascinating world of stop-motion and multiplane animation and puppeteer and performance artist Ishmael Falken who will have a lecture about the redefinition of the body, and the deconstruction and reconstruction of old and familiar stories.ANIMATION FOR CHILDREN
Also children has an oportunity to come and enjoy animation, and also to see how animation is done. On Saturday 29.8. children and their parents have an possibility to craft their own puppet with the instructions from Aura of Puppets’ Puppeteer. Before that, in the morning there are 3 TAFF Junior screenigs with exciting and delightful short animation for children and teenagers.
At the Kino Kilta audience can enjoy feature animations. Benoît Chieux’s Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds is a vibrant fantasy adventure filled with unforgettable creatures and boundless imagination. After that there is a rare oportunity to see the first feature film by Czech animation master Jan Švankmajer, Alice (1988). Rarely screened on the big screen in Finland, this cult classic is a unique blend of live action, stop-motion animation and the dreamlike aesthetics of puppet theatre, and has inspired countless animators and filmmakers around the world.
Junior Workshop Saturday 29.8. at 11.00, Manilla Culture Factory
Sirocco of Kingdom of Winds Saturday 29.8. at 15.00, Kino Kilta
Alice Saturday 29.8. at 17:00, Kino Kilta
Turku Animated Film Festival 26.-30.8.2026
Manillan kulttuuritehdas (Itäinen Rantakatu 64 B, 20810 Turku) Kino Kilta (Palokunta/rakennus B, Taiteen talo, Nunnankatu 4 20700 Turku) Festival Director Annika Dahlsten annika@taff.fi Publicist Elias Jurvanen elias@taff.fi
