Yesterday Fantoche International Animation Festival opened in Switzerland.

Focusing on Estonian animation, this year's Fantoche programme includes over twenty Estonian films and the "Female+" and "Male+" programmes, which explore the diversity of our animation landscape through different genders, generations and techniques, and feature the work of Anu-Laura Tuttelberg, Chintis Lundgren, Andres Tenusaare and Kaspar Jancis, among others. The works from the Animation Department of the Estonian Academy of Arts is also presented.

"Athough times are volatile and film financing is not in the best of times, it is a joy to see that our animation is alive and breathing and that our younger generation has the same passion as the classics," noted Peep Pedmanson, animation and TV series expert at the Estonian Film Institute, comments on the Estonian focus at Fantoche.

Helen Unt, animation director and curator of the Focus programmes, adds: "Estonian animation is very rich in different techniques, ages of creators and ways of telling stories. The women's programme screening at the festival will explore themes of intimacy, depravity, fairy tales. The programme, which focuses mainly on male authors, is based on the principle that in the midst of the fun, it is also necessary to talk about more serious subjects. In Estonian animation, seriousness and humour go hand in hand."

The Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) is represented with a Master's programme. "We are delighted to present a selection of EKA student films created between 2021 and 2025, many of which have received international acclaim, winning more than 140 awards at animation and short film festivals," comments Lilli-Krõõt Repnau, Head of the International Master's Programme at the Department of Animation.

In addition, the festival's international competition programme will include "The Diffusion Pilot" (dir. Aurelijus Čiupas), which screened at the Cannes Film Festival's student film programme La Cinef and won third prize, and "The Snow Accompanies Us" (dir. Natalia Mirzoyan, Estonian producers Rebel Frame in collaboration with EKA), which screened at the world's largest animation festival Annecy, in the student film competition programme. Both films are works from the Master's programme of the Animation Department of the Academy of Arts.

Fantoche will also feature a conference for the animation industry, with a panel discussion "On Estonian Frames and Vibes", where the success of Estonian animation on the international stage will be opened by Lilli-Krõõt Repnau, head of the international master's curriculum of the Department of Animation at the Estonian Academy of Arts, and animation directors Lucija Mrzljak (co-writer of "Eve" with Morten Chinakov) and Sander Joon, whose festival film "Sierra" also won the Fantoche New Talent Award in 2022. The work programme will also include talks with both authors.

Fantoche is Switzerland's largest cultural event dedicated exclusively to animation. A major event for the world's cultural and artistic community, it is a meeting place for the general public as well as the film and creative industries.

The festival will take place in Baden from 2 to 7 March.